Thousands Shop Eugene's 15th Annual World's Largest Indoor Garage Sale

When the Lane Events Center's doors opened at 9 a.m. Saturday, a line had already wrapped around the corner of the building at 796 W. 13th Ave. Every one of 200 vendor booths had sold out ahead of the date, and thousands of shoppers turned up anyway — the 15th annual World's Largest Indoor Garage Sale delivering both of those signals at once.

The sale ran until 4 p.m. at the Lane County Fairgrounds, with admission set at $5 per adult and free for children 12 and under with a paying adult. Organizers said the event typically draws 3,500 to 4,500 people. Home goods, collectibles, instruments, electronics, clothing, jewelry and kitchen items filled the Exhibit Hall, spread across tables that vendors had hauled in by hand truck from the night before.

"It's anything from home items to collectibles to guitars, anything, it's crazy," said Keevin Wagner, promotion director for Cumulus Media, which organizes the sale through its KZEL 96.1 radio station. "So it's a lot to take on, it's a lot of fun, it's great to meet people. You look around and everybody's smiling."

Wagner stood by the sale's informal designation. "In my mind it is," he said, when asked whether the event truly earns its World's Largest label. "In my mind it's the world's largest indoor garage sale." No certifying body verifies that claim, but the sold-out vendor floor and the line outside the entrance lend it a credible ring.

The 15th annual edition was presented by Goodwill of Lane and South Coast Counties and Quantum Fiber from AT&T. Unsold items at day's end could be donated directly to Goodwill, giving sellers a clean handoff rather than a reverse commute with a packed car. Shoppers who picked up merchandise while supplies lasted also received a free Eugene Emeralds ticket voucher valid in May.

For anyone planning to sell next year: booth spaces are registered in person, cash only, at Cumulus Broadcasting, 1200 Executive Parkway, Suite 440, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Vendor setup runs the Friday afternoon before the sale and again from 7 a.m. on the day of the event. For shoppers, the line that forms before the doors open confirms what regulars already know: arriving right at 9 a.m. is the move. This year's booths were gone before the sale was announced publicly — the clearest measure of how deeply the resale market has rooted itself in Eugene.