MV Big Flea Sets All-Time Record

Saturday Morning Looks Like This

The Warehouse is FULL….Big Flea is this Saturday!

That’s right folks.  The event everyone’s been waiting for, the MV Big Flea, is this Saturday, April 30th at the MV Rec Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray.  Rain or Shine!

We’ve collected an entire warehouse of amazing items this year.  We’ve got furniture, baby stroller and kids gear, electronics, household items, collectibles, jewelry and more.  The photos below were taken a couple weeks ago and since then we’ve collected thousands of additional items.

The MV Big Flea doors open for early admission at 8am ($10) with general admission (free) starting at 9am. At noon, everything is half off and at 2pm everything left over is 100% FREE!  I hope to see you at the MV Big Flea on Saturday, April 30th with a fist full of cash!

We Love our Sponsors!

The Big Flea is a community-wide event and we could not succeed without the help of our generous friends in the business community.

Below is a list of organizations that have sponsored the MV Big Flea in 2011 as well as a list of our Community Partners.  These are the groups who provide a generous sponsorship each year and help fund our school’s education and enrichment programs.

We couldn’t do it without their support.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Big Flea Supporters
Jeremy Stewart, Weichert Realtors
Bobi Bomar, Weichert Realtors
Gentle Giant Moving Company
Caboose Café
Evening Star
Seasons Culinary
Whole Foods
BLT Shirt Printers, Inc

MVCS PTA Community Partners
Alexandria Hyundai
Bobi Bomar, Weichert Realtors
Del Ray Central Apartments
Elizabeth Lucchesi, McEnearney Associates
Christine Garner, Weichert Realtors
Monarch Title, Inc.
Your Dog’s Best Friends
Jennifer Walker, McEnearney Associates

Don’t Forget the Library Book Sale!

On Saturday, April 30th the Friends of Duncan Library will host their annual spring Book Blast & Kids Fun Fest.  The library is conveniently located next to the MV Big Flea at the Duncan Library, 2501 Commonwealth Avenue in Alexandria.

There will be thousands of books, CDs, DVDs for sale PLUS great performances and activities for the kids.  Rain or shine, join us under the big tent for an incredible day of books, music, dancing, food and fun!  More fun for the kids just added!

• 9a-1p Sweet Cheeks Facepainting
• 9a-2p Come jump & laugh in the moon bounce!
• 9-10:30 Kids build-a-book activity!
• 10:00 & 11 Hip Hop Fun with Lizsandra Maria from Art of Dance Movement
• 10:30a The Good Life Theater presents Joe Pipik’s BackPack Puppets
• 11:30a The Mr. B Show (Interactive musical fun)

If all of this weren’t enough, there will also be fantastic food from Rocklands BBQ, Rita’s Water Ice + crunchy munchy popcorn and perfectly pink cotton candy – YUM!  The Friends of Duncan Library Book Blast & Kid Fun Fest activities are underwritten by Jen Walker, “The Realtor for Del Ray.”

Please support our generous sponsors: The Paxton Companies, Jack Taylor Toyota, Rainbow Rentals, Rita’s Water Ice, Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling Company, Vocelli Pizza, Taqueria Poblano, Hard Times Cafe, California Tortilla, Sweet Cheeks Facepainting, The Mr. B. Show and The Good Life Theater presents Joe Pipik’s BackPack Puppets.

HURRY! Final Shop N Drop This Saturday!

That’s right my friends.  This Saturday, April 23rd, is the final Shop N Drop of the 2011 Big Flea season.  That means your final chance to visit our beautiful warehouse to drop off your gently used treasures and buy some things you really don’t need.

Our big event, the MV Big Flea, will be held the following Saturday on April 30th.  Everything we’ve collected will be for sale and PRICED TO MOVE.  We’ve got furniture, kids gear like strollers and toys, art work, collectibles, household items, electronics, sporting equipment and a whole lot more.

The 5th Annual MV Big Flea is Saturday, April 30th rain or shine! The doors open at 8am ($10 admission) with general admission (free) starting at 9am. Location: Mount Vernon Rec Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray.  At noon, everything is 50% off and at 2pm everything is FREE!  Be there!

Duncan Library Spring Book Fest Line-up Announced!

If you follow this blog, you definitely know about the MV Big Flea on Saturday, April 30th.  But did you know that the Duncan Library will be holding its Spring Book Fest on the same day, right next door?

Sponsored by the Friends of Duncan Library, the Spring Book Fest is a family extravaganza that includes fun children’s activities, great food, and thousands of books, DVDs, and CDs priced to move!  All proceeds benefit the important programs of Del Ray’s community library.

“This will be an incredibly fun community event,” said Cheryl Kim, Book Sale Committee Chair for the Friends of the Duncan Library.  “It’s not just a fundraiser.  We want it to be an opportunity for people to really connect with and celebrate their local library.”

Rockland’s BBQ and Rita’s Water Ice will provide great refreshments for the whole family.   From 9:30 am to 1:00 pm, Sweet Cheeks will do face painting for the children.  From 9 am to 2 pm, there will be a Moon Bounce!  In addition, there will be two performances:

• 10:30 am – The Good Life Theater presents Joe Pipik’s BackPack Puppets
• 11:30 am -  The Mr. B Show

Seating is limited for these performances, so it’s a good idea to arrive early.

The children’s activities for the Friends of Duncan Library Spring Book Fest are underwritten by the “Realtor for Delray” Jen Walker.

