Bill Boulware, director of Rummage Sale Ministries (left), gathers with dedicated volunteers. Photos: Rummage Sale Ministry
For more than 100 years, Wayzata church hosts annual rummage sale.
You know a rummage sale is a big deal when it has a director. And you also know it’s something special when the queen of the local hunter/gatherer scene Emily Carriveau, social media influencer and crafter extraordinaire, hits the sale too. “It is well mapped out super organized and literally has something for everyone,” she says.
Since 1921, Wayzata Community Church (WCC) has hosted its annual rummage sale, benefiting several nonprofits, 501(c)(3) organizations and social service ventures, including Bricks to Bread, Daystar University in Kenya, DOUGH, Gigi’s Playhouse, Habitat for Humanity, Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army and more. Over the years, the event has raised millions (north of $180,000 in 2024) as shoppers gather up thousands of items, according to Bill Boulware, director of rummage sale ministries.
This year’s sale is set for from 9 a.m.–7 p.m. July 16 and 9 a.m.–6 p.m. July 17 at WCC. While some donations are accepted all year, the bulk of the items for this year’s sale will be accepted from June 1 to July 8 at the church. While the list of unaccepted items is available on WCC’s website, donors should know that popular items include bicycles, clothing, furniture, housewares and shoes.
Toys and more toys are a hit with the younger shopping set.
“One of my favorite things about the sale is that it’s organized by department, so you have everything from sporting goods to toys [and] clothing to furniture,” Carriveau says. “I start by winding my way through all of the tents of furniture. If you find a piece that you want to purchase, there are plenty of staff members around to put a sold tag on the piece of furniture. You pay for it, and it is set aside for you in a holding tent … so when I’m done shopping the sale, I just take my car around and pick up all of my treasures.”
Carriveau has her favorite departments, including housewares, where she has purchased Christmas platters to reuse for cookies during the holidays, gift wrap, paper for greeting cards and tags, ribbon and tulle, stationary and much more. “Collectibles is another really fun department to visit,” she says. “For this room, you typically have to wait in line, but I always seem to find something.” The hardware department has been a goldmine for organizational items, tools and wooden crates.
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Between 300–400 volunteers accept, sort, display and sell the goods. With all the items that have come in over the years, there has to be some standouts—for one reason or another. Boulware says list toppers include a phone booth, an elk’s head, furs, a jukebox and collections of books, collectables and jewelry, for example.
So who prices everything for those up to 2,000 shoppers? Remember those 300–400 volunteers? Some of them serve as department heads (22 in total) and there is a staff of pricing experts, who lead the way in determining the value of the items and an affordable and fair price point.
Like any sale, there are “leftovers,” which are distributed to service organizations, including Bridging, Epilepsy Society, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Clothes for Vets and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
If any age group knows about clothes, it’s teens. These volunteers put their fashion know-how to good use, organizing items for Wayzata Community Church’s annual sale.
Service With Purpose
Bill Boulware volunteered after he joined Wayzata Community Church (WCC) and accepted the director of Rummage Sale Ministries post after its former director left the position.
The leadership position charges Boulware with acting as the WCC staff liaison, leading the committee and department heads and recruiting volunteers. That can be a heavy lift, but he finds satisfaction in his directorship through “meeting our customers’ and donors’ needs, working with volunteers [and] seeing people find what they need at a price they can afford,” he says.
If You Go
Emily Carriveau offers some tips for shopping Wayzata Community Church’s annual sale. “I always get to the sale 30 minutes to an hour early, not necessarily because I want to be the first in line, but I want to find a parking spot,” she says. “The amount of people that attend is truly significant.”
Carriveau keeps her hands free to pick and choose her treasures, using a crossbody bag or a small backpack to carry her essentials. And for those must-have purchases, she brings reusable nylon shopping bags, making it easier to shop different departments and locate her bags in the holding tent when her mission is complete!
Wayzata Community Church
125 Wayzata Blvd. E.; 952.473.8877
Facebook: Wayzata Community Church
Instagram: @wayzatacommunitychurch
Emily Carriveau
Facebook: Small Town Me
Instagram: @smalltownme
TikTok: @emilycarriveau
