By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Gringo Cafe in Ipanema will hold a “Garage Sale” on Saturday, August 1st from 4PM to 8PM. In addition to the buying and selling of items, there will be drinks promotions and DJ Slim Seleem will spin the best of funk, disco and 80s music.
“I’ve had the idea for a while,” Sam Flowers, owner of the Gringo Cafe told The Rio Times. “The Facebook groups for Gringos to Buy & Sell are awesome but sometimes you want to buy or sell something smaller or less valuable and its a hassle to take a pic, respond to messages and arrange meeting times for those smaller items.”
The Facebook group, Gringos Buy , Sell & Donate Rio, currently contains over 13,000 members, indicating that while garage sales, yard sales, and thrift stores are rare at best in Rio de Janeiro the interest in buying and selling used items exists.
“People tell me they love the idea [of a yard sale] and miss this type of Saturday/Sunday activity from the U.S.,” said Flowers. “It’s a great fit for Gringo Cafe since it seems Garage Sales are a very ‘American’ thing.”
The cafe is well known for its American cuisine, serving everything from real bagels to Mac & Cheese to pancakes and BBQ ribs. Additionally, it often hosts events for American holidays including yearly celebrations of Thanksgiving.
Drinks promotions during the event include a Mimosa with free refills for R$31, a special the Gringo Cafe is now offering all of the time on their regular menu, and buckets of six long neck beers (Bohemia or Antartica) for R$37.50, which is six beers for the price of five.
When asked about the future of “garage” sales at the Gringo Cafe, Flowers said; “I would love to make this a regular thing like the 1st Saturday of every month. So we’ll get an idea of the interest level and definitely repeat if people are into it.”
What: Gringo Cafe “Garage” Sale
When: Saturday, August 1st, 4PM – 8PM.
Where: Barao Da Torre 240, Ipanema
Entrance: FREE