Gentle Giant got us to the Flea on time

See these guys? The good people of Gentle Giant Moving Company picked up every last blinkin’ item in our storefront space and transported it to the Mount Vernon Rec Center on Friday. Thanks, guys.

See these guys? Gentle Giant did them a solid.

The Flea raises $35,000 for the PTA

The gym is empty. The tables are folded. The Garrison Keillor bobblehead found a new home.

And…the Flea raised $35,000! This is our all-time record for fund-raising. And we couldn’t have done it without all the people who donated stuff for us to sell and everyone who came to shop. And, of course, the Flea sponsors and volunteers…

Some of the student volunteers who made the Flea hop

MV Big Flea is May 4. Here’s what you need to know

The MV Big Flea is Saturday, May 4, at the Mount Vernon Community Center, 2701 Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22305.

Schedule

7 a.m.: Early admission, $10
8 a.m.: General admission, FREE
10:30 a.m.: Flea closes temporarily while winner of the Jack Taylor Flea Car is announced.
After the drawing: Everything inside is HALF-OFF.
Noon: Flea closes temporarily again
12:15-12:45: Everything left is FREE

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The last week of Shop N Drop…

The MV Big Flea is nearly here, holy heck, where did the time go.

This Saturday is your final opportunity to donate or get a jump on other Flea shoppers — you can drop off your lovingly used junque or peruse our nearly stuffed-to-bursting storefront space from 2-4 p.m.

We’re still looking for volunteers for Friday (the all important day before) and Saturday (the all important day-of). Email Caroline Jackson, cbjackson013@gmail.com.

You guys! It’s nearly FLEA TIME!!!!

M&T donates $1,000 to MV Big Flea

M&T Bank has donated $1,000 to the MV Big Flea. The bank has also agreed to donate bottled water for volunteers on May 3 and May 4 and is is offering volunteers to work during the Big Flea itself on May 4.

Obviously, we’re over the moon about this. We appreciate M&T’s support, which doesn’t just help Big Flea — in the end, the money we raise goes to the Mount Vernon Community School PTA, which uses it for students and teachers. If you happen to rub elbows with M&T volunteers working during the Big Flea, please thank them for their company’s support.

And if you’re interested in volunteering, we have some spots open! Email Caroline Jackson for details: cbjackson013@gmail.com. See you Saturday!

No Spring Break for the Flea

We’ll be rocking and rolling Saturday, March 30, with another Shop N Drop, from 2-4 p.m. at our storefront space: 3815 Mt. Vernon Ave.

We still need donations. We still need volunteers.

So if you’re staycationing this year and need to get out of the house, or you’ve been using the break to sort through your belongings, please consider the Flea. We’re here, promise.

A special guest at the PTA meeting Tuesday: The Flea Car!

The Flea Car will be putting in a special appearance at the MVCS PTA meeting on Tuesday, March 19. Luxuriate in its new car smell, and buy raffle tickets! $10 each or three for $25.

Isn’t she a beaut?

The Flea needs your donations!

Thanks to your donations and the hard work of Big Flea volunteers, we’ve already raised more than $6,000 toward our goal of $25,000 for this year’s Flea.

But we’re not going to get there without more stuff to sell, so please consider this a special plea to consider the Flea as a way station for any goods — especially furniture — you’re thinking of getting rid of. If you’re doing spring cleaning, we’d love the chance to turn your unwanted stuff into cash that’ll help fund PTA programs throughout the year. Here’s our donations page.

We take donations every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at our storefront space, 3815 Mt. Vernon Ave., in the M.O.M.’s shopping center. We sell stuff then, too! If you can’t make it down we’ll gladly schedule a pickup. Just email Stephanie Sample at mvbigfleadonations@gmail.com.

Finally as the Flea gets closer we’re looking for volunteers, both for Shop N Drops and for the Flea itself. Please email Caroline Jackson if you can spare a little time: cbjackson013@gmail.com.

Thanks, and we hope to see you Saturday!

Flea report: Saturday, March 9

The Big Flea rose early on Saturday. Shawn Parish was at the Farmer’s Market in Del Ray showing off the Big Flea car, selling raffle tickets and promoting the Big Flea. MVCS student Jacob Parish showed up and helped Mom hand out Big Flea Flyers at the market. Special Thanks to Pat Miller for allowing us to showcase the car at the Farmers Market.

