Back Roads, Charming Towns : Retirement, Relocation, Vacation : Back Roads, Charming Towns Blog : Vikki Grodner

• Email This
• Print
• Comments (2)
• Trackbacks
• Share Link

TN: Antique European watering cans, flower pails, wagon wheels and saddles may not be what you
would expect to find for sale along a small-town stretch of highway in central Tennessee. But then the Highway 127 Corridor Sale is unlike most any event you could possible imagine.

Billed as the “World’s Longest Yard Sale,” this 450-mile extravaganza stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, meandering through Tennessee and Georgia along the way. Now in its 19th year, the sale has earned a reputation as a truly unique experience and bargain-hunters' paradise.

Don Daniels, who runs the aforementioned booth (pictured at right) packed with these treasures and more from England, Holland, and France as well as points throughout the United States, has been participating in the 127 Corridor Sale since its inception, and has been named a "shoppers' favorite"  vendor for several years.

Along the route, empty commercial lots spring to life as instant flea markets. Homeowners transform modest front yards into sale venues, where flower beds are temporarily overshadowed by tables and blankets brimming with "looking for a new home" treasures. Amateur marketing tends toward the creative, with hand-lettered signs to entice shoppers (“A Special General Store”) and local culinary offerings such as honey, tomatoes and green peppers.

                                         

But rest assured the types and quality of goods are as varied as the locations in which they are offered along the route. While some people use the 127 Sale as no more than an excuse to clear out their bureau of outdated clothing, others offer true finds. Cut and milk glass abound. Fishing poles sprout from large drums. Antiques mingle with vintage and junk furniture, which sit along side reproduction milk stools, benches and chairs. Handmade quilts adorn one booth while records are the item for sale at another.

                          

Ancillary sales sprout on arteries that shoot off of 127 like the legs of a centipede. Business along the route take advance of the increased traffic and schedule sales with items they think might be of interest to the descending crowd – recreational and all-terrain vehicles are both on sale.

I joined the sale in Crossville, Tennessee, at the intersection of 127 and Highway 40 (exit 317 off of 40), which runs from Asheville, North Carolina to Nashville, Tennessee.

My first purchases of the day were strands of handmade glass beads, reasonably priced at $1.50 a strand or four stands for $5. At the same table, I picked up a rabbit match holder for our country house, Bunny Hill. A little further down the road, I found two beautiful vintage (probably from the 1960s or 1970s) filigree white china lamps on wooden bases for a very reasonable $7.50 each. A straw purse, one of Stirling’s weaknesses, was a steal at $2. The motherload of my shopping, however, took place a Daniels’ booth. Aged painted buckets with handles were $5 apiece or five for $20. An antique blue metal painted trough, also from England, will make a terrific planter or cooling tray for party beverages. Exquisite woven baskets from Holland are the most expensive purchase of the day - $65 for a set of two. And from a storefront in Round Top, Texas, two short architectural pillars will become perfect bases for a future coffee table or bench.  (Stirling shows off my some of my finds below).

                                                  

Just The Facts
127 Corridor Sale or "World's Longest Yard Sale"
Held the Thursday - Sunday in August of each year; next year's event will be August 2-5, 2007.
Headquartered in Jamestown, Tennessee at the Fentress County Chamber of Commerce
1-800-327-3945
info@jamestowntn.org
www.127sale.com

Things To Know
Hotels along 127 and nearby fill up early, so either have a reservation in hand or stay a little off the beaten path. In my case, I stayed west of Knoxville, about 45 minutes from the sale. I was still along the sale path by 8 a.m. (assisted by the time change from Eastern to Central time zones) even with the drive.

Why This One’s Special
Do you like finding treasures in unexpected places? Are you an intrepid hunter, scavenger or connoisseur of great finds? Then this sale is for you, having earned an international reputation, which draws not only shoppers but vendors from far and wide. The local color, regardless of where you decide to pick up the sale, is also an added bonus.