Annual Antique & Garage Sale: Food Trucks, Family Area and Fabulous Finds

Imagine taking Pawn Stars out of Las Vegas and dropping it in the middle of Antiques Roadshow - that's what the will be like.

Attracting 14,000 shoppers every summer, the 2012 Royal Oak Garage Sale will take place from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on July 14-15 in the parking structure located on Lafayette Avenue between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

Nearly 200 vendors will participate in the world’s largest garage sale event, bringing antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade crafts, artwork, knick-knacks, home improvement options and leg lamps desperately seeking a new home.

“Why hold your own garage sale when you can be part of one that attracts 14,000 people from throughout the Metro Detroit area?” quips Royal Oak Chamber Executive Director Shelly Kemp. “This event is designed to draw the maximum amount of people to what our vendors have to sell.”

New to the event this year are specialized, self-contained food trucks. Food trucks are all the rage - devotees follow them on Twitter and television shows reflect their growing popularity. The Chamber is capitalizing on this enthusiasm bringing in Ned’s Travel Burgers, People’s Pierogi Collective, Wood Fire Pizza along with Motor City Franks. If you’re hungry while you shop, you will also find Kiwanis inside the garage, offering a variety of food and beverage options as part of an annual fundraiser. So, shop and eat, too.

According to Executive Director Shelly Kemp, these added elements will make the garage sale a fun and low cost event destination for families.

“People line up around the building hours before the event actually opens. Last July when the gates opened, there was a rush like never before. Everyone wants to be the first one in to discover the best deal.”

Shoppers can spend the day browsing the three floors discovering treasures of all types sizes and varieties. Admission is $2. Children under 12 are free.