Once a year in late summer, households all across Mount Pleasant open their garages at the same time. The Mt. Pleasant City-Wide Garage Sales are a town-wide tradition in this southeast Iowa county seat (Henry County, ZIP 52641), organized through KILJ Radio and its Root & Pixel garage-sale guide. The 2026 edition runs August 27 through September 7 — and here's what makes it different from most citywides: it's not one weekend. It's a two-week window, and each seller picks their own days inside it.
That long window changes how you shop it. There are sales to hit on weekdays and both weekends, the lineup shifts from day to day, and many sellers add new items throughout the run. The upside is you're never locked into a single Saturday; the challenge is that the sales are spread across town and across twelve days, so knowing which addresses are open on the day you're out is half the battle.
Mount Pleasant is a settled town of family homes at the crossroads of US-34 and US-218, about 30 miles southwest of Iowa City. A town-wide clear-out here turns up the everyday household goods you'd expect — furniture, clothing, kitchenware, kids' and baby gear — alongside the antiques, collectibles, vintage toys and trains, and Americana that surface when longtime homes clear decades of accumulation at once.
Quick facts
- Dates
- August 27 – September 7, 2026 — each seller sets their own days inside the window
- Where
- City-wide across Mount Pleasant, IA (ZIP 52641), Henry County, southeast Iowa
- Format
- Organized by KILJ Radio; residents register their address for free to be on the official map
- The list
- Official interactive map is live and keeps filling as more sellers register
- Best for
- Antiques and collectibles, tools, furniture, kids' gear, and everyday household goods
- Hours
- Most sales run roughly 8 AM to 5 PM; the map shows each one's actual days and hours
How the city-wide sale works
KILJ coordinates the event but doesn't run the sales themselves — those are ordinary households clearing out garages, closets, and basements. Residents who want to be listed register their address for free through the station's Root & Pixel garage-sale guide, pick which days they'll be open inside the August 27 – September 7 window, and get pinned on the official map. Registration opened in August with a sign-up deadline ahead of the event.
That map is the real product of the event — it's how shoppers find their way across a town this size over two weeks. Because sellers keep registering right up through the run, the list grows day by day, and each sale carries its own days and hours. Every registered address is mapped here on MapMySales too, with those days and hours and what each seller is bringing out. Browse the full list free, then map the smartest driving order for the day you're out and drive it.
Strategy — shop the calendar, then the map
A two-week citywide rewards a different plan than a one-weekend event. Before you think about route, think about day: since every sale sets its own schedule, the first move is filtering to the day you're actually shopping, so you're not driving to a house that isn't open. Then it's a grid problem, and two simple rules carry the rest.
- Cluster by neighborhood. Don't chase addresses across town as you spot them. Pick a cluster of streets that are open that day, hit everything there, then move to the next. A dozen sales within a few connected blocks is a far better hour than four sales spread across town.
- Read the item notes first. Mount Pleasant sellers list what they're putting out — antiques, tools, kids' and baby gear, furniture, collectibles. Sort by what you're actually after and route around those stops, so you're not walking every driveway to find the one with the tools.
Go early on the busy days. The best of it is on the tables first thing, and the opening morning of each seller's run is when the fresh stuff is out. With a window this long, it's also worth a second look — sellers who "add new items throughout" mean a street you worked on Friday can be worth another pass the next weekend.
A two-week citywide isn't a route — it's a moving map. The shoppers who do well don't drive more, they drive smarter: filter to the day, cluster the neighborhood, and route around what they actually collect.
What you'll find
Mount Pleasant is a town of longtime family homes, and a city-wide sale like this turns over a lot of everyday household goods. Furniture, clothing for the whole family, and kitchenware are the backbone of the run — the contents of dozens of homes being cleared or downsized at once.
Antiques and collectibles show up strong here, more than at a typical suburban citywide — this year's registered sales already list everything from Lionel trains and vintage Golden Books to holiday cookie jars, glassware, and collector sets. Tools and garage goods come out too, as established Iowa homes clear years of accumulation, and kids' and baby gear turns up in volume as families cycle through stages.
And across the whole map you'll find the collectibles and Americana that make a small-town Iowa citywide worth working — decor, kitchenware, glassware, books, and the occasional antique, often underpriced because the seller is clearing a house, not running a booth. Watch for vintage Pyrex, cast iron, and the odd real find mixed in with the everyday stuff.
Pro tips
- Filter to your day first. Every sale sets its own days across the two weeks — start by pulling up just the sales open on the day you're out.
- Work one neighborhood at a time. Group nearby sales and clear a cluster before moving on; it's the single biggest time-saver at a citywide event.
- Route around your item notes. When sellers say what they're bringing out, plan around the stops with what you collect.
- Start early. First pick goes fast, and each seller's opening morning is prime.
- Bring small bills. These are front-yard sellers, not shops — cash, and plenty of singles and fives, keeps things moving.
- Come back. With a two-week window and sellers restocking, a second pass through a good neighborhood the following weekend can pay off.
Map every sale across Mount Pleasant
Every registered household in the city-wide sale, on one map — with the days and hours each one is open, updated daily as more sign up. Filter to your day, cluster by neighborhood, and build one efficient loop instead of crossing town all week. Browse the full list free, then map the smartest driving order and drive it.
Open the Mt. Pleasant City-Wide Garage Sales MapFAQ
When are the Mt. Pleasant City-Wide Garage Sales 2026?
August 27 through September 7, 2026, across Mount Pleasant, Iowa (ZIP 52641). It's a two-week window rather than a single weekend — each seller picks their own days and hours inside it, so there are sales open on weekdays as well as the weekends. Most run roughly 8 AM to 5 PM, but the map shows each sale's actual days and hours.
Where do I find the list of participating addresses?
KILJ Radio and Root & Pixel publish an official interactive map of every registered sale, and it keeps filling as new sellers sign up. Every registered sale is also mapped on the MapMySales live event map — with the days and hours each one is open, so you can plan a route around the addresses nearest you.
Do I need to register to have a sale?
Yes. To get your address on the official map you register your sale for free through KILJ's Root & Pixel garage-sale guide. Registration for 2026 opened in August with a sign-up deadline before the event; check kilj.com for the current cutoff and details.
What kinds of things turn up at the sale?
A typical southeast-Iowa citywide mix — furniture, tools and garage goods, kids' and baby gear, kitchenware, clothing, and household items — plus antiques, collectibles, vintage toys and trains, and Americana, with vintage Pyrex, cast iron, and the occasional real find mixed in with the everyday stuff.
When do next year's Mt. Pleasant City-Wide Garage Sales happen?
Mount Pleasant holds its city-wide sales every year in late summer, from late August into early September. The 2027 dates will be confirmed closer to the event, and we'll update this page once they're posted.
Happy hunting, Mount Pleasant.