Annual yard sale in Aurora gives shoppers chance to find a bargain while helping Mutual Ground

Ami Hawks of Aurora looks forward to the last weekend in July every year so she can visit a local yard sale and give back to the community and a worthy cause.

“I’ve been coming here for a number of years and have bought a glass bowl just like this one,” Hawks said while showing off her purchase on Friday at Miss Fannie’s Yard Sale in Aurora which raised funds for Mutual Ground. “Last year a friend got me a candy dish from here because I was in the hospital but this is way better than your average garage sale. It supports the community and Mutual Ground, which is for battered women and families. It’s really important to have their presence in the community and for the community to support it. That’s why we’re here.”

Mutual Ground provides support for individuals and families impacted by domestic violence, sexual abuse and substance abuse.

The yard sale, which was offered for the 22nd year, is named after longtime Mutual Ground volunteer Fannie Morrison, who began working with the group back in 1999. The sale, held on the Mutual Ground site at 418 Oak Ave. in Aurora, ran Friday and Saturday.

Krystyna Sarrazin, volunteer coordinator for Mutual Ground, said this year’s sale “included more tents to display items than we’ve had before.”

“Throughout the year if we have extra items we squirrel them away in our basement storage and close to the end of the sale we also have people donating directly to the yard sale,” she said.

Major items available beyond clothes included shoes, books and household items, Sarrazin said, adding that “one of the fun things we also do is have free items.”

“We have little travel items that people donate like soaps and lotion and things you get at hotels along with mini deodorants and other things like that,” she said Friday. “This year’s collection is probably bigger than we’ve ever had before because we pretty much filled our whole basement. Donations are up because people know we are an amazing organization doing things for the community. I also think people are giving away more after COVID now that they are back to work and want to clean out things.”

Morrison, 84, was busy sorting items and walking back and forth around the yard sale on Friday. She said after more than two decades of the event she still “looks forward to all my customers that come.”

“It’s the same ones and we have so much fun. It’s so nice to see them and they know the rules and we fuss, we laugh,” Morrison said. “Mutual Ground is just helping the community and people come rain or shine.”

Sarrazin said she believes there is a large core of fans of the sale “who put this on their calendars each year within the neighborhood as well as people looking for bargains.”

One of those fans is Brian Wells of Aurora, who while visiting the sale Friday said he lives just a block away from the site.

“I come to this every year and I look forward to it,” he said. “In terms of what I look for I’ve got a mission this time that started last year. Mutual Ground gets a lot of donations for babies and stuff – disposable diapers and things. Me being a grandparent’s age and my friends are I scored a whole bag of disposable diapers and everyone was excited about that. I’m looking for some. I’m trying to help other folks. I think it’s totally a great thing for the community, I mean, the whole project.”

Jose Aguirre of Aurora said he lives two blocks away from the yard sale and “comes every year.”

“I know this is a good cause and I have lived here more than 20 years. I know this place,” he said. “My wife likes to buy a lot of stuff too.”

Lorena Soto, also of Aurora, came with her daughters on Friday and said this was her first time at the yard sale.

She said the merchandise “was pretty good.”

“There’s nothing specific I’m looking for just whatever would help around the house,” she said.

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.