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Alco has been closed for months, but it had one final gift to give Saturday, as surplus hardware from the store was sold at auction to benefit Main Street Ministries.
Board president Dale Nuss explained that the donation actually was given to them two years ago.
“They changed hardware vendors, and when they did that they had to get rid of their old stock,” Nuss said. “If they donated it, they could get a tax break.”
Nuss said they could have given the goods away at any time, but they had to wait two years to be able to sell it.
Vice president and auctioneer Clint Seibel said not all the merchandise lasted until the sale.
“We probably used several hundred dollars worth of paint,” he said.
Light bulbs, ceiling fans, paint equipment, bathroom fixtures, tool sets, power tools, and more filled two hay wagons that Seibel sold from on the lawn south of the apartments.
About 40 people attended the auction, and all seemed to bid with the knowledge their money would be put to good use.
“We had a good bidder crowd,” Seibel said. “I had a number, but I never had to use it.”
The cash total wasn’t available at the end of the sale, but Seibel appeared pleased with how it went.
“This is good for the ministry,” he said. “We’ll be able to fix up a lot of stuff. We were happy to get what we got.”