Not all of us have the stamina for yard sale season. Maybe you’re tired of scouring Craigslist for nearby listings, then mapping out a way to hit the most promising yards in the most efficient way. Instead, maybe you daydream about a a huge room full of many people’s gently used clothes, furniture, and small china figurines.
If so, you’re about to have that disconcerting (yet pleasant) experience of seeing your dream become a reality on Saturday, when Johns Hopkins hosts its second annual U-Turn Sale. The idea is simple — gather together all the sweaters and electronics and books and stuff that college students can’t fit in their cars, and don’t feel like storing until next year; combine that with donated objects from students, staff, and faculty; then spend a month organizing and sticking (cheap!) price tags on things. You’ll (hopefully) wind up with a gym full of objects finding a useful second career, and a host of happy shoppers, glad to get a bargain.
Proceeds will benefit the Johns Hopkins Neighborhood Fund, a plan launched in 2007 aiming to connect the school more closely with nearby non-profits, as well as to the neighborhoods that border its campuses. In the coming weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at the relationship between Hopkins and its neighbors — but for now, we’re content to go shopping for a good cause.
