IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Furniture team at the ‘Methodist’ garage
Jan Myers & Crew
When back-to-back hurricanes swept away the contents of her garage storage area, Jan Myers fretted that she wouldn’t be able to stage the annual United Methodist Church charity furniture sale. She’s happy to say she was wrong.
The sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 22 at 421 Gulf Blvd. on the south end of Gasparilla Island. Look for the road sign with the balloons.
“Everything we had been saving for the 2025 furniture sale was gone. Then a miracle happened,” Jan said.
The miracle occurred in the form of generous responses to ads in the Boca Beacon seeking donations. Before long, the storage area was full again.
This week, Jan and the other sale coordinators, Deb Houck and Elsa Soderberg, have been busy arranging and pricing everything from donated tables, chairs, couches, cabinets and bedroom furniture to artwork, rugs and other items.
“The three of us got along very well,” said Soderberg, who this week was pricing goods, and arranging them.
The garage is a bit of a surprise for Boca Grande; it is large and has more the feel of an actual furniture showroom. When the hurricane hit, it destroyed everything there, in addition to Myers’ personal damage. Today, in looking at it, one could hardly believe that a hurricane had happened.
“I wasn’t sure we were going to have anything for a sale,” Soderberg said.
Once the space got cleaned up, the committee did not know if they would have enough furniture to have a sale. One issue is that they did not want to have any water damaged furniture. But donors came through; demolitions even provided storm-ignored furniture. There is an area in back with some gently worn upholstered furniture. There are also knick-knacks and accessories like andirons and brass sconces, staged like a department store.
Jan has been arranging the displays. There is a more formal area to the left, with Sheraton and Hepplewhite chairs and side tables, some with inlay. Randy Reid has come in to fix and repair some of the finer classic furniture that needed minor fixes. It is not all arranging. Myers has been polishing and buffing, too.
“She’s in here touching things up,” said Soderberg of Myers. “She’s a dynamo.”
Myers and Soderberg have a long record together in the rummage business. “When I first met her, she was running the furniture side of Boca Bargains,” Soderberg said.
Boca Bargains too has had to adapt, and does not have its building back. It is operating out of temporary space.
“We cooperate with Boca Bargains a lot,” Soderberg said.
Soderberg is also happy for even more donations. Anything that can be sold or reused is something that is kept out of landfills. Monies raised will be combined with proceeds from the recent Strawberry Festival and donated to local charities by the United Women in Faith, an organization affiliated with Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande.
Deb, Elsa and Jan hope to see you on March 22. Questions? Call (941) 964-2479.
