Boston’s Move-Out Days Turn Streets Into Swap Meet in Allston

It's Christmas come early for one Boston community where treasures lurk in dumpsters.

The annual Allston Christmas is a much-anticipated community event that occurs during the days before and after Sept. 1. It's the time when many leases in Boston end and new ones begin, especially in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood, home to many college students.

The Boston Globe spoke with Vita Solorio-Fielder, who drives around Allston with her friends, prepared to explore dumpsters and recycling bins. With gloves and hand sanitizer in tow, the Somerville English teacher searches the bins for gently used and brand-new items.

“I'm always looking for stuff that I can use in my classroom or that my students might need,” Solorio-Fielder said in an interview. “Umbrellas or pens, pencils, things that people just throw away, we try to repurpose.” This year's haul netted her a TV, a brand-new air conditioner still in the box, markers, laundry detergent, cleaning wipes, binoculars, a pair of boots, and two hats.

Jamie Folwell, a software engineer and Allston resident, said that part of the thrill of the hunt comes from simply walking around the neighborhood and seeing what's being placed out on the curbs.“Outside my building, literally, [someone] just left plant pots. And I happened to be looking for them anyways,” she told the Boston Globe. 

Folwell encourages anyone picking up items from the street to check them carefully for insects and throroughly wash everything before bringing objects inside their homes.

The event, which feels like a large community yard sale, also ends up being an environmental awareness issue. Solorio-Fielder said she wished people were more intentional about how they treat their possessions when moving to avoid sending large amounts of material to the landfills.