First look at the 2009 West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day map – online-only version

Caveat – this is the Google Map *online only, does-not-print-well* version. We gave out 200 copies of the printed version at today’s Sustainable West Seattle Festival, but are trying to tweak the map display a little before (a) printing more copies for distribution to local pickup spots tomorrow and (b) linking the PDF for you to download and print your own copy. That said, in case you have some time to spare tonight, we are offering you THIS version of the map in case you want an early look at whether there are sales near your house, sales with any particular items you’re looking for, etc. PLEASE – honor the fact that these sales are 9 am-3 pm next Saturday, and don’t contact anyone sooner – we made the map earlier this year (the previous four years, it was available just for a couple days ahead of the sale day) mostly just in hopes earlier availability would help shoppers plan better. Also note: While the sales are numbered, the list in the left margin of the map is NOT in order (the numbering was done north to south after entering all the addresses) – to navigate the map, use the scale on the left side of the window to zoom in and out, and when you see a sale number you want a closer look at, click the place marker (this is best done when zoomed in VERY closely, as the place markers have invisible edges beyond the circles) and it will open a “balloon” with the exact address and the short sale description. OR – look at the list in the left margin and when you see a sale you want to find, click the address line, and you will be taken to that spot on the map. Again, here’s the link to the Google Map online-only version. We will let you know tomorrow when we have the printable version ready – the sales have the same numbers, but otherwise the layout is very different, designed for use as a physical document.

Announcing … THE MAP!!!! (Printable version + interactive version)

*NOTE IF YOU COME HERE FROM GOOGLE AND IT’S 2009 – THIS IS ABOUT THE 2008 MAP, NOT THE 2009 MAP – GO TO THE HOME PAGE MONDAY 5/4 OR LATER FOR THE ACTUAL MAP – THANK YOU*

OK, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. First:

Shoppers: Please do not contact sellers before 9 am Saturday. Thank you!

Sellers: PLEASE review the map at your earliest convenience. We have checked and doublechecked and triplechecked our lists of online and by-mail registrants and are very hopeful that (a) no one was left off and (b) none of the few on-time cancellations are still on the map. If either type of error happened, we apologize and here’s the semi-good news – That’s what websites are for. We prominently wrote on the cover page of the printed map, IF YOU HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS, CHECK WESTSEATTLEGARAGESALE.COM FOR UPDATES, so if we made a mistake, we can correct it here. One update so far: We did get a late emergency cancellation; please cross 5111 SW Hudson off the PDF and preprinted map versions. (We have taken it off the Google map.)

Now, THE MAP, two versions:
PDF 8-page download:
This is the same version we have printed and distributed to pickup locations (listed on this page). If you have access to a printer, please print your own copy here, so there are enough preprinted maps for people without computer/printer access. If you are a seller, consider printing a few extras to have on hand for shoppers who turn up Saturday and don’t realize it’s WSCGSD.

Clickable Google Map for your online exploration:
This one doesn’t print out so well, but it can’t be beat for online viewing, clicking on sale sites, zooming in on certain neighborhoods much more closely than we could do with the printed version, maybe even calculating directions to your favorites. You can navigate it two ways: Click on a spot on the map to bring up a “balloon” with its exact address and the “ad.” Or, using the list of addresses on the side of the page, click on an address and it will take you to that spot on the map.

We are adding all this information to the “How to Get the Garage Sale Day Map” page on this site, as well (click to it any time from the navigation bar beneath the page header). If you have any questions or problems related to anything about West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, please call us at 206/293-6302, or e-mail us at garagesale@westseattleblog.com — Once it’s all said and done, we will be soliciting feedback for how to make next year even better, too; this is our first year organizing it, so definitely a learning process, even with the great basic template Megawatt previously had going.

Last mention – remember the contests – “Most Unusual Item” (shoppers and sellers can enter; send a photo after the sale ends 3 pm Saturday, tell us where you bought or sold it) gets the $40 Hotwire Coffee card, “Best Sign” gets the Illusions Hair Design certificate (sitting here in a beautifully ribboned gift box already) – send us a photo of your sign. We’ll announce the winners Monday night.

Keep checking back – more to come including more of the sale highlights, now that the map is public, plus on Saturday we will have continuous coverage of the events (photos, text, video) here and at West Seattle Blog.88

The maps are almost in circulation

Printing of the first round (1,000) concluded this afternoon. We’ve distributed a couple batches so pickup spots will have them first thing in the morning – they don’t all open early, though – and tonight Patrick the Sales Guy is going to hand them out at the Southwest District Council meeting which he’ll be staffing for West Seattle Blog – that’s a couple dozen people who get a sneak peek. Your editor here hopes to post the map shortly after midnight tonight, in case you really just can’t wait to see who’s selling what where. There will be two versions — the PDF of the eight pages as printed (four double-sided copies), and the clickable Google map, so you can crossreference addresses and locations more easily while exploring online. We also have had one last-minute cancellation; as previously stated, 5/2 was the deadline to get off the map, but since we have this website, we will post the address here when the map goes up, in hopes it saves a few people from going by and discovering “no sale.”