By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- The City of Niles' second annual Garage Barrage is causing excitement among many of the people involved with last year's event.
The purpose of the Garage Barrage, which will take place along Main Street in downtown Niles on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., is to give everyone an opportunity to clean out their basements, garages and attics and come together for a fun day of buying, selling and community interaction.
In addition to the typical garage sale items, there will also be booths from community organizations and downtown businesses.
She mentioned that the Main Street Promotions' booth, which will be located in front of the Main Street/Downtown Development Authority office, 210 E. Main St., will feature free popcorn with the popping being done by the present Niles mayor Michael McCauslin and former mayor Dan Eycleshymer.
Niles resident John Young, who participated in the event last year, is looking forward to being involved in this year's Garage Barrage.
And Young's booth is one of the places that you will find some of that unique stuff.
He is in the business of furniture repair and architectural salvage and last year he offered items like restored furniture, antiques and a few items salvaged from the old Riley and Harrison High Schools in South Bend.
Young will open a new business in downtown Niles located at 207 Cedar St. on July 1. His Raven's Upholstery and Furniture Repair will offer a furniture repair service and Raven's Alley Artifacts will offer architectural salvaged items.
And unlike your typical garage sales and arts and crafts shows, which can be hit or miss, Young said last year's event was a huge success with crowds of people coming downtown to check it out.
The fact that it is held downtown is also a factor that contributes to having a lot of shoppers.
Jan Sayer is another Niles resident who will return as a vendor to this year's Garage Barrage.
Sayer's favorite part of the event was all of the old friends that she ran into last year.
As an Avon representative, Sayer set up shop in the Riverfront Park parking lot with Avon products like make-up, note paper, CDs and gift baskets. And she registered early this year to reserve the same spot for Saturday.
She said business was very good last year, but that the sales were just a secondary concern.
Cooper said the construction downtown should not have a big impact on the event and it should not discourage anyone from stopping by.
She said to look for members of the promotions committee, who will be wearing "electric" green shirts with orange vests, to help out with any questions or parking information.
Reservations for space are still being taken. Booth space will be available on both sides of Main Street from Front to Fifth Streets and city parking lots will also be available for those wishing to sell larger items.
Applications can be picked up at the Niles Main Street Initiative Office, 210 E. Main St., Majerek's, Elizabeth Bradford Designs, Signal Travel and Tours and the Niles District Library. A $20 fee and signed indemnity form must accompany all applications, which should be sent to Lisa Croteau at the Niles Main Street office, 210 E. Main St. Participants must provide their own tables and chairs. From more information, call (269) 687-4332.