Beth Bales: For Sale—One Swedish Cottage

It’s a deal that not only gets the buyer a one-of-a-kind Geneva-related playhouse, but also helps those in need.

The mini-Swedish cottage that was decorated by kids during Geneva’s festivals–, the Arts Fair and, most recently, Festival of the Vine–is being auctioned off on eBay. 

The minimum bid is $1,000, and the sale ends at 9:42 a.m. Pacific time, which is 11:42 a.m., our time, on Monday, Oct. 3. 

Proceeds from the auction will benefit two agencies that help people in need:

• , which provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and their families. It’s one of the largest and oldest domestic violence shelters in the state. And all services are offered free of charge. 
• , which helps those with with special healthcare needs; nearly all those served are non-ambulatory and have severe cognitive deficits, and most also have complex medical problems that require 24-hour skilled nursing care. “Marklund is there for these families faced with the difficult decision of finding quality care for their loved ones who have severe and profound developmental disabilities,” the organization says on its website. 

“Funds raised from the sale of this precious playhouse will support our aquatic therapy program as well as our client outings, such as trips downtown to the Shedd Aquarium or museums,” said Heather Graves, Marklund’s chief development officer. “These programs directly benefit our clients and provide much needed, and very much enjoyed therapeutic and socialization activities.”

The cottage was built by ShoDeen Inc. and is 8.5 feet wide, 6 feet deep and 9.5 feet tall. There’s free delivery to the Tri-Cities area; otherwise, the lucky bidder must pick the house up.