Sandy Pratt and Dolly Campbell, manager and assistant manager of the Martha’s Vineyard Community Services Thrift Shop, are cutting prices in an attempt to clear as much merchandise from the store as they can. They need to make way for the yearly Chicken Alley Art Show.

The event, in its eighth year, was conceived by Olga Hirshhorn, whose late husband Joseph Hirshhorn founded the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.

Mrs. Pratt, who was there at the inception, recalls Mrs. Hirshhorn, a fan of thrift shopping who had recently dropped off donations from her collection of artwork, suggesting an art show at the Thrift Shop. Mrs. Hirshhorn has held the position of curator and host of the Chicken Alley Art show ever since. Mrs. Pratt chuckled at the thought of Mrs. Hirshhorn’s combing through the donated pieces, saying: “What’s good? What have we got?”

The art show is among the less common artistic offerings on the Island. The thrift shop collects framed artwork, fine art pieces, collectibles and other special items for sale at the annual show throughout the year. “It’s fun because all of the stuff you pack away, you find it again,” Mrs. Pratt said in a recent interview, gazing around an enormous storage room in the back of the shop (alongside this storage room, the Thrift Shop also keeps a container full of items tucked away until the time of the Chicken Alley show).

And this year, the art show takes on new importance; with federal, state, and third-party donations drastically slashed, the art sale will make up a larger percentage of income for Community Services. The team at the Thrift Shop had difficult decisions to make: how to maximize profits and keep participation high? “This year,” Mrs. Pratt said, “we made a concerted effort to keep prices low.” This decision is aimed at encouraging a large turnout. The price range is from $3 to $800. But maintaining a price structure which allows for everyone to participate does have its challenges. “People give us things, and we’re responsible for getting the best value we can for them,” Mrs. Pratt said.

The collection is as rich this year as in years past; Mrs. Pratt estimates there will be around 2,000 pieces for sale this Sunday. The collection includes books, including a special selection of art books, framed artwork, antiques, collectibles and even several items of vintage clothing. On Saturday, Mrs. Pratt will conduct an “army of people,” typically volunteers who return every year, to set the stage for the show. It takes almost four hours to hang, and one hour just to “lug all of the stuff to the front,” Mrs. Pratt said. “I don’t know of anybody who mounts an effort this big.”

Contributors include local artists Ted Box and Richard Lee. As for favorites, Mrs. Pratt picks several. One is an antique Madame Alexander doll, Marybelle, the Doll that gets Well, in original packaging, complete with doll casts, crutches, and other bandages and medical equipment. Another is a collection of antique ivory carvings from Persia. There are also Persian rugs.

One item which promises to be a hit is a vintage Michael Jackson record player, still in working order. There is history in everything sold. “We used to have an ashtray collection,” said Mrs. Pratt.

So, yes, something for everyone.

The Chicken Alley Art Show is from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Thrift Shop on Lagoon Pond Road in Vineyard Haven.