SELMA, N.C. (WNCN) — Thousands of bargain hunters, from throughout North America, shopped more than a hundred miles of yard sales Saturday along U.S. Route 301 from Johnston County, to Halifax, Wilson, Nash, and Harnett counties at the 13th Annual 301 Endless Yard Sale.
“I think it’s going pretty good thus far,” ShopperTerrance Booth, Jr. said. “I’ve never seen this Many people lately because this is my second or third year doing it.“
“We just like drifting and going to yard sales, just trying to find unique things that we can add to our collections,“Shopper Julia Fellows said.
It’s a seller’s paradise too.
“I’m moving to the beach and I’m selling all the trinkets out of my house,“ Sid (who goes by one name) said.
Shoppers bought typical yard sale items such as clothes, kitchen gadgets, vintage records, and toys.
They also shopped unique items like old farm equipment and high-end antiques.
“He likes baseball cards. I like just antique vintage stuff,” Fellows added.
“I don’t really have a spending limit, but I’m looking to spend as small as possible because I’m curating today for my business instead of for me,” Booth said. “I probably find some personal items here and there, but more so for my clothing business.”
This year’s 301 Endless Yard Sale took place both Friday and Saturday, June 20-21. The event was founded in Selma and now hosted by a variety of towns located along U.S. 301.
The event is now organized as a co-op that connects, neighbors and shopkeepers, restaurateurs, merchants, and non-profits who host hundreds of yard sales, sidewalk sales, flea markets, and other community events in order to boost economic activity.
“We’re actually doing really well, Sid said. “So we should make around 4 to $500 today.”
The huge sale also helps to promote tourism along U.S. 301, stretching across multiple counties from Roanoke Rapids to Dunn.
”There’s a lot,” Fellows exclaimed. “There’s definitely a lot”!
“The five visitor bureaus (Johnston County, to Halifax, Wilson, Nash, and Harnett Counties) work together to promote the event, map out vendor locations, and keep an open line of communication between local stores, restaurants, residents, and county officials,” said Ashby Brame, vice-president of marketing & communications, Johnston County Visitors Bureau, “But, we’re just the middleman for the sale. Really, we could probably step out of the way, and everyone would still show up. People are very enthusiastic about this event.”
Going strong for over 10 years now, the event attracts over 20,000 shoppers, and over 500 vendors, every year to sell or buy.
People often stay overnight in the area to take advantage of the two full days of the sale, and hopefully cover the entire 100 miles. Locations for vendors across the five participating counties are posted on the 301endlessyard.com website, which prior to and during the sale will see over 100,000 unique page views.
Another source of information for shoppers is the Facebook page with more than 26,000 followers; the very active page has become a planning tool where shoppers share photos, information on vendors, and details on the sale with friends and family.
“This is a long-running, successful event promoting the beauty of North Carolina’s backroads and the friendliness of our residents. We pride ourselves on bringing in people from over 20 states who not only shop the sale, but eat in local restaurants and stay in local hotels,” said Brame. “As in years past, we would like to remind everyone to be safe as they shop. Please keep other cars, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles in mind as you park and drive along the route.”
If you missed this year’s 2-day 301 Endless Yard Sale, mark your calendar for the next one, set to take place the third Friday and Saturday of June 2026.
