It turns out that Bank Street construction and a damp, early morning is no match for the desire for cheap, unusual deals at the Great Glebe Garage Sale.
The 25th anniversary of the sale, which covered 16 blocks of central Ottawa with the contents of residents' attics, basements and (of course) garages, drew out people from near and far to browse the tables.
"I left Hamilton at 12 o'clock yesterday, drove in, woke up at 8 and here I am," said one visitor. "I'm committed to a good deal."
"I found some hand crocheted blankets, queen size, for two dollars and I found this amazing unicorn, which my kids are going to freak out about," said another shopper.
With the Glebe's reputation as one of Ottawa's more . . . interesting neighbourhoods, people also took to Twitter and Facebook to post pictures of their finds.
Certain vendors were selling for a cause as well.
"The money is going towards Tabitha organization which is in Phnom Penh, going towards building houses for schools," said Chanti McNaughton.
"We actually give ten per cent of our proceeds to the Ottawa Food Bank," said Josh Snider with Ecology Ottawa.
The old garage sale standard still applies on such a grand scale – once you dig it out, you want it gone.
"It doesn't go back in the house, even if we have to leave it out here and no one buys it, it just wanders away of its own accord," said Edith Bostwick.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Vanessa Lee
