Potpourri
Information for Potpourri 2027
Mark your calendars for the big sale on April 17, 2027 from 7:30 am - 1 pm. As always, there is no admission fee.
As of 2024, we are no longer accepting donations to our trailers year-round.
To better support our volunteers and serve our nonprofit partners, we have condensed our donation collection dates to one Saturday per month, August through March (see below). The trailers will be available for donation drop-off over Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, MLK Jr Day Weekend, Presidents Day Weekend, & Spring Break in the Lower Price Lot (see dates below).
Items should be dropped off during these times at the Sort Room via the Price Road entrance. Click to see what items we do and do not collect:
'26-'27 Donation Collection
Bring your donations to the Sort Room (accessible via Price Rd entrance) from 9:00 to noon on the following Saturdays ('26-'27):
August 29, September 19, October 31, November 14, December 12, January 23, February 20, March 6
OR drop your donations in our trailer (in front of the Sort Room) during the following holiday weekends and breaks:
JBS Fall Break: Friday, October 16 - Monday, October 19
Thanksgiving Break: Friday, November 20 - Sunday, November 29
Winter Break: Friday, December 18 - Sunday, January 3
MLK Weekend: Friday, January 15 - Sunday, January 18
Presidents Day Weekend: Friday, February 12 - Monday, February 15
Spring Break: Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 29
If you cannot make one of these donation opportunities, please contact Potpourri to set up alternative arrangements to donate your items.
General Information
What is Potpourri?
Potpourri is the most anticipated event of the JBS school year: the annual "500 family" garage sale held each spring in the field house. What began over 50 years ago to sustainably engage John Burroughs School with the wider St. Louis community continues today with a bargain-filled sale in April each year. The collaborative effort of parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff, and students brings excitement and energy to campus the entire week leading up to the sale. From move-in day to sale setup to the BIG sale, preparation for this huge event takes the entire school year and, literally, hundreds of volunteers.
How Does It Happen?
Potpourri volunteers collect, sort, and store donations for the spring sale, on campus, August through April. "Sorting" is the process of receiving, processing, packing, and storing donations. See Community Collection and Sort dates (above) for dropping off donations and volunteering.
Saturday Sale & Non-Profit Access
The Saturday Sale is the exciting culmination of all our hard work. Hundreds of people converge on the field house, sometimes lining up before sunrise, to have first dibs on the field house treasures. Watching the field house doors open and seeing the crowd stream through is thrilling. Potpourri is not to be missed! As part of our commitment to sustainability and community engagement, it has long been tradition for area nonprofits to have access to the field house after the sale before takedown begins. This provides an opportunity for area organizations to utilize things that serve their mission and continue to make a positive impact in the greater St. Louis community.
