Small businesses affected by the many visitors of the 400-Mile Yard Sale

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- The 400-mile yard sale has officially kicked off, and many people are making their way up and down Highway 68 to see what others are getting rid of.

Many families and households along the highway have tents, trailers, and tables full of their unwanted items, but small businesses are also taking advantage of the influx of people in town.

Centers for Hope Community Engagement coordinator, Olivia Reed, says, “We thought we’d bring everything out. We have five dollars stuff-a-bag of clothing. We have individually price homegoods, toys, furniture, and everything has been donated.”

Centers for Hope Thrift Store is located along the route, and this year, the store is a part of the yard-sale.

Reed adds, “Everything goes back to our centers. We have the Center for Pregnancy and the Center for Biblical Counseling. We provide free services to the community.”

The Centers for Hope offers services, including pregnancy testing, ultrasounds and counseling. Other businesses off the beaten path of the sale are coming together to support one another.

Owner and distiller at Balance Distilling Company, Luke Jean, says, “We’re also a small business, so we know how hard it is to make the sale and meet new clients, so we wanted to open up our doors to allow for businesses to do that.”

Balance Distilling Company is 4 miles from the route, offering tours, tastings, and inviting other local vendors, to bring a different feel to the 400-mile yard sale.

Luke adds, “There’s really no competition between small businesses our job to build each other up. We all benefit when we support each other, and are able to reach out to our customers who want to shop small and who wants to support small businesses.”

There are plenty of places to stop along the 400-mile route, but as you are out and about, remember to be aware of increased traffic and pedestrians on the roadways. The yard sale will continue through Sunday.

To see locations, click here.