Every Tuesday for the last few months, five women gather with Windex and marker pens in hand. They laugh and chat as they clean used items that will be put on display and later sold.

If some of the articles aren’t up to standard they are taken home for a night of extra polishing and sprucing up.

The women sort through relics of the past like an old-fashioned mourning parasol with a bone handle and a tall elegant green vase.

“I love garage sales, but the first time I went to Granny’s Attic I was really blown away. It’s not your average rummage sale at all,” said Milly Vetterlein, a member of the senior center advisory board.

She still has beloved purchases from the first time she went to the sale as a customer, like a piece of pottery that she often admires.

The annual fundraiser for the senior center called “Granny’s Attic” is Saturday, April 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shoppers are asked to bring their own bags if possible. At 2 p.m., all furniture and higher end items will be marked half off and you can fill a grocery bag with anything from the main room for $5.

Any books that don’t sell are given to the library for its annual sale and other items are donated to the Exchange. If something of particular value is not sold, it will be posted on eBay, an online marketplace where buyers and sellers come together and trade.

This year, several high-value perfume bottles made with special glass will go directly to the website.

Vetterlein has worked at Granny’ Attic for three years and is in charge of the high-end items.

She’s also somewhat of a detective. She has spent hours researching donated pieces with “Kovels’ Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide,” and Internet sites like eBay to help her estimate prices.

Hundreds of islanders come to the sale every year, and it brings in between $6,000 and $7,000 for the senior center. The fundraiser is important, said Vetterlein, because there have been so many budget cuts to senior services, which offers everything from foot care to transportation assistance.

And every year people continue supporting the seniors by donating an array of interesting relics, memorabilia and art.

“It’s been interesting – there is a different emphasis of items brought in or surprises as far as what is contributed each year,” she said.

Most of the pieces are furniture, household items, decorative objects, stamps and crafting for scrap booking, jewelry, china and art like the photographs donated by Joe Floren.

Vetterlein describes Granny’s Attic as a win-win for the center and the community, especially for people who may not be able to purchase brand new household devices like a blender or a toaster, which they might find at the fundraiser.

This year there will be a special travel section with antique board games and guidebooks for exotic locations.

“It’s a very eclectic collection,” she said with a laugh. “There’s a treasure trove of stuff.”

For more info, call 376-2677 or visit www.orcassenior.com.