The Market

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...what a line. You can tell how those Christmas songs stay with a girl. Actually today the weather is sorta frightful, serious winds and rain. Still, there is Christmas shopping to be done.

On a different note I usually write about myself at the market, which makes sense as this is my blog and all, however, today I wanted to describe one of the aspects I like the most.

When we began the market it was very slow and small. These days there are around seventy, yes, I said seventy vendors! It's unbelievable to me, but that is another story.

Loading in and out is a complicated affair. Bruce arrives early, say around 7:30 to assure he can get the vehicle in to unload, not to mention a parking place, (we officially open at 10), but Christine is already there, partially set up, as is Larry. Christine is the longest running vendor there, sticking with the market through thick and thin, selling coffee and tea. I'm sure as the years have gone by she has expanded her offerings of various coffee drinks, lattes, and such. I can't tell her age, thus I don't know how old her assistant son is, but every Sunday, come rain or shine, they are there cheerfully serving hot drinks for a reasonable price. Their equipment is large,as is their trailer, so they arrive first.

Larry sells kettle korn and fresh lemonade. His trailer holds the giant copper kettle and everything else they need. They too, have been there for years. By 9:00 he has fired up the kettle and the smell of freshly popped corn fills the air. Dina, his wife comes a bit later with her warm smile and friendly manner.

Kathy sells carnival type stuff, funnel cakes, corn dogs, hamburgers and hot dogs. You wouldn't know it to meet her, but she lives in a pretty swank part of town. Her family has been in the business for at least two generations.

And of course there is Jonathan and Amy, our resident farmers. They arrive so early I can't imagine, setting up nine tents of produce. Some they grow, other stuff they buy. You met them in the past because they are the folks who we took our dining furniture for their large family.

There is Blair & Ben, the cheese folks, Alice sells hummus and bean dips, Lisa, the rum cake lady, Jim and Kathy sell house plants and orchids next to us, Jennie sells homemade soaps, Evelyn & Ricco have a Mexican/PuertoRican food stand, and Jennifer sells delicious cupcakes. I never can remember the honey ladies name, but she always does well. There are the folks who sell scrumptious gelato, a super sweet lady paints henna on exposed body parts, Tim gives chair massages, and Michelles' personal favorite, the guy selling all types of pound cake. There is artisan bread, although sadly their sign spells it artesian, a huge variety of pastas by the pound, and a lady who sells dog paraphernalia. Donna and Dwayne just returned from spending the summer at a ranch in Utah to winter here and sell her beautiful jewelry. Matt's friend Liza's parents came last week selling their homemade vanilla which is wonderfully potent I might add, stained glass by Karen, and the list goes on.

Now that we have a beer and wine garden, people tend to hang around longer, enjoying the wonderful singing of Joseph Martens in the afternoon. In other words, it has become a place to hang out and do some serious people watching. Now, if they would just buy. Which brings me to my next point..

During the morning set up, which as I mentioned is getting more complicated by the day, due to the volume of vehicles and traffic, there is a feeling of hopefulness that is contagious. When I worked my regular job, each day was pretty much the same. I very much enjoyed it, but I pretty much knew what to expect. I knew when I would begin the day, when I would eat lunch, when I would make calls for recall patients, when I would hang films, when I would have my most complicated cases....you get my drift.

The market, on the other hand, is always a surprise. I can sit for several hours with no sales, then bang. As you've probably guessed, I don't really sit that much, mainly because I'm taking pictures of the market or chatting with vendors and friends that come by weekly. Lots of times I've been disappointed, but probably just as many times I've been delighted. I've met some wonderful people at the market who really look out for one another. If someone is not there for a week concern is shown. Jim and Kathy, our market neighbors, have both lost a parent in the last month and when we are not busy we have commiserated on the problems and pain associated with it.

I took the picture above before the market officially opens. A blank slate of a day awaits the hopeful vendors.

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Listening to: James Taylor - Some Children See Him
via FoxyTunes