For Greg Pautler and others on Pineview Avenue, Saturday was as close to a return to normal as they'd experienced in months.
Drivers jockeyed for parking spots along the quiet Preston street, and dozens of masked bargain hunters picked through a curious collection of knick knacks filling driveways and lawns.
“We’re really enjoying it,” said Pautler, who organized the multi-family garage sale to get rid of some of the clutter in his house.
The long-time Preston resident wanted to offload a few excess antiques and other items he’d collected over the years but didn’t have enough for a yard sale of his own.
So, he asked two neighbours he knew were downsizing if they wanted to go in it together.
The answer was a resounding 'yes' and after he posted the sale to Facebook, three other families joined in.
Pautler remembers the days when the City of Cambridge collected anything on garbage day and he would drive around looking for salvageable stuff destined for the dump. He'd fill his garage with antiques and put a call out to collectors who'd show up ready with cash to cart it away.
Some of that stuff found its way into his own collection, but Saturday was an opportunity to purge.
The deal of the day, Pautler said, were a couple of 1880 canning jars from the Hamilton Glass Company, snapped up early on by a collector who knew their value.
"You've got to start somewhere," Pautler said about the price stickers attached to some items. "If someone really wants it, we come to an agreement."
Over on the next driveway, tables were filled with hardcover books, board games, kitchen gadgets and glassware.
“We’ve done well,” said Maryann Hopkins, who decided with her brother it would be a good opportunity to sell off some of her dad’s stuff before he moves out of the house he recently sold.
“The crowds have not stopped,” she said.
Down the street, Roland Tan was decluttering his garage and basement, adding items like Christmas ornaments and artwork to a table out front as shoppers continued to arrive.
“It feels like it’s about time,” said Tan, who was eager to join in on the sale and mingle with his neighbours after a long 16 months apart.
Tan has only lived on the street about four years, but he missed opportunities like Saturday's sale to get to know his neighbours.
"The people here are just so wonderful," he said.
