The Isles “Swap Shop”

Saturday morning, it seemed like everyone on the Isles of Capri was buying, or selling, or both. The normally quiet residential streets of the waterfront community teemed with minivans and pickup trucks as once again, the 39th annual Capri Yard Sale turned Marco’s across-the-bridge suburb into one gigantic swap shop.

While many customers came from Marco Island, Naples, and beyond, the number of local buyers raises the question of how many of the CDs, paintings, incomplete sets of glassware, and old books slowly circulate around the community, living in one garage after another.

About three dozen homes hosted sales, some of them collaborations between multiple families. Isles of Capri-themed merchandise and refreshments were available at the local community center, where Capri Community Inc. president Dick Maxwell also handed out maps showing all the officially registered sale sites. On a cold morning, with rain varying between a mist and a drizzle, you could also enjoy one of community association board member Don Brown’s “famous breakfast burritos” to fuel you for the scavenger hunt. Served hot, “they’ve got everything – sausage and eggs, cheese and potatoes,” said Brown, all wrapped in a flour tortilla.

But the biggest sale was at Capri Christian Church, where the fellowship hall was turned into a pop-up department store for the day. Shoppers snapped up everything from Coach handbags at the upscale “boutique” section to clothing, shoes, linens, paintings, toys, electronics, tools, fishing gear, and anything else you could think of.

Priscilla Salvatore and her crew “manned” the bake sale counter with a wide array of sweet treats. Susan Gardner found a set of paddleball paddles mid-morning, and Lou Kettenbach walked out of the church with a massive spear gun/harpoon.

“They said it works,” said Kettenbach. “Now I’ll have to find out.” Alan Birley found a comfortable seat (already sold, according to the label) and sank into it, just waiting for his wife to finish her rounds. You could say that she shopped till he dropped.

There was enough cash being taken in that a large gentleman named Mark was standing by the door, “just keeping an eye on the money,” he said.

As always at a yard sale, the serious shoppers were the “early birds,” showing up before the sellers had even had a chance to get their merchandise laid out.

“People were here so early, we’re almost sold out,” said Ray Carter, who said he has been selling at the event for 23 years.

Clarence Fleck did a brisk business selling tools for a dollar each, and Christopher and Axton Middlebrook displayed the fishing rods and boating equipment they had for sale. Kelly Sprigg stayed busy making sure visitors understood what was for sale and what was not, while her Girl Scout daughter had those famous cookies for sale.

Madonna Flores turned her entire ground floor breezeway into a shop, “with help from my mother and my daughter,” and said that by a few hours in, “we already sold most everything.”