When most people hold a garage sale, it’s a small neighborhood happening designed to get rid of extra junk and make a little cash in the process.
But when Janice Burr holds her sale, it’s not only a major community event that draws hundreds of customers, it’s part of God’s plan.
‘We’re doing it for the Lord,? she said. ‘We’re doing it to further His work.?
Last week, the 59-year-old Oxford resident held her biannual barn sale at her 39 Mill Street residence and raised $3,000 for missions and missionaries associated with the First Baptist Church in Lake Orion.
‘It’s much more fun for me to do it for a good cause,? Burr said.
Burr’s been holding sales in her 100-year-old barn and at other locations for about 10 years now, raising a total of $20,000 to $25,000 for everything from young missionaries heading to China and Africa to the First Baptist’s school in Lake Orion to helping pregnant teens.
‘We support 35-40 missionaries at our church,? said Burr, who’s worked as a Registered Nurse at POH Medical Center in Oxford for 26 years. ‘When we hear that they have a special project they need, we send money for that.?
‘We have a missionary up in Alaska who has an air school for missionary pilots and we’re very interested in him. We’ve sent quite a bit of money for that,? she noted.
The barn sales Burr conducts twice a year, usually in the spring and fall, are by no means your typical garage sales.
This year, not only was Burr’s charming 100-year-old barn full of merchandise, but so was her driveway, a tent in her backyard and her neighbor Jim Harrison’s garage. ‘This is the biggest one by far,? Burr said. ‘It is huge.?
So where does all Burr’s merchandise come from? ‘People donate (stuff) to me,? she said.
Usually it’s people who are cleaning out a family member’s house.
‘I tell’em I don’t want your good stuff,? she said. ‘I don’t want your antiques. I want the junk that you would be throwing away. Let me get in your dumpster or let me throw it in the dumpster. Don’t throw anything away. They’re sure it’s junk, but really people love it.?
Marie Bossard, of Lake Orion, even donates plants for the sale.
The diversity, variety and quality of Burr’s merchandise never fails to draw quite the crowd.
‘We average a couple hundred (customers) for each sale,? she said.
‘This is the best garage sale I’ve ever been to and I go to a ton of them,? said Betty McNamara, of Lake Orion. ‘It’s because there are so many varieties of antiques, new things and plants ? a lot of neat things.?
Organizing and conducting sales of this magnitude requires lots of time and effort. ‘It takes a good week to 10 days to get ready every time you do it,? Burr said. ‘It’s a lot of work and it’s hard work, but it’s worth it.?
Burr is grateful for all the help she receives from her husband Jim, and friends Beverly Turner, of Oxford, and Nancy Berkheiser, of Lake Orion.
‘I have good helpers,? she said.