Auctioneer Jack Goodbar, right, talks about the first garage door up for auction while workers hold it up for buyers to get a look at Shoff Door Co.’s 29th annual garage door and opener auction at the Washington County Fairgrounds Sunday. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

MARIETTA — A small crowd gathered at the Washington County Fairgrounds Sunday despite the rain to attend Shoff Door Co.’s 29th annual garage door and opener auction.

The company holds the auction in Marietta once a year, according to Shoff Door Co. Office Manager Carrie Benadum, and they had at least 100 garage doors up for auction Sunday.

They were also auctioning everything someone might need for a garage door, she said, including garage door openers, hardware to install the doors, springs, tracks and more.

Most of the doors, about 90% of them according to Benadum, are new Haas brand doors, though some of them are as-is doors from Shoff Door Co.

Benadum said Shoff Door Co. has 5 acres of doors at its Carroll, Ohio, location and they hold the auction every year to make a little bit of room at the warehouse.

Shoff Door Co. owner Wayne Shoff, right, talks about the need for struts when installing a garage door during a garage door and opener auction held by his company Sunday at the Washington County Fairgrounds. This is the 29th year the company has held the auction. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Last year they held an auction in Marietta in March and they had 50 people show up for the auction and sold more than $80,000 in merchandise, she said.

This year Benadum expects the amount of people they usually get at the auction, 30, and to sell about the same as previous years, around $40,000 in merchandise, she said.

People keep coming to the auction because “they get a really good deal on quality, professional doors,” Benadum said.

The same auctioneer, Jack Goodbar, has done the auction every year, Benadum said.

There was a preview of the items up for auction from 11 a.m. until the auction started at 1 p.m.

Garage door panels of various sizes await auction Sunday afternoon at the Washington County Fairgrounds. (Photo by Michelle Dillon)

Doors were sold in groups of four panels, with buyers having the option of buying extra panels if they want, she said.

Shoff Door Co. Owner Wayne Shoff started the auction by explaining some of the auction rules and stating why buyers should also get struts while they were at the auction. He said it is so the doors last longer.

Then Goodbar explained the rest of the rules for the auction and started the bidding on the first set of garage door panels.

Rick Day and his wife Debbie Day, both from Findlay, Ohio, came to the auction Sunday.

Rick Day said it was their first time at the auction and he and his wife came because “we need a garage door.”

He liked the auction so far, Rick Day said shortly after the bidding began.

“It looks like things may work out for us,” Debbie Day said about finding a door.

More information about the annual auction is available on Shoff Door Co.’s Facebook page.

Michelle Dillon can be reached at mdillon@newsandsentinel.com