Pickin' Time on 59 offers treasures

Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Vendors Guy and Shirley Ellis of Watts, Okla., set up their crafts at the sale at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 59 and Cheri Whitlock Drive.
Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Vendors Guy and Shirley Ellis of Watts, Okla., set up their crafts at the sale at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 59 and Cheri Whitlock Drive.

It's hard to tell what kind of treasures might be found at Pickin' Time on 59 -- a coffin remodeled into an ice chest, a vintage toy Simmons Foods truck, a handmade decoration or a rare piece of antique furniture. It's this sense of adventure as well as a sense of community that keep customers and vendors coming back to the 26-mile-long garage sale that stretches along Arkansas Highway 59 from Siloam Springs to Sulphur Springs.

The 11th annual sale began on Thursday and ended on Saturday. It began as a cooperative effort between the Siloam Springs, Gentry, Decatur, Gravette and Sulphur Springs Chambers of Commerce, according to Kathy Turner, Siloam Springs site coordinator. Over the years, the sale has grown and evolved until it now draws customers and vendors from a wide region, including Fort Smith, Springfield, Mo., Tulsa, Okla., and Pittsburg, Kan.

During the early years, most of the Siloam Springs portion of the sale was concentrated at the city's airport. Two years ago, it spread out to three public sites, including the intersection of Highway 59 and Shady Grove Road, the intersection of Highway 59 and Cheri Whitlock Drive, and Sassafras Boutique & Antique Shop, located on U.S. Highway 412, as well as a host of private locations. Last week, there was a sale at almost every property on Highway 59 between Siloam Springs and the big curve coming into Gentry, Turner said.

This year, the Gentry Chamber of Commerce added an interactive map that allows vendors to add the address of their sale and customers to plot their sales routes. Even though the map was in its pilot year, nearly 50 sellers from Siloam Springs to Sulphur Springs took advantage of the map. Turner said she expects use of the map to grow in coming years, as Pickin' Time on 59 has more time to promote the feature.

On Thursday, John Brown University students Haley Borgeteien-James and Kaylea Turner (no relation) were looking through piles of tools and antiques when their eyes landed on a lantern blackened with age. Borgeteien-James said she was at the sale for fun and Kaylea Turner said she was hoping to find items, like the lantern, that might make unique decorations for her upcoming wedding.

After spending three days selling together, the vendors get to know each other and build a sense of community, Turner said. Linda Belt, of Anderson, Mo., said she has been selling at Pickin' Time on 59 for four years. Belt also sells at several sales in Oklahoma, but said the people and the fun environment in Siloam Springs keep her coming back.

Sandy Mooney, of Harrison, Ark., said this was her first year to sell at Pickin' Time on 59. She visited the sale several years ago as a customer and decided it would be fun to try selling items. She said her booth offered everything from junk to antiques, adding that she was impressed that her expensive antiques were selling as well as her less expensive items.

"It's fun," she said.

More information about Pickin' Time on 59 is available on the organization's Facebook page.

General News on 10/03/2018