A cherished community event, this has been an ongoing tradition since approximately 2008.
It was initiated as a community sale for residents to donate items, with funds raised matched by the BHIF director.
Resident Rev. Doug Willey had an idea for a garage sale to get rid of extra items. They weren't allowed to have a personal sale, but a community sale was okay. The Resident Council supported this, and people could give items for the sale. The first sale went on for two days and earned about $1,500. Any items left were donated to charities.
The director of BHIF agreed to match the funds raised, starting a partnership with the HV Flea Market. The money collected and doubled is used to make the Hoosier Village campus better. (You can see the details in the Resident Council notebook in the HV library).
Over time, it grew into a three-day event and now occurs twice a year.
- The first day of each sale is reserved for staff, residents, and their immediate families.
- Interim sales are also held in vacant apartments to save space, due to limited storage.
- In the end, some items remain unsold. We share these with various charities, and then start preparing for the next year.
Despite a halt in 2020 due to the pandemic, the flea market continues to be a beloved event that brings together the community while also improving the Hoosier Village campus through funds raised.