Oh, joy! We can once again set up and work our booth at the Mount Joy Farmers Market. If you've never checked it out and you're local, the market runs from 8 am until noon on Saturday mornings. It is held in the breezeway parking lot of the Union National Bank on Main Street. Lots of free parking, and tons of good produce, baked goods, plants - and us, with our soaps, potions, books and the magazine. If you are visiting Lancaster County on vacation, this is a great little taste of local flavor, right on the way to Hersheypark or the PA Renaissance Faire.
For the last two weeks, our kids (my daughter Molly, and Maryanne's son Rob) have taken care of it for us while we vended first at Landis Valley Herb Faire, and then last week at The Rosemary House's 40th anniversary celebration.
How cool is that to have the kids pitch in and actually run the booth for us? After all these years they are both coming to find an appreciation for the things we do, and enjoy helping out. We never pushed them, feeling bad enough that we were taking so much time away from them, so it is a good feeling to have them come around on their own. Naturally, their days at the market seemed to revolve around the bakery stand and trips down the street for the all-important coffee blends, but hey - they were there. That was all that we really required :-).
I can't really say why it is so much fun. Over the winter we really missed it, and discussed it several times. We both love a *little* retail, for the reactions, the feedback, and because we really do love to see our customers. Because it is such a small dose, there are none of the negatives that come with a regular shop --- which I won't go into because it just isn't worth it. If you've done it, you know. If you haven't, there's no point in talking about it.
One of the really great parts of doing the market is that it gives us an answer to the eternal question of, "Where can I find you and your products?" While we were at Landis Valley, we probably told 50 people about the farmers market. People who live close by, but never knew it was there.
So I'm looking forward to Saturday. The weather forecast is gorgeous. The local berries and peas will start showing up, and our friends in the neighboring booths will be there to gossip with. What better way to spend a Saturday morning? And... I get to come home with a basket full of locally grown and produced foods.
