Bargains for You on Highway 82 slated for Oct. 25-26

Hunting for antiques, unique collectibles or practical items for a steal? Well, there will be plenty of Bargains for You on Highway 82.

The sixth annual, multi-city yard sale is set for Oct. 25 and 26 in several communities along the U.S. 82 corridor that stretches between Columbia and Ashley counties, with El Dorado and Union County falling smack dab in the middle.

As usual, the yard sales will last “from daylight until dark or until the last customer leaves,” said organizer Larry Anderson, of Everybody’s Antiques in El Dorado.

Setup for Bargains will begin on the evening of Oct. 24.

Anderson said Bargains brings in sellers and customers from several states, with vendors having come from Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama over the years.

Communities in South Arkansas who consistently participate in Bargains are El Dorado, Strong, Crossett and Hamburg and smaller communities in between.

A new community will be added to the event this year, Anderson said.

“We will have a group, Delta Weddings, setting up in Mist, which is seven miles east of Hamburg,” Anderson said.

Within El Dorado city limits, the focal point is the parking lot of Everybody’s Antiques.

“Ours is a first come, first served setup. We hope to have a food vendor or two this year,” Anderson said.

He said dedicated sellers in Oak Manor, a neighborhood just west of El Dorado city limits, Strong, Crossett and Hamburg are expected to return this year.

Groups in Crossett are combining Bargains for You 2019 with a large craft fair that was planned the same weekend in hopes of having an even larger turnout this year, Anderson said, adding, “The folks in Crossett have really been promoting it. They want to make it bigger and better.”

Anderson said the garage-sale permit fee in El Dorado is typically waived for Bargains and he will confirm if the waiver will remain in effect for this year’s event.

When the idea of the event was conceived, the vision was for Bargains to stretch from Texarkana to Lake Village but Anderson said organizers have not had much luck in communities that are close to the Texas and Mississippi borders.

“We just couldn’t garner the participation. We’ve never made it to Texarkana. We’ve had some participation in Lewisville but not any farther than that. We went to antique dealers, auctioneers, their chamber of commerce and businesses over there but we could never garner interest in Texarkana,” Anderson said.

He acknowledged that such an endeavor is time-consuming, explaining that he and his team have to split responsibilities between Everybody’s Antiques and the giant yard sale each year.

Anderson said Bargains has lasted as long as it has. Some other large highway sales, on which the idea for Bargains was based, have shut down in recent years.

“There still seems to be a need for it hear because it’s still growing. Last year, our parking lot was full for much of the two days. I’ve already had people calling me and asking about it this year. Last Monday was our first ad on our Facebook page and now it’s blowing up on Facebook,” Anderson said.

Signs posted along the highway point shoppers in the direction of the sellers.

For more information about Bargains, call Anderson at 870-875-1444 or visit the Bargains for You on Highway 82 Facebook page.

Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.

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