By Crystal Harrell
On March 15, a car boot sale will be held from 7 am to noon to benefit Coachella Valley High School at the high school backlot with an entrance on Avenue 55. The event will be hosted by the Coachella Valley High School ASB and special guests “The Car Boot Kings”. There is free entrance for all buyers at the event and it is free for all ages—whether you are a seller or a buyer. The car boot sale will also be filmed for a UK television series.
EBOOT, owned by Andrew Walsh and James Taroni, have been running car boot sales for many years across the Midlands. They have grown their business and have loyal stall holders that have been coming to them for years, so much so they are now known as ‘The Car Boot Kings’.
Following their success from the Channel 4 television program, the two businessmen from Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham have joined forces with Publicist Barry Tomes and will be flying out to the US in March to debut the first car boot in America, with a plan to form a franchise business in the future.
“Our main aim of coming back this time is to continue the work with the media department coaching the students. I have a UK TV presenter with me. We built a studio set at the school. We plan to film some Monica Price TV show episodes at CVHS. We will be interviewing Walter Clarke about his work and support for the schools. We are also in talks with the mayor of Coachella, Steve Hernandez. We also plan to have musicians and other characters on the show. We plan to film the car boot sale for a UK episode. All this will be amazing experience for the students. Hopefully we can expand this to other schools overtime,” shared Tomes.
The practice of having garage sales in the United States, which take place on peoples drives and inside the garage of homes, differs from the traditional car boot sales that occur in the UK.
The car boot will take place at the Coachella Valley High School to raise vital funds for the school.
“The desert has a special place in my heart. I travel the world over but I am most relaxed in Palm Springs. I own a record label. Music is a big part of my life so it’s always cool to visit Coachella. I also have a radio show called US10. I play only American music. It broadcasts on seven radio stations. I feature bands like Whitewater and Empty Seat on my show on a regular basis. Both from the desert,” revealed Tomes.
‘The Car Boot Kings’ run the largest car boot sales in the Midlands. Barry Tomes is thrilled that they have been invited to run their first car boot ever in the United States.
“A teacher friend of mine, John Zembo, introduced me to his school, CVHS. He was always so passionate about the students I asked if I could visit. I finished up doing a talk for all the students in the auditorium. One question from a pupil moved me. He said, ‘Sir. Why have you come here ?’ I asked, ‘Don’t you want me to talk?’ They all said, ‘no, it’s fantastic,’ he said. ‘No one ever comes here.’ I said, ‘I promise you I will change that.’ All schools need money. The fundraiser was a no-brainer. I am planning more,” explained Tomes.
Seller spots are priced at 20 dollars and can be purchased online or in-person at the ASB office.
