If you’re hoping to find somewhat fresh finds during Allston Christmas, you might not want to wait until Sunday.
“Now’s the time,” said Francesca “Ches” Ely-Spence, who was helping her partner move out of her Allston apartment on Gardner Street Thursday afternoon.
“You kind of have to go before everyone moves, before [Sept.] 1 because that’s when everything good is out,” Ely-Spence told MassLive. “If you go on [Sept.] 1 or after, it’s all kind of junk.”
The annual street-side shopping holiday happens every year on Sept. 1st, the day when 70% of leases begin in Boston.
As people move in and out of apartments in Allston and other parts of Boston, tons of household items, furniture, clothing and food are tossed out.
This results in overflowing trash bins, dumpsters filled to the brim, and streets covered in furniture that is often in salvageable condition.
MassLive roamed around Allston Thursday afternoon and found several mattresses, dining chairs a couch, a table and a mini-fridge — but most items were in pretty rough shape.
Items that Ely-Spence found in good condition include coffee tables, a mini-fridge, paintings, decor and even a pricey food item.
“I did find, once, a box of groceries and it had $47 Mānuka honey in it and so I just took that,” she said.
“You don’t know what you’re going to get. It could be garbage or it could be something that works for you and not for the person that had it originally,” Ely-Spence added. “It could also be something really great that just gets picked up by the garbage people and taken to a landfill.”
Ely-Spence said that the best items are often found in the dumpster. That said, shopping for Allston Christmas could really be hit-or-miss.
“Because of all the students, there’s some really great things like mini-fridges and couches and stuff that’s in good condition, but they don’t want to move with it or they’re going somewhere else, so they just sort of leave it out on the street,” Ely-Spence said.
While the official date for Allston Christmas is Sept. 1, people will often start putting items outside before their moving date, so you can technically start Allston Christmas shopping during the week leading up to Sept. 1.
Depending on when trash pickup is, those items might be gone before you can get your hands on them. Boston residents can check their trash and recycling schedule here.
Click here to check out more tips for finding your pick of the lot during Allston Christmas.
