Stone Mills Has Officially Decluttered!!

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What started as a crazy idea last year, has caught on to be an enjoyable day for many.

20160501_220324This year we had 104 households register for the event and as we drove around I saw at least 18 additional ones which had not register.  I think this is amazing!  There were plenty of sales for everyone who wanted to visit them.  Some felt there was too many but the fact is, there is no requirement for you to go to them all!   I imagine this must frustrate some serious shoppers.  This will make for better planning next year.

Even my goal to visit every registered location was thwarted.  I wanted to drop off a little snack and introduce myself.  My husband Alan and myself started off at 7:30 and lasted until 3pm.  Well, we lost our stamina at number 90 and 200 kilometers later.    Sorry to those missed along the route!

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There were many smiles along the routes. Folks enjoyed talking about their experiences so far.  I soon found out that google’s gps coordinates for some locations were out of whack  (lesson learned for next year).     As we travelled, we got some lemonade, hot dogs, and awesome treats from Abrams Bakery along the way.  I envied those who were shopping as I saw some of the great deals that were being striked.  As a plant lover myself, I’ll need to revisit some of the folks who may have any leftover plants.abramsYUM (2)

In general, people were pretty excited and happy with the turnout of the people they got at their sales.  Decluttering was happening everywhere and I think everyone felt relieved and happy to do so.   I don’t think anybody’s goal was to get rich.

Grasshopper FundraiserThe BBQs were a hit and provided much needed access to quick food along the way.

The Car washes in Newburgh by the NEWBURGH GRASSHOPPERS, and Yarker by the YARKER FIREFIGHTERS were busy,  running out of water before the end of the day.   We can’t overlook the impact this had on local businesses.  Not only did they see some extra business but they got recognized by out-of-town people.

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I have no doubt that visitors who are not from the area will be back in the future or tell others about Stone Mills.

Data Collection is important!  It helps us determine what the impact has been and what needs to be changed for future years.  Watch for a future post about the information that was collected from a recent survey.  It is important to note that this is not perfect process by any means so input from all sources in important.

How did people hear about the sale?

A Stone Mills Marketplace website pop-up survey of 522 responses revealed that an overwhelming amount of people saw the information about this event on Facebook.  That is the magic of sharing information!Declutter signsPosting to where the yard sale junkies hang out was key!  Other advertising venues included road signage, the Napanee Beaver, Friends/Family/Neighbours, L&A event and Stone Mills Township event calendars, and Kijiji.

It can’t be missed that this advertising would not have been possible without the 26 people and businesses who generously sponsored this event.

The Stone Mills Marketplace website gathers information in the background as well and here are some interesting facts.

An amazing 2500 visitors looked at the Stone Mills Markeplace in month of May.

33% returned to the site more than once  bringing the total to 3400 sessions!!!    May 27th (the day before the sale) had the most — topping at 616 sessions.  This tells me that there was a whole lot of people interested in this sale! DeclutterStats

So where did all these people come from?

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Interest for the event came from many surprising locations.   There was an overwhelming proportion from Kingston internet service providers.

These people were interested in more than just the “Declutter Sale” .  The Business Directory also saw increased traffic.  Historically there were 186 hits for the month of March, 300 hits for April.    These numbers increase to over 500 hits to the business directory for the month of May!

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Future impact on all this is hard to determine.  But the stories will resonate for some time.  Exposure to Stone Mills and the great people and businesses therein has been achieved.  I hope the smiles and friendships from this day last until next year.  It certainly was a happy day and the sun certainly did shine upon us.

My job as a realtor has just been made easier by all the great things I can tell people about our township.  Individually we are special but as a whole we are amazing!!

 

Please leave your comments below!

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Until next year,

Diane Giberson

 

www.LetsBuyAHome.ca / www.LetsSellAHome.ca

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