By AARON MUELLER

Niles Daily Star

The old adage is “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

If that’s the case, there will be plenty of trash and treasures on display during this weekend’s US-12 Garage Sale, stretching 212 miles along the highway from Detroit to New Buffalo.

U.S. Highway 12, which is one of the nation’s oldest highways, runs on what used to be a Native American trail. And Friday through Sunday, it will host the largest garage sale in the state and one of the biggest in the country.

Lisa Croteau, director of Niles Main Street, said several downtown businesses and a few Niles residences have already picked up garage sale signs to participate in the event.

“The core concentration of businesses participating are in the 200 block downtown,” she said.

Croteau said downtown sees a significant increase in foot traffic during the garage sale, now in its seventh year.

“We see people from outside the area too,” she said. “It’s becoming a fun thing for people in the whole state to do.”

Among the participants in Niles this weekend will be a new business, Trailhead Mercantile, which will open its doors this fall at 209 East Main St.

“It’s just quirky fun,” Croteau said. “You never know what you’re going to find.”

The US-12 Garage Sale website features an interactive map to track the locations of all the registered sites. More than 100 sites have been marked on the map thus far. Dozens of businesses and residences have registered in Buchanan but just a handful in Niles.

“This used to be in the beginning of the summer, and we had more people participate then, because that’s when you’re cleaning things out,” Croteau said. “But if you have nothing to sell, go out and shop and get more stuff to recycle for next year.”

To get an official US-12 Garage Sale sign, visit the Niles DDA Main Street at 210 East Main St. To get your sale put on the interactive map, visit www.us12heritagetrail.org/garagesale.asp.