Other generous sponsors include: The Paxton Companies; Jack Taylor Toyota; Rainbow Rentals; Rita’s Water Ice; Rocklands Barbeque & Grilling Company; Vocelli Pizza; Taqueria Poblano; Hard Times; California Tortilla; Sweet Checks Facepainting; The Mr. B. Show; and. The Good Life Theater presents Joe Pipik’s BackPack Puppets.

$10,000 Raised To Date!

Last week the MV Big Flea hit an important milestone!  With the sale of our Longabgerger baskets, and other items at the Shop N Drop, we reached $10,000 in sales.  We’re now hoping to reach our goal of $17,138 for the entire event.

The Fifth Annual MV Big Flea is Saturday, April 30th rain or shine! The doors open at 8am ($10 admission) with general admission (free) starting at 9am. Location: Mount Vernon Rec Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray. The Shop N Drop will be open Saturday April 16 and 23 from 2-4 for donations and sales.

Gentle Giants with Giant Hearts

Matt and Kiefer

Each year MV Big Flea volunteers collect donated items to sell at our spring event. We keep them in storage for weeks and move them to the Mount Vernon Recreation Center the day before the big sale.

Given the huge volume of items, and their extreme value, we are extremely discriminating when selecting a moving company to assist us with this task.

While we take many things into consideration, our decision really boils down to how the prospective company answers one important question: “Will you do it for free?”

We’re extremely pleased once again to name Gentle Giant Moving Company the official moving company of the 2011 MV Big Flea. The business, managed by Matt Packebusch and Kieffer Karim, is located in Washington, DC and Lorton, VA and have been in business for nearly 30 years.

“We greatly appreciate their willingness to help us on this important charity event,” said MV Big Flea spokesperson Joseph LaMountain. “Moving mountains of material isn’t an easy task. Thanks to Matt and Kieffer’s generosity, getting all our junque to the MV Rec Center won’t be hard on our wallets either.”

If you’re in need of a moving company, please contact Matt or Kieffer toll-free at (800) GIANT-MEN or via email at virginia@gentlegiant.com.

The Junque Keeps Rolling In

Here’s a tiny selection of some of the items we received at the Big Flea Shop N Drop last Saturday. Our warehouse is getting really crowded, so expect some fantastic items for sale (and deals) at the MV Big Flea on April 30th.

Next Saturday, April 23rd, is our final Shop N Drop event at 719 N St. Asaph Street. You can donate items next Saturday and browse our warehouse. If you need items picked up, contact Cynthia Webster at websterbigflea@gmail.com.

Don’t Forget!!! The Fifth Annual MV Big Flea is Saturday, April 30th rain or shine! The doors open at 8am ($10 admission) with general admission (free) starting at 9am. Location: Mount Vernon Rec Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray. The Shop N Drop will be open Saturday April 16 and 23 from 2-4 for donations and sales.

Our Most Valuable Donation Ever!

Move over Nutty Bavarian nut roaster.  Say hello to the Longaberger basket collection!

We’re happy to announce that we’ve sold a collection of Longaberger baskets for $1,510.  This breaks the record for the most valuable item ever received by the MV Big Flea.  That record was held by the infamous nut roaster, which was donated by Amanda Lenk in 2010.

Cathy Mitchell, a former resident of Del Ray, was the generous donor of the basket collection. “My neighbors have children that attend Mt Vernon and told me about the Big Flea,” Cathy said, “so I figured it was the perfect place to send them to.”

Thank you Cathy for your amazing generosity!

The Fifth Annual MV Big Flea is Saturday, April 30th rain or shine! The doors open at 8am ($10 admission) with general  admission (free) starting at 9am. Location: Mount Vernon Rec Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray. The Shop N Drop will be open Saturday April 16 and 23 from 2-4 for donations and sales.

We hope to see you at the Big Flea!

WANTED: Jewelry from Ex-Boyfriends and Former Lovers

It’s no secret that we’re trying to make money here.  That’s why we were excited to receive a donation of some beautiful jewelry.  There’s sterling rings, modern, deco, semi-precious stones, jade, necklaces and more.

By clearing out a few things in your jewelry box, you can help us help some of Alexandria’s neediest kids.

Not many know this, but the Mount Vernon Community School is a Title I school.  That means a lot of needy kids and families.  Your donations pay for our PTA enrichment and education programs.  And they’re 100% tax deductible.

If your jewelry box is like my wife’s, there’s plenty to give away.  Jewelry donations accepted this Saturday at the Big Flea Shop N Drop at 719 N St Asaph Street. If you would like to arrange a private transfer or have a question, please contact Joseph LaMountain at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com.  Your patronage is appreciated.

Canoe II: The Sequel

A $1,000 (Longaberger) Basket Case…

Evey year I get like this. We’re three weeks out, and I start to worry about the MV Big Flea.

Will we have enough stuff to sell? (The warehouse looks a little empty to me.) Will we reach our fundraising goal? (We still have $11K to go.) Will it rain on April 30th?

In other words, I’m basket case.

But baskets seem to be our business lately. 95 Longaberger baskets, to be precise. That’s what we recently received as a donation; I was shocked to see how much they sell for on Ebay!

So that’s exactly where we’ve listed our collection for sale . Is $1,000 for 95 baskets a pipe dream? Stay tuned (and thank you to our generous donor, who remains nameless).

Remember, this Saturday is one of our last Shop N Drop days. Stop and unload a few items, or browse through our marvelous merchandise and buy a few things you don’t need. We’re located at 719 N Saint Asaph Street in Old Town and open from 2-4pm.  All the cool kids are doing it!