Later in the day, we had Lucy and Bea Savarie selling Girl Scout Cookies and handing out Big Flea Flyers at St. Elmo’s. Awesome stuff!

At 2:00 the Big Flea Shop opened and almost from the get-go the shop was rocking!!! Again the first person in the Shop was MVCS student Jordy Chavez — ready to help again! Sarah Savarie of PS Cakes donated cupcakes to sell. Lucy Savarie, Katie and Andrew Witebsky did some super selling of the cupcakes and raffle tickets in the Shop! Alyssa Simm, Kim Fondren, Elizabeth Davenport, Tony Springer and Ursula Rocha all gave of their time on Saturday and worked in the Shop this weekend.

It was a good thing they did because the Big Flea racked up $1,600 in sales!!! It was busy, busy , busy!!! Sales to date are getting very close to $7,000. Tony Springer and Mr. Everything Phil Savarie did pick ups and along the way picked up stuff from wonderful PTA Treasurer Summer Noel, who had a car packed full of donations for the Big Flea — and a dead battery. She called the crack staff at the Big Flea Shop and Superman Phil Savarie was dispatched to the rescue. He unloaded the donations from her car and at the same time jump-started her car. Thanks to Summer for the awesome donations and thanks to Phil for being everywhere on Big Flea Saturday.

A round of applause for Caroline Jackson, Stephanie Sample, Shawn Parish, Phil Savarie and Cynthia Webster. They do so much day in and day out to assure the success of the Big Flea. They give their time and energy to the Big Flea, the school and ultimately everyone’s kids. They really do deserve a big “Thank You”!

Help is needed: please, please, please schedule yourself for one weekend of work at the Big Flea shop and please schedule yourself to work on May 4th at the Big Flea! Email cbjackson013@gmail.com to volunteer.

Thanks to everyone who helped out this past weekend

We’ll have another Shop N Drop next Saturday, March 9, from 2-4 p.m. at our storefront space, 3815 Mt. Vernon Ave. But this weekend’s SND was such a success we just had to say a special thanks.

Fearless Fleader Art Witebsky writes:

At the Big Flea on Saturday, as a portent of what was to come, MVCS student Jordy Chavez walked in the front door and said, “I’m here to help!” I couldn’t help but smile!! He went right to work moving boxes. Jordy was an impressive worker and volunteer. He certainly gets the Big Flea volunteer of the week award!!!!! (Cynthia Webster is the default winner of the volunteer of the week award for all that she does each and every week) Then Yon Lambert walked in and asked, “What do you need me to do?” Then Ed Sutherland walked in and said, “What do you need?” Then Roy Quini and Tim Shaw walked in and said, “We’re here to do the pickups.” Then Elizabeth Schilling introduced herself and asked Cynthia Webster, “What can I do?” Then Carrie Beach walked in. Then Phil Savarie walked in. Then Andrew Beaujon walked in. Then Caroline Jackson walked in. Then Stephanie Sample walked in. Thanks to Jim Sample for getting the car to the shop and getting signage printed!! We had a steady stream of greatness walking in on Saturday. All of these volunteers were so great to give their time and energy to the Big Flea and the school. They boxed, moved, cleaned, hung pictures and did everything that could have been asked of them. The Shop looks better than ever as a result of their efforts. It was great to have so many volunteers at the Shop doing so much.

The highlight however was…the kids. Sadie Lambert, Lauren Sutherland, Katie Witebsky and Andrew Witebsky sold cookies and raffle tickets at the Shop. They did an amazing job on Saturday.

Thanks even to this unsavory character!

Roy and Tim had the most eventful afternoon…the Big Flea van broke down. Despite this they still managed to complete all of the pick ups!!! We can’t thank them enough for their dedication and for putting up with so many struggles.

And to the many people who donated items. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

If you see these great folks around school and town, please thank them for all that they did and do for the school and the community.

From the raffle sales, bake sale, and merchandise sale on Saturday we made about $900!!

Join the happy Shop N Drop crew!

