(The Lollar Group)
Chris Pfefferkorn, Birmingham Zoo Senior Vice President; Andrew Holland, Penske Truck Leasing Professional Sales Representative; Roger Torbert, Birmingham Zoo Vice President of Education; Josh Sanders, Penske Truck Leasing Professional Sales Representative and Kerry Graves, Birmingham Zoo Vice President of Sales and Marketing are pictured at The Birmingham Zoo in the ’Trails of Africa’ exhibit. Penske Truck Rental donates moving trucks to the Junior League of Birmingham to move items that are sold during Bargain Carousel. Portions of the Bargain Carousel proceeds will benefit the Birmingham Zoo programs such as The EcoGarden.
For some there is nothing more fun than bargain hunting! What if you could find a wide variety of unbelievable items at low prices and buying them would mean you were improving lives for women and children? The Junior League of Birmingham’s (JLB) annual Bargain Carousel makes this shopping experience a reality.
Called the "largest garage sale in Birmingham," the event offers two distinct experiences. Bargain Bash, held this April 21, is a casual cocktail party that offers first-chance shopping of Bargain Carousel items and impressive silent and live auctions, with more than 150 items, including original artwork and VIP travel packages. For shoppers wanting the best selection and smaller crowds, VIP admission is the best choice, with 6 p.m. entry at $40 a ticket. Shoppers receive one hour of early bird shopping before general admission patrons enter. All guests enjoy food, beverages and the auctions. Guests will also enjoy entertaining commentary from Mark & Stephanie with 93.7 WDJC. VIP admission is $40 a ticket and general admission (7 p.m. entry) is $30 a ticket. All Bargain Carousel items sell for double the ticket price during Bargain Bash.
“Discovering pieces of art at Bargain Carousel is like being on a treasure hunt,” said Christina Graffeo Powell of Mountain Brook. “Gorgeous oil paintings, sketches and water color drawings antique frames can be found at unbelievable prices.”
Saturday and Sunday are a bargain hunter’s paradise, with more than 100,000 items for sale including art, appliances, furniture, heirloom items, baby and children’s clothing and furnishings, home décor, outdoors and sporting goods, and much more. This year, a local business liquidated their office furniture, providing Bargain Carousel with dozens of high quality desks, chairs and other office furniture.
“Bargain Carousel’s purpose is two-fold,” said JLB volunteer and Bargain Carousel chair, Haley Holden. “The sale raises money for the League’s 31 projects serving women and children in the metro area and it allows us to sell items at deeply discounted prices to individuals who can benefit from them.”
Thanks to Baptist Health System, Bargain Carousel will be held in Hoover just off of Exit 10 from I-459 in the old Princeton-Hoover location. Penske Truck Rental has donated moving trucks to the Junior League of Birmingham to move items that are sold during Bargain Carousel.
Portions of the Bargain Carousel proceeds will benefit the Birmingham Zoo’s EcoGarden program.
“Many people return to the event year after year,” said Holden. “We have our Bargain Bash faithful who can afford to come in and buy antique pieces at double our retail price that night and we have hundreds of people who line up overnight for the general sale because they know they can get gently-used necessities at a price they can afford.”
In 2015, more than 500 tickets were pre-sold the day before Bargain Carousel opened its doors. People began lining up the night before to reserve their spot to pre-purchase tickets. This year, the pre-sale will be held at the sale location on Friday, April 22 from 3 – 7 p.m., where shoppers may purchase up to four tickets at $10/ticket to the Saturday sale.
Bargain Carousel 2016 will begin on Saturday, April 23 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Tickets from 8 – 10 a.m. are $10/ticket and from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. they are $5/ticket. It continues Sunday, April 24 (1 – 5 p.m.) with free admission and half price merchandise.
A special note for the Saturday sale, all tickets are numbered, and shoppers will enter Bargain Carousel in the order of their ticket number. For information about Bargain Carousel 2016, call 205-879-9861, visit www.bargaincarousel.net,“Like” Bargain Carousel on Facebook, or follow @jlbbargaincarousel on Instagram.
-Submitted by The Lollar Group
