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It’s more than a big yard sale; it’s a big benefit to the LaGrange community.

The Junior Service League of LaGrange (JSL) hosted its 48th annual attic sale over the weekend, raising over $32,000 to support its efforts to give back to the community.

The women’s service organization collects donated goods throughout the year to be sold during its annual attic sale. Funds raised during the event help pay for JSL community service projects.

“The attic sale just gives so much to the community. Not only through the profits that we make, which fund our mini-grants that we give back to the community, but people are also able to come and shop at really affordable prices,” said JSL Attic Sale Chair Kelsey Sweet.

Sweet pointed out an often-overlooked benefit the attic sale provides for people who struggle with money, especially with Christmas gifts.

“People were telling me that they were buying things for their kids Christmas this year. They were getting out ahead of it because they can do that right there in one location and not have to shop out several yard sales over weeks and months,” Sweet said.

The sale was also helpful for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) parents.

“We had a big turnout from CASA,” she said. “They came to let their CASA parents and foster families come through and shop items that they needed to help their families get back on their feet.”

The attic sale wasn’t all used goods. Several local businesses donated brand new items in the box or with the tags still on them for the boutique section of the sale.

“The boutique did very well. They didn’t really have much leftover after our half-price sale,” Sweet said. Traditionally, at some point during the attic sale, JSL members kick everyone out to reprice everything for a half-price sale.

The new end-of-the-day cleanout sale was also a huge success.

“It was a very big success. I think we made over $900 on just that sale alone. It was way more successful than what we replaced, a previous $5 bag sale,” Sweet said. The sale allowed patrons to take home any one item at the end of the day for $20.

The cleanout sale helped get rid of unsold items at the end of the day, which helped with the cleanup. Sweet said.

“We had six Goodwill trucks come out and I think they only really filled up two or three of them,” Sweet said. “In years past, we have packed in five truckloads to Goodwill. So, we definitely cut down on that number that we had to donate to Goodwill.”

“We thank the community for coming out and continuing to support Junior Service League and what we do for the community,” she said. “It’s a good service that we have for the community. I hope we can continue to do it for many years to come.”