Royal Rummage early bird sale a massive shopping day on Longboat Key

What do you think of when you hear of an exclusive, bargain-priced sale? Do you picture long lines, anxious shoppers and enough mid-sale chatter to make your brain melt? Black Friday comes to mind. 

The St. Mary, Star of the Sea Royal Rummage Sale also comes to mind. The sale brought the energy of Black Friday to Longboat Key, without the stampedes and lack of human decency. Shoppers lined up as early as 10 a.m. to get into the sale that began at noon, and Joseph M’mwirichia, who was taking the $5 early bird fee as shoppers came in, estimates that close to 1,000 people streamed into the Father Edward Pick Hall to browse piles upon piles of rummaged items, all priced to sell. 

“Silly me,” Suzy Brenner said. “I thought it wouldn’t be so crowded.”

Friday, March 6 was the early bird sale for the Royal Rummage. Attendees paid $5 to get in and rummage through the items before the free-to-get-in sale on Saturday, March 7. Tradition and the fact that every dollar spent goes to charity is what brings many shoppers back every year. 

“It’s fun getting bargains,” Moira MacDonald said. “Everyone loves a bargain and everything goes to charity.” 

It was difficult to move through the sale at the opening bell with people either making a beeline for categories of merchandise they didn’t want to miss or people wandering around getting a look at everything. Volunteers from the Women’s Guild staffed the departments and did their best to keep things organized. Ginny Akhoury kept a microphone close, updating shoppers with pertinent information, paging lost shoppers and encouraging everyone to keep going.

“I hope you’re finding your treasures,” Akhoury said. 

 Jeanne Topic and Audrey Dolan got lucky with their shopping. The women came in to find a treasure chest for Dolan’s granddaughter and found the perfect item. 

“Look how good the condition is,” Topic said. “We found the perfect treasure.”

Within the sale were tables of linens, kitchen items, clothes, books, jewelry, shoes, electronics, toys, games, art, collectibles and many more categories. Outside were bikes, outdoor and indoor furniture and dozens of others. Shoppers left with bulging bags, sometimes making multiple trips to and from the car. 

“This is a perfect place to get odds and ends and things you didn’t realize you needed,” Lesley Rife said.