Farmer's Market

I found out late in the game that I could sell my crafts in our local Farmers Market. So I applied, was accepted, and participated the last two Saturdays. Last Saturday, Sept. 3 was the last day untill the fall season begins.

It is quite different being a strolling buyer and a stationary vendor. The buyer can shuffle along, glancing to and fro, stopping just where the eye, the interest, and whim takes her. The vendor has the advantage of meeting a variety of people who come to his/her booth.

In between customers I watched all the people around me, both vendors and shoppers. Here is my list:

1. Many friends, male and female, made it a twosome to shop, just look, or actually buy something.

2. People who attend Farmers Martet go, intending to spend money

3.People liked my items and told me so. I even sold a few things, enough to make it worth my time.

4. There are two kinds of marriages, whether the couples are old or young. One type walks apart, never touching, rarely speaking. Sometimes the husband walked ahead, sometimes the wife. I was saddened by most of them. The other kind held hands or leaned into each other, chatting, stopping together, looking at merchandise together. Most of the happy couples still had separate money. Cool. Sometimes the wife had to ask permission to buy; only one man did and his wife coldly told him no.

5. What was available for sale? All those vegetables and fruits, to be sure: tomatoes, red potatoes, onions, eggplant, purple, green, and white, squash, zucchini, okra, peas, beans, peppers of various colors, and so on. Jellies, jams, preserves galore, breads of all kinds. Specialty ethnic foods: Italian sausage, Turkish foods, Lebanese foods, Indian curries, Mexican burritos, coffee drinks, Louisiana wine. Then vendors like me: I have totes, wall hangings, purses, toy bags, stuffed cats, pillow cases. Other vendors have little girls' dresses, play outfits, nightgowns, pajamas. Birdhouses with fabric for outer wall decorations. Beef, pork, and chicken, home raised, frozen for sale, and a brochure explaining the benefits of grass-fed animals for food.

6. The remarkable thing about Farmers Market is the individual expression of hard work, creativity, tenacity, and the American Dream of success in these individual endeavors. I felt privileged to be among these people.

It was a great day! I'm looking forward to Fall Market, beginning in October!