Candice Bray, Christina Kyzer and Lisa Bray show off their finds – two stuffed squirrels from Blythewood Consignment and an orange artificial Christmas tree. | Photos: Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – “It was a great weekend for us, one of the best Big Grab yard sales ever,” Liz Humphries, owner of Blythewood Consignment said about the annual 50-mile curb crawl.
After a seemingly slow start Friday morning, the Big Grab blossomed later in the day with both shoppers and vendors descending on the town. And Saturday didn’t disappoint. While the giant yard sale officially ended at 3 p.m. on Saturday, some stores in town were still doing a brisk business at 7 p.m.
Candice Bray, Christina Kyzer and Lisa Bray show off their finds – two stuffed squirrels from Blythewood Consignment and an orange artificial Christmas tree.
“We had lots of locals shopping and vending as well as dealers from Texas, Georgia, New York, California and other states,” Humphries said. “We couldn’t have had a better day. Plus we had about 10 vendors in our parking lot who did very well.”
One of those vendors sold more than 800 tacos from his stand, and Harold Boney’s lot across the street was packed with vendors.
While the traffic was heavy, sheriff’s deputies kept it and the pedestrians moving. The sidewalks along Main Street were filled with a brisk stream of pedestrians carrying small cupboards, paintings, artificial plants, chairs and more.
Two women from Pennsylvania showed up driving a U-Haul truck that they had filled by the end of the day on Saturday.
Bits and Pieces Consignment store owner Kristen Benini said both Friday and Saturday were good sale days for her store.
“It was three times what we saw last year when many of the vendors were set up in the park. Plus our parking lot was full of vendors which helped our store sales,” Benini said. “And I can’t say enough good things about the officer directing traffic in front of our store on Saturday. He
Marie Burkins, left, and her sister Victoria, right, thumbed through books while Cherry Jackson checked out the jewelry.
was fun, talking with the people who were driving and walking and added to the great atmosphere we had in town this year.”
In Winnsboro, the Director of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce Terry Vickers said it was the best Big Grab yet.
“We had lots more vendors and shoppers than in past years. The bypass from the hospital all the way to the intersection of Highway 34 had vendors and there were a number of vendors downtown and outlying areas,” Vickers said. “Some of our churches did well and, of course, the biggest success story came, again, from First United Methodist Church which brought in thousands of dollars. And First Baptist on Highway 34 did very well too. It was just a lot of fun and a lot of our residents made some money.”
“We were crazy busy here in Ridgeway but everyone, shoppers and vendors, were kind and sweet through it all,” Carol Allen, owner of Laura’s Tea Room, said. “We came close to being overwhelmed by the crowd in our café, but everyone was patient with us. I think everyone had a good time buying and bargaining. Our Cotton Yard was full and I know my store and restaurant were full. It was a great day.”
Keith Loner of Blythewood and his daughter, Ashley York, take time out from shopping a previous Big Grab in downtown Blythewood to rest on a sale couch set along Highway 21. | Barbara Ball
BLYTHEWOOD – When two separate applicants appeared before the Town government’s Accommodation Tax (A-Tax) committee last week to vie for $10,000 the town council has allocated for someone to manage this year’s Big Grab yard sale, the tense, hour-long meeting erupted into a shouting match between the two applicants and their supporters until frustrated committee member Ken Shettles called a halt to the ruckus with a motion to recommend that council reduce its allocation for the event to $5,000 and also make the decision as to which group will be awarded the money.
History of the Big Grab, presented at A-Tax meeting
The two applicants, Mike Switzer, Executive Director of the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce and Theresa McKendrick, owner of Postmarked 29016, a gift shop on McNulty Road, each made a case as to why he/she should be awarded the $10,000.
One committee member described the tug of war as a battle for the money.
“Oh, no,” Switzer said. “It’s not a battle at all. We’re totally fine if this group of volunteers would like to take it over.”
“So you’re withdrawing? Is that what you’re saying?” Shettles asked.
“No, that’s up to the committee,” Switzer said, but reminded the committee that this would be the chamber’s third year to oversee the Big Grab if awarded the money.
According to the chamber’s records, it made a profit from last year’s Big Grab, but how much is not clear. The Chamber did not turned over to the A-Tax committee a detailed listing of vendor fees and sponsorship sales for last year’s Big Grab, just a total number for each. One report showed a total Big Grab profit of $1,432.77, while other numbers indicated a possible profit of as much as $6,144.88.
The A-tax applications submitted by Switzer and McKendrick were similar.
Switzer’s application called for Big Grab to continue as a megasite in Doko Park as it did last year under the chamber’s direction. He listed project costs for the September, 2018 event at $10,000 but the revenue and expenses sections of the application each add up to $14,500, not $10,000.
Total revenue sources include $10,000 (A-tax funds), $3000 (sponsorships) and $1,500 (food and vendor sales). A proposed total of $14,500 in expenditures includes $2,240 (park rental for 28 hours), $2,560 (Sheriff’s Deputies), $800 (portable restrooms and trash bins) $500 (misc. supplies), $400 (ROTC), $5,000 (payments to chamber and visitor center staff) and $3,000 (advertising/marketing).