If anyone wants to experience what community is about, come volunteer at the Big Flea Shop N Drop on Saturdays. If you drive the van around (Like Jeff Chiow did-alone this past weekend!), you will pick up donations from people who are ecstatic at the fact that you are taking stuff off their hands. Then you’ll drop their stuff at the Shop and see people equally as happy to pay for the same stuff!

Nothing makes us Flea people happier than seeing stuff come in the door and go out the door on the same day. If you work in the Shop you will see that you are making people happy with great stuff at cheap prices. You will see people happy to have found the perfect something that was not perfect any longer for someone else.

You will see people like Cathy Petrini and Lisa Krupicka (and her great kids) working non-stop at organizing donations. You will see people like Jim Sample moving furniture and helping customers pack their cars with Big Flea purchases. It really is fun and we promise you will feel a great sense of pride and community!

Bring your kids and teach them about community and volunteering! Bring your friends and show them how great the MVCS community is.

Maybe even pass on a word of thanks to the Big Flea Team of Cynthia Webster, Art Witebsky, Stephanie Sample, Andrew Beaujon, Caroline Jackson, Phil Savarie and Shawn Parish for working quietly and tirelessly behind the scenes in assuring that the Big Flea is a rousing success and enables the MVCS PTA to support the school programs.

Hey, just come spend a day at the Big Flea Shop and meet some of the “swell” folks with have in the MVCS community!

Meet the 2013 Flea car!

Jack Taylor was determined to find a way to give back to Mount Vernon Community School, and he came through in a big way by donating the car we’ll raffle off at this year’s Big Flea.

Isn’t she a beaut?

It’s a 2001 Toyota Avalon, in absolutely beautiful shape. We’ll have it at this weekend’s Shop N Drop, so come on down and check it out. We’ll start selling raffle tickets Saturday: $10 each or 3 for $25.

Stephanie Sample doggedly pursued the car, and between her and Jack, a lot of energy went into making this donation happen. This car is gonna raise a lot of money for the school, and it could be yours for as little as $10!

From left, John Taylor, Jack Taylor, Andre the Service Manager, and the Big Flea Family of Stephanie Sample.

Next Shop N Drop is Feb. 23

Next Saturday the Big Flea will accept donations and sell stuff, too. It’s our last monthly Shop N Drop. Starting March 2, we’ll hold them every week until the Flea itself on May 4.

As per usual: 2-4 p.m. at the Flea space, 3815 Mt. Vernon Ave. in the My Organic Market shopping center. If you can’t make it down and would like us to pick up your donations (here’s our guide), please email Stephanie Sample: mvbigfleadonations@gmail.com.

Here are some of the things we’ve taken in lately. Some have already sold!

There’s great debate in some quarters as to the original purpose of this piece, but all participants agree it’s pretty nice-looking!

Creepy, crawly!

Just the thing for President’s Day!

Russian alphabet cards.

Picture/speakers.

A dog bath, easily one of the cooler things we’ve received.

Beth Baldwin will transform an item for the Flea

Beth Baldwin is helping out the Flea this year by sprucing up one of our donated items. She’s chosen this toy chest, which she’s going to make awesome.

Beth’s studio is in Capitol Hill. She was artist-in-residence at Artisphere last year. She makes cool plush owls and squids and squirrels. She envisions some owls on this bench.

When not making owls, Beth works at Art Enables. MV Big Flea hasn’t quite figured out how we’ll sell this bench once Beth is done with it, but perhaps some sort of auction?

Shop N Drop this Saturday

The next Shop N Drop is this Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Flea’s storefront space, at 3815 Mt. Vernon Ave., next to Mom’s Organic Market. 2 p.m.-4 p.m. Our donation guide is here. After this cold week, you’ll be pleased to know the forecast is for a balmy 34 degrees. If that’s not warm enough for you, just ask a Big Flea volunteer to smile — that’ll keep you nearly as toasty as knowing your donations will help fund PTA programs at Mount Vernon.

Donations are tax-deductible, and if you can’t make it on Saturday, email us, and we’ll schedule a pickup.

Plus, if you’d like to look for a few bargains Saturday, we’ll be selling stuff, too!