The Joseph Brant Hospital Auxiliary is bringing a new twist to their annual fundraiser, now in its 26th year.
Many longtime Burlington residents are familiar with the Auxiliary’s Antique and Collectibles Auctions, which have raised over $1,100,000 to support the hospital since 1997. The live auctions, hosted by professional auctioneers, have been huge successes thanks to loyal attendees and the Auxiliary’s dedicated volunteers. But, as Auxiliary volunteer Moira McEachern puts it, “times change.”
With live auctions becoming less popular, “this time we decided we’d just go for a marketplace and estate sale and see how it goes. It’s a trial,” says Moira.
All signs point to the trial going well. The Auxiliary hosted a fundraiser with a live auction and marketplace in September, and were astounded by the success of the latter. People were lined up at 4PM to shop at the marketplace, which nearly sold out after just three hours. “It looked really bare. We hadn’t even had the live auction yet. So it was very successful.” If all goes well, the volunteer committee is considering holding the event twice a year, as they did pre-COVID.
On May 3rd and 4th, the marketplace and the estate sale will run from 4PM-7PM on the Friday and 9AM-3PM on the Saturday. The marketplace section will have a more affordable range of items, comparable to your average antique sale. The estate sale section will feature higher-end items like china, crystal, sterling silver, and more valuable prints of artworks. Overall, in both sections, attendees can expect to find glassware, linens, jewellery, clocks, lighting, books, collectibles, furniture, and more.
Although the marketplace is more affordable than the estate sale, Moira stresses that it’s not like a garage sale. “We will have items priced from $5 up to $40 or $50.” The volunteers, who are a committee dedicated to this specific fundraiser, have spent many hours finding quality items to include in the marketplace and estate sale. “We collect all year. People phone in and our appraiser contacts them, decides if what they have is what we could sell, and then she emails me and I coordinate the volunteers to go to the donor’s home to pick up the items,” says Moira.
The event committee suspects this new version of the fundraiser might bring in new clientele, including a younger demographic who enjoy a good vintage sale. Both the marketplace and estate sale will accept cash, credit and debit to accommodate all attendees and raise as much money as possible. With the success of September’s marketplace, volunteers are hopeful that this year’s combination of a marketplace and estate sale will do well for the hospital.
Moira has a tip for shoppers attending the event: “If you see it, buy it. If you come back on the Saturday, it might be gone.” Because it’s a volunteer-run event, they are unable to provide delivery; so if you’re furniture-shopping, it’s best to bring an appropriate vehicle to transport your items. For those larger furniture purchases, volunteers can put a sold sign on it for you and hold it as late as 4PM on Saturday.
Whatever treasures attendees may find, they can feel good about buying second-hand and supporting a good cause. Funds raised will help Joseph Brant Hospital purchase necessary medical equipment and provide the best possible care for the Burlington community. It doesn’t get much better than that.
- Location: St. Christopher's Anglican Church, 662 Guelph Line, Burlington
- Date: Friday, May 3rd from 4pm-7pm and Saturday, May 4th from 9am-3pm
- No buyers premium. No HST. Cash, debit and credit accepted.
Visit jbhauctions.com for more information
