Shop ’til you drop! Hydrate, then repeat! Bayside Estates’ annual Flea Market
An annual event that’s been a tradition for 20-plus years within the community, the Bayside Socialites and Men’s Clubs are proud to announce their next Bayside Estates Flea Market will be taking place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, at the resident’s clubhouse, 17601 San Carlos Blvd.
Truly shop ’til you drop, with literally hundreds of thousands of items to look through from the 600-home community, along with drinks, refreshments, lunch, gift baskets and raffle prizes.
“The collection has been coming along very well,” said Debbie Wescoat, one of the co-chair women of the Socialites, along with Patty Risse, Elaine Stashak and Kathy White. “I think this is going to be the biggest sale yet. We sold a lot of houses this year within Bayside Estates, about 30, which means most of those people have been redecorating, where we get their hand-me-downs and treasures, all of which goes into storage until our sale. And, every Wednesday throughout the year, our Men’s Club (with chairman Jim Albert and co-chair Ken Soret) goes around picking up treasures that are donated for the sale (whether they’re redecorating, decluttering, you name it), and they all go into the many storage units we have on site. All of those storage units are full this year, so all of those items will be coming out for the sale, along with lots of consignment items, like cars, motorcycles, golf carts, boats, you never really know until the day of the sale!”
Debbie explained many Bayside residents take advantage of the annual sale for selling those larger consignment items, as it’s safer than listing on free, local online classified sites, so this is the time to come out and see what’s available.
Bargain-hunters can peruse the very well-planned and organized sale that’s been organized according to category and department.
“The different departments we’ll have set up during the sale are appliances and electronics, bicycles, books, bakery, clothing, collectibles, crafts, furniture, household, jewelry, linen, plants, seasonal, tools, boating supplies, toys, and produce, fresh from the farms of Immokalee,” she said. “The seasonal department also includes lots of home decor and lighting, like artificial trees and flowers, patio decor, pots, tikis and things like that, along with some Christmas and Easter decorations.”
When you first get to the sale, be sure to sign up to win one of several gorgeous gift baskets, all created by residents of the community, to be raffled off Saturday.
“We’ll have around 50 fabulous baskets to raffle off, mostly following a theme, like a spa basket with spa items, a coffee basket with coffee and snacks, wine baskets, a beer basket with special brews and peanuts, and others,” Debbie explained. “We’ll also have a flatscreen TV?to raffle off, donated by our local Bayside Realtors with Sandcastle Property Management and Brokers (SandcastlePMB.com): Pat Fridley, Pat Wood and Carol Barton. They also printed our raffle tickets for us. This year, we’ll be raffling off the TV first, followed by the baskets, and you need not be present to win.”
Once you’ve shopped so much that you feel you’re about to drop, head over to the clubhouse kitchen and grab a bite.
“We’ll have hot dogs, chips, soda, donuts, coffee, water and more,” Debbie said.
As soon as you’re replenished and reydrated, head back out to the sale and be sure to go outside around the perimeter of the clubhouse for even more bargains and treasures.
Funds raised go toward the maintenance and upkeep of the 55+ community, as well as for some charity endeavors the clubs work with throughout the year.
“The Bayside Estates Flea Market is terrific because of all the residents who donate items, work lots of hours, bake our goodies and keep us fed and hydrated,” Debbie stated. “It’s a full week of hard work just before the sale, and lots of work cleaning up after. The residents of Bayside Estates make our annual flea market a success.”
Hours to the sale are Friday, Jan. 31, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 1, from 8 a.m. to noon. Parking is free and available in the well-organized lot outside of the clubhouse. One of the Men’s Club volunteers will direct you to a spot. Handicap pick-up and drop-off at the clubhouse door is available, too. Just follow the signs.
Also in the works at Bayside
The Bayside Estates Men’s Club offers a monthly pancake breakfast through season at the clubhouse, open to the public, and the Bayside Socialites are proud to announce their annual Fashion Show taking place Friday, Feb. 21, featuring the hottest styles of the season. For further information on the community events open to the public, call the homeowners association, 239-466-6042.