Garden Sale sprouts up in a new place
Black Mountain Beautification Committee fundraiser returns for 17th year
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 14, 2022
Black Mountain Garden Sale coordinator Roynan Jones prepares for the 17th Annual Black Mountain Garden Sale. The Black Mountain Beautification Committee fundraiser will be held in the lower parking lot of Town Square, May 20 and 21. Photo by Fred McCormick
Some sights are synonymous with the arrival of spring. Warm days, the emergence of wildlife and vibrant flowers blooming throughout the mountains are among many cues that prompt gardeners to head outside and start digging in the dirt.
As local residents and businesses refresh landscapes around the Swannanoa Valley, the 17th Annual Black Mountain Garden Sale, which will debut in a new location at 4 p.m., Friday, May 20, is another sure sign of the season’s return.
The two-day event, sponsored by the Black Mountain Beautification Committee, blossomed into a tradition for local gardeners and vendors after debuting on Sutton Avenue in 2005. Its roots grew deeper at the Monte Vista Hotel, which hosted the annual fundraiser for a decade. While a scheduling conflict prevented the Garden Sale from returning to the West State Street hotel this year, organizers are branching out to a new home in the lower parking lot of Town Square.
The sale, which raises money for the organization's Seed Money Award grant, is open until 8 p.m. on Friday, and reopens from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday, May 21.
“It’s such a nice central location, with close proximity to local restaurants and parking, and it's highly visible in the center of town,” said Roynan Jones, chair of the BMBC Garden Sale subcommittee. “Another great thing about this space is that it showcases much of the work we do with the planters downtown and right in Town Square.”
Founded in 2000, the BMBC is a nonprofit organization that strives to “honor the natural beauty of the surrounding mountains” by maintaining and nurturing gardens and other outdoor areas throughout the town. The committee relies on more than 100 volunteers who contribute thousands of hours to a wide variety of year-round projects.
Over the years, many of those volunteers have contributed to the garden sale’s reputation for hospitality, according to Libba Fairleigh, who coordinated the event through 2019.
“It’s a lot like a family reunion,” she said. “People come to shop, and to catch up with friends. It’s been that way for as long as I’ve been involved.”
That atmosphere, Fairleigh continued, is largely attributed to the work of the volunteers who have served on the Garden Sale subcommittee.
“It’s pretty rare at a garden sale for you to pull up, and have the people who are hosting it unload,” she said. “We have coffee and homemade baked goods for customers, and that’s also something you don’t typically see at a garden sale.”
As the event prepares its spring return for the first time since the pandemic, that familiar warmth is one of many popular traditions organizers are bringing with them to the site adjacent to Town Square.
The annual Clothesline Sale will be one of many traditions returning with the 17th Annual Black Mountain Garden Sale, May 21. The fundraiser allows customers to purchase a variety of goods and services from community members, benefitting the Black Mountain Beautification Committee. Photo by Fred McCormick
Vendors like the Appeldoorn Conifer Nursery, which has participated in the sale every year since it began, will bring plants, shrubs, perennials and more. Fine and unusual landscape trees, including Japanese maples, cultivars, bald cypress and others, will be available through Fairview-based High Country Nursery. The diverse selection of items is another aspect of the sale that longtime customers appreciate, according to Jones.
“That’s one of the things the committee really works on for this,” she said. “We really focus on making sure there is variety, and we also have a nice mix of ‘complementary vendors,’ who sell accessories. It’s really a garden lovers event with a wide variety of merchandise to choose from.”
The event’s traditional fundraiser, which features members of the community offering a variety of goods and services, at various prices to benefit the BMBC, will also make its return. Items available at the 2022 Clothesline Sale, which begins at 9 a.m., Saturday, range from homemade ravioli, to fresh flower arrangements, to consultations with gardening experts.
Renee Soulis, left, and Suzanne Money offer a sneak peek into the 2022 Clothesline Sale, which will return with the 17th Annual Black Mountain Garden Sale. Photo by Fred McCormick
The offerings are printed on laminated flyers and clipped to a clothesline, lending to the uniqueness of the quaint community fundraiser.
“The donor and purchaser get together to work out the details,” Jones said. “They set up where, when and how. It’s always a lot of fun, and the things we have available this year are wonderful.”
T-shirts featuring the 2022 Black Mountain Garden Sale logo, designed by local artist Joyce Black-Woers, will be available for purchase, and a raffle will be held on both days. A designated loading area on Honeycut Street will offer convenience to customers, according to Jones.
“This really is a communal event,” she said. “Other communities have garden sales, and I don’t know if it’s the size, the returning vendors or the fact that everyone knows each other, but there is always something really special about this particular sale.”