While McKendrick likened the Chamber’s Big Grab in the park to a flea market atmosphere, she, too, proposed locating vendors in the park but also in the town center.
McKendrick’s revenue sources mirrored Switzer’s at $14,500, but her proposed expenditures of $15,000 included up to $3,000 (park rental), up to $4,000 (municipal and county resources), up to $4,000 (administrative/event planner) and $4000 (marketing/promotions).
McKendrick justified payments of up to $4,000 for her staff as covering an event planner and “other support staff. If we have to hire day-of-event staff, then we would have that money available. We hope to hire a social media person and may have to pay to play if we hire social media influencers. We would pay them to post,” she explained.
While McKendrick said she was speaking on behalf of the owners of the town’s consignment stores, Bits and Pieces and Blythewood Consignment, neither of the stores’ owners were happy with Switzer’s or McKendrick’s proposals.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Liz Humphries, owner of Blythewood Consignment said. “This is about a big yard sale, a glorified selling of junk. I don’t think we need to spend all this money. I think we all need to get together and volunteer for our community.”
Joe Benini, co-owner of Bits and Pieces agreed.
“The first Big Grab was awesome and easy,” Benini said. “Then the chamber took over and the next thing I know, it’s now a $15,000 budget, for what? My wife and I had to pay $50 just to be a sponsor. I paid for all my stuff, posters, etc. and posted the map that was in The Voice on our door,” he said.
“Let the local people make the money,” Humphries said. “The Big Grab started as a way to get people in to our brick and mortar [stores]. The park has nothing to do with my store except that it’s a huge competition. My sales dropped in half last year because everyone was at the park. I’m just here to protect my business,” Humphries said. “I’m all about people selling their junk. But I don’t think people should get paid to do this. If you love Blythewood, you need to volunteer and not expect to get paid.”
Susan DeMarco, who owns Sweet Pea’s Ice Cream Parlor, is a member of the Chamber and sits on the A-tax committee, agreed.
“We can tag each other on Facebook and say, ‘We’re all merchants in Blythewood and we’re all excited about the Big Grab.’ It’s going to happen no matter what we decide today. It’s on. It’s on. What you put in to it is what you get out of it,” DeMarco said. “If we spend a bunch of money, we aren’t changing the Big Grab. All we’re doing is having a power struggle between two parties.”
“We thought we were doing a good job,” Switzer said, defending the chamber’s management of the Big Grab. “We reached out to all the merchants. We thought we were working out solutions to try to help them because we’re all about businesses succeeding and thriving in this community. As for as being paid to run the event, we cover that cost with sponsorships and vendor fees.”
“But you’re still holding it in the park,” said Gail Banks, a vendor at Blythewood Consignment. ”You’re not getting it.”
“And last year the park looked like a disaster relief area,” committee member Kris White said.
“No matter what we do today, we aren’t going to come to a conclusion,” Shettles said. “Our committee only makes recommendations to council, and these arguments need to be in front of council. We could go on here for hours.”
With Shettle’s motion on the table, DeMarco offered a second motion recommending that no organizer would get any money for the event, but that the town would foot the bills for hard expenses like sheriff’s deputies, trash receptacles, portable restrooms, etc.
“People have to stop asking the merchants for sponsorships,” DeMarco said. “I don’t want to give A-tax money to someone to run the event and who then comes to ask me for more money to sponsor it.”
The committee voted 3-0, with DeMarco abstaining, to pass Shettle’s motion.
The Big Grab 50-mile community yard sale is set for Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, and will include Blythewood, Ridgeway and Winnsboro.
Applicants offered $5K; Mayor: Take it or leave it
BLYTHEWOOD – After the Accommodation Tax (A-Tax) committee passed last week on choosing one of two applicants (the Greater Blythewood Chamber and shop owner Theresa McKendrick) to receive $10,000 in A-Tax funds to run the Blythewood portion of this year’s Big Grab event, council was left to make the choice with the only recommendation from the A-Tax committee being that it limit funding for the event to $5,000.
Rich McKendrick, who addressed council Monday night on behalf of his wife, Theresa, criticized merchants who, he said, supported her to apply for the A-tax funds to spearhead the Big Grab, but on the day of the A-tax committee meeting did not support her application. Those business connections, however, said that when they found out McKendrick’s application included $4,000 in staff pay, the assignment of vendors to the park and the sale of sponsorships – expenses they said they opposed from the get go – they could not support it.
Those merchants said they were looking for an alternative to the chamber’s Big Grab megasite of vendors in the park last year that took much of their Big Grab business out of the town where it was originally designed to go. They also expressed their opposition to having to pay for sponsorships and for the A-tax money going to pay for thousands of dollars for staff pay.
Kitty Kelly, office manager for the chamber, told council that the chamber did not receive any of its staff pay from A-Tax funds.
“I don’t know where that’s coming from,” Kelly said.
“Kitty, on the application you filled out for A-Tax funds, you designated ‘Blythewood chamber/visitor center staff, $5,000.’ That’s what your organization asked the A-Tax committee for to pay the chamber’s staff…$5,000 to administer the Big Grab,” Ross said, holding up the chamber’s application.
