Hundreds turn out for gigantic garage sale in Cedar Rapids

The afternoon rush-hour traffic usually fills up Boyson Road NE at the end any workday.

Yet minivans and sedans clogged a residential street just off Boyson Road for what may be one of the most publicized garage sales in recent memory.

“There was so much publicity about it, I had to see what it was all about,” said Paulette Petersen of Toddville, who said she parked “five blocks” away from the home of Bob and Diane Hagarty, on Bowman Lane NE, in Cedar Rapids.

“My wife is a shopaholic,” said Bob Hagarty, as he collected more cash for shoes he was selling at three pairs for $5.  “She spent a couple of months digging the stuff out and getting things ready.”

Inside the two-story home, Diane Hagarty stood watch over the Coach purses.  For these purses, shoppers had to go through a special system.  Picking up a number, the purse browsers would wait in line and then go inside to decide whether to purchase a Coach purse.

Hagarty said, once her children had left the house and the couple was living alone again, she really took to shopping because she had the time and more income.  Instead of gambling, Hagarty said shopping was her obsession.

Yet with her father passing at age 51 and Diane Hagarty getting closer to that age, she wanted something different than all of these items.  “Are these stuffed closets the legacy I want to leave to my children?”

Rather than fill her closets with shoes, Diane said the money from the two-day sale will go to new flooring in their home.

“The estimate is $8,000 and I told my husband I could raise $8,000 over the weekend,” Hagarty said.

What the Hagarty's were able to do with their garage sale was get the word out like few ever have.  Between a Craigslist ads and exposure on radio and television, deal seekers came from miles away to go through the purses, jackets, blouses and shoes.

“I was willing to spend a little bit on a purse I liked,” said Mary Ward of Ryan, in Delaware County.  When asked if she drove all the way down for this sale, Ward said, “Um…maybe,” before laughing.

“We pulled up the list on Craigslist this afternoon so we knew what we were going for,” said Penny Galvin of Palo, who had an armful of work suits she said would cost about $250 at the sale but would set her back ”more than $1,000? if purchased in a store.

Would his neighbors approve all of the traffic and all of the people?  Bob Hagarty said he did not let his neighbors on this circular street know about the sale beforehand.

“All of our neighbors are pretty good people and we don't cause any trouble,” said Hagarty.