(Newser)
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Do you really, really like buying other people's used stuff? Then have we ever got the 690-mile stretch of highway for you. Yesterday, the 25th annual "World's Longest Yard Sale" kicked off, with shoppers looking for bargains along a stretch of Highway 127 that runs across six states—Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama. The event lasts four days, and junk enthusiasts come from miles around to bargain-hunt, ABC News reports.
"We see a clear surge in hotel and motel tax revenue," said one local chamber of commerce. Some people, it added, rely on "southern hospitality" instead, staying in private homes. This year the vibe is a little different, however, thanks to the rise of trash-to-treasure shows like American Pickers. "They're acting like they do on the show, you know, and it's a hurtin' our business," one seller told WBRC. But another ventured that the influence was positive. "There 's a lot of people who used to didn’t' collect, and now they're collecting."