“It’s $5,000 just to rent the park and pay Richland County (sheriff’s deputies),” Kelly said.
As Switzer approached the podium, Ross told Kelly, “I think you need to let Mr. Switzer explain this.”
“Yes, there are staff costs involved. Sponsorship and vendor fees have covered our staff costs,” Switzer said.
However, the chamber’s application for A-Tax funds for this year and past years clearly listed staff salaries as coming out of A-Tax funds. Further, while the chamber’s application listed its Big Grab budget at $10,000, the budget was actually $14,500. McKendrick’s budget was $15,000.
Ross said council wanted to cover all the essential expenses for putting on the Big Grab – sheriff’s deputies, port-a-johns, marketing, etc. – with the caveat that council would receive receipts for those expenses. He said he felt the $5,000 would cover those expenses.
“We’re not fools,” Ross said. “If we don’t give a dime to this, the Big Grab will happen and the vendors will set up in town and the businesses will do well.” He also suggested that the town could take over running the event but said he didn’t want to take an opportunity away from organizations that want to do it the right way.
“We don’t want to bring people into our park to take them away from the businesses,” Ross said.
Councilman Brian Franklin, however, ignoring merchant’s claims that the park vendors drastically reduce their business on Big Grab weekend, suggested still having as many as 50 vendors in the park.
Mayor J. Michael Ross first offered the $5,000 for management of the event to McKendrick who declined, saying she would not run it without staff pay ($4,000) and allocations for other things such as rental for the park.
Ross then offered the $5,000 to the chamber. Switzer said he was not turning the offer down but said the application was for $10,000 and that’s what he needed.
The mayor countered that the option was take it or leave it. Switzer left the room and did not return.
Council voted 4-1 to fund the chamber with the $5,000 if the chamber wanted to accept that amount and limit park vendors to 50. Councilman Eddie Baughman voted against. Otherwise, Ross said, the town would take over the Big Grab.
The chamber was to notify town hall of its decision by 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 25. That decision had not been made before The Voice went to press on Wednesday.
BLYTHEWOOD – Town Council passed first reading of its 2018-19 budget Tuesday evening. The proposed $1,565,632 budget reflects $202,111 in building permits and fees, an increase of $17,111 over last year. Council also sees business licenses inside the town increasing from $94,871 to $113,351 and business licenses outside the town increasing from $80,188 to $92,491.
Town Hall salaries include a three percent cost of living and a three percent merit based pot. A sum of $9,250 is set aside in the budget for boardwalk security cameras in the park and $3,500 for supplies for the amphitheater.
The annual economic development grant for the Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce will increase from $15,000 to $17,500, and is funded out of the general fund. The Town’s contingency fund is set at $119,877. Council has proposed to increase the visitor’s center funding from accommodation tax to $20,500 from $18,500, and the Historical Society’s funding from $20,500 to $21,500. Council also proposes to fund The Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce with $10,000 of accommodation tax revenue for The Big Grab in September, an increase of $1,250 over last year.
A public hearing and second and final vote on the budget will be held during the June 25 council meeting.
BLYTHEWOOD/FAIRFIELD (Sept. 8, 2016) – With a name like “The Big Grab,” one would have to imagine the event has considerable scope. After all, the word “Big” is right there in the name of the event.
But this weekend’s curbside crawl of yard sales might have been better dubbed “The Bigger Grab.”
Shoppers at last year’s Big Grab search for deals.
The event that links Blythewood, Ridgeway and Winnsboro in a network of yard sales has grown and expanded this year to include more of Richland County and will run all the way to Newberry.
“It started out at 25 miles as a way to bring people into our communities and to enjoy small towns again, as well as a way to help our citizens put a little money in their pockets,” Terry Vickers, President of the Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce, said. “Now we’re in our fifth year and it is up to 85 miles.”
Vendors will be out trolling the roadsides from sunrise to sunset this Friday and Saturday along a route that beings at Exit 71 on I-20 and travels up Highway 21 into Blythewood and on to Ridgeway. From Ridgeway, shoppers can follow Highway 34 to Winnsboro, where sales will stretch along Highway 321 Business and the 321 Bypass, looping back to Highway 34 and running all the way to Exit 74 at I-26 near Newberry.
The event was the brainchild of Ridgeway merchant Denise Jones, Vickers said, who saw the success of Ridgeway’s semi-annual sidewalk sales and envisioned a chain of similar sales running for miles along the open road. Since its inception, The Big Grab has not only drawn shoppers into local businesses, it has also drawn vendors from as far away as New Jersey, Vickers said.
The event has also been a boon to local churches, who have capitalized on The Big Grab as a major annual fundraiser – not only selling their own wares, but also renting out prime selling space to vendors who otherwise would not have had a spot along the route. First United Methodist Church in Winnsboro has set the bar for other churches, raising approximately $5,000 last year.
Vendors will begin trickling into the area soon, Vickers said, setting up Thursday evening so they will be ready for the first light of dawn on Friday. Shoppers will just have to stand by and wait until day breaks.
“It’s exciting,” Vickers said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook!”
