Martin Luther’s rummage sale reaching 40 years

NORTHROP - Starting as a one-day way to raise money for a school that had just gotten off the ground in the fall of 1986, Martin Luther High School's rummage sale has ballooned into a massive three-day event on its 40th anniversary.

One of those who helped get the rummage sale going was Linda Becker, who was one of the parents who helped form the Parent-Teacher League (PTL) for Martin Luther.

"We needed money," she said. "I and a couple other gals said, 'Let’s have a rummage sale.' The men thought that was a waste of time, that we wouldn’t make very much money, but we made $900. The gymnasium wasn’t here, and we had it in the hallways and in the classrooms. They used carpenters’ scaffolding and some pipes to hang hangers on. Most everything was 25 cents, and that was one afternoon."

They continued to have it in the hallways until 1988, when the gymnasium on the current school building was completed. From there, the event continued to grow to match the new space, adding the spring sale alongside the initial fall sale.

"We continued to sell almost everything for 25 cents, and we made lots of money," Becker said. "We kept on adding number of days. We went from one day to two days to three days, and then added a $1-a-bag sale on Saturday afternoon. We made posters to advertise by hand because we didn't have computers [for us] until 1998."

While plenty has stayed the same about the sale, something new this year is air conditioning being added to the gymnasium space. Especially with the warmth this October, rummage sale committee chair Lisa Trueblood said having it while they've worked has been good.

"It’s fairly comfortable in there," she said. "I’m looking forward to Thursday to see because Thursday gets warm when we get 400 people in the gym. We count as they come through."

Regarding what has changed most about the sale since it started, Becker pointed toward the donations themselves.

"The quality of clothes," she said. "Because when we first started, people had things packed away in attics and whatever, and now people know that this is a good place for them to donate their clothes; they know it’s going to go for a good cause, and people are going to appreciate it."

While prices for many things have gone up plenty since 1986, today the base price at the rummage sale is still only 50 cents, and most of what is available costs less than $5. Saturday, they have a $3 bag sale.

Even so, the sales from 2024 and 2025 managed to bring in at least $15,000, with a high of $19,506 from the fall 2024 sale. From the first couple of sales, money like the initial $900 went to items like a copy machine and tables and chairs for both the sale and other school events. In the past few years, it has gone toward the new parking lot, junior high Chromebooks, a floor scrubber and janitorial equipment and new carpeting for the school.

To handle the thousands of items brought in prior to the start of the sale, Trueblood said they have an army of volunteers.

"We have the students help when they have study halls and breaks, and we have people from the community that come," she said. "We have parents, grandparents and many hands make light the work. People roll up their sleeves and help. We sort it and put things where they’re supposed to go. We have categories of where things are, and as we go through the stuff that’s been dropped off, we have things sorted and then placed so that people can find them when they come to shop."

Each item has its place, with the layout pretty set in stone over years of experimentation and knowledge. As they put the finishing touches on it, Becker and Trueblood agreed they hope to see as many people as possible from the community and beyond to see the 40th iteration of what is now a storied tradition.

The rummage sale will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.