Harvard block sale a welcomed tradition amid pandemic ‘new normal’
The Harvard Avenue block sale happened as planned on Saturday, despite fewer vendors and crowds and amid discouragement from city officials because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The block sale already was postponed from its usual May date, but some shoppers braved the summer heat anyway to find some deals.
Many vendors encouraged shoppers to wear masks to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, which caused the city to pull its support for the event.
City officials on Friday urged organizers of the block sale to postpone the event and residents not to attend. While yard sales are permitted during the pandemic, city officials said the Harvard Avenue block sale exceeded recommendations for a typical yard sale and said they did not support the event this year.
Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria, who represents the neighborhood, prepared a flier to remind residents to follow safety protocols. Soria also requested two code enforcement officers attend the event to enforce safety protocols. By noon, she had not heard of any violations.
“I ask you to not participate in the annual Harvard block sale and avoid getting people sick,” Soria wrote on social media on Friday. “Remember there’s zero capacity at our hospitals.”
Quenton Sanford just recently bought his home on Harvard Avenue and was looking forward to the tradition. He followed Councilmember Esmeralda Soria’s guidelines and set up a system to only allow 10 people at a time in his yard. He accepted only exact change in cash or Venmo for payments.
The experienced yard salers who arrived at 6 a.m. took the guidelines seriously, he said, with most wearing masks and gloves.
By 10 a.m., Sanford sold about 75% of his items.
“It’s nice to get some fresh air and see your neighbors and sell some of your old stuff,” he said. “I grew up in the area and I’ve been coming here my whole life.
“It’s a good tradition, and it’s nice to have a tradition that’s continuing during the pandemic because it kind of lifts your spirits,” Sanford said.
Mariela Sayhua, who was selling Native American-styled goods at a booth near Van Ness Boulevard, noticed the crowd at this year’s event was much smaller. She was surprised the event still went on since many other shows she scheduled were canceled.
Overall she felt the event was safe since it was outdoors and most people wore masks.
But Merry Voda was hugely disappointed. She looks forward to the event every year, and this year there wasn’t much to buy, she said. Plus, the “tamale lady” wasn’t there this year.
“Normally, this whole place would be packed, every yard,” she said.
She’s come to the block sale from her own Sunnyside neighborhood for so long that she established a relationship with one lady who had daughters just a few years older than Voda’s great granddaughters.
“As her daughter outgrew things, my great granddaughters grew into them, toys and clothes,” she said.
Pondering the toll of the pandemic, Voda questioned what’s normal anymore. Her granddaughter responded: “I think this is our new normal.”
This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 1:23 PM.