HISTORY
The Country Fair White Elephant established its roots in October 1964 with a festival and small parade. It was organized by a small group of local community leaders to promote good fellowship and provide an easy way for Green Valley residents to get better acquainted and offer a way for them to "give back" to their community.
That first year, 17 volunteers raised $146.20 which was given to the Continental School District. The event proved to be so successful that another parade was held the following year with Will Rogers, Jr. as Grand Marshal. The annual parade continued to grow every year and sales from craft booths increased. From 1964 through 1980, approximately $35,000 was raised from annual White Elephant sales and distributed back to the community.
In 1980, the Country Fair White Elephant leased a parcel of land from Pima County and erected a 3,000 square foot building to house a year-round thrift shop. The banks considered this a risky venture so the $37,000 building was financed by members of the Board, the C.B. Bears, Friends of the Pima-Green Valley Library and $19,000 in White Elephant sales. The White Elephant Shop officially opened for business in June 1981 and produced approximately $20,000 in annual revenue.
By 1982, the 3,000 square foot building was bursting at the seams and in 1984, an additional 1,200 square feet of building expansion was completed. The shop had about 40 volunteers that year. Two years later, an additional 1,800 square foot addition was added which was financed with funds from store sales. In 1990, Pima County allocated additional land south of the existing White Elephant building for yet another expansion. The White Elephant expanded to 9,800 square feet and generated $137,000 in sales revenue. In 1994, the Country Fair White Elephant celebrated its 30th year anniversary and gave $450,000 in distributions to local schools and non-profit organizations. More than 120 volunteers were working donating their time and energy to process the ever-increasing volume of donated clothing, furniture and household items. Another building expansion began in the summer of 2000 and was completed in July 2001. By the end of 2001, gross sales totaled $1,040,640 and $620,000 in funding was given to local schools and non-profit organizations serving the Green Valley and Sahuarita communities.
Over 450 volunteers were working six days a week, morning and afternoon, to keep pace with donations coming in from a community undergoing a population explosion. In 2007, the Country Fair White Elephant grossed a record $2,063,320 and distributed $1,456,568 to over 130 community organizations. 470 volunteers donated more than 74,400 hours to the store. The birth and growth of the Country Fair White Elephant has been phenomenal. From its humble beginning, the Country Fair White Elephant has become a year-round, million dollar operation with a modern 17,000 square foot facility.
The success of the store would not be possible without the generous support of the community that donates quality merchandise and the volunteers who devote countless hours to process the thousands of items donated to the store each week. It is truly a win-win situation for all who donate, volunteer, shop and receive needed financial funding to sustain programs vital to our community.
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