Every Sunday morning I get up at 6:30 am and get ready to head out for the farmer's market in Montrose, CA. I load my car with folding tables (folding because they fit in a Jeep and are lighter), a pop-up tent, folding chairs, my Keller Williams open house signs and my display materials along with whatever quilt I am currently making. I know it sounds a little crazy but I have a booth in the market where I show real estate listings in the local area. I display properties from all across the San Gabriel Valley and have a notebook with all of the listings from Montrose, La Crescenta and La Canada.
I love the people I meet at the market and the opportunity to interact with the local community as well as the vendors. My first clients, Susanna and Kevin, just had their third child a couple of weeks ago. Before the baby was born they came to see me in the market. Their second child is now walking and very definitely has a mind of her own. I think everyone was a little relieved when she got tired and wanted the stroller for a while. Their oldest had found a couple of new toys from one of the vendors in the antique and collectible portion of the market. He proudly showed me his purchase and pointed to where he had bought it. Both kids had been eating fresh strawberries available free, yes, FREE! from one of the vendors from Fallbrook. Most of the fruit vendors have samples available for tasting.
More recent clients who just purchased their first home in La Crescenta, stopped by later in the day. They are also expecting (in July!) and were going out to breakfast to celebrate the beginning of maternity leave. They agree with me that breakfast at the Black Cow is a great way to start the day.
The market is broken into three main areas. First you find the flowers and produce. Most of the produce is picked fresh the morning of the market. Both the fruit and flowers come from local nurseries so it is ripe and/or fresh and just amazing! They products vary by the season. Right now they are selling peaches, apricots, plums, strawberries, corn, a few of the root vegetables along with asparagus, lettuce and some squashes. Spring flowers were available along with roses, orchids and lilies. One vendors sells herbs either in individual pots or by the flat for planting in your home garden.
The second area is made up of food vendors. We have Hawaiian chicken, cooked at the market, Greek kabobs, tamales, fresh roasted corn and the usual peanuts, carmel corn and snow cones. My booth is near the Hawaiian chicken stall so I usually only make it about 3 hours until the good smells send me over to buy lunch. This is on top of starting the day with a rassberry muffin from the Village Bakery stall.
The final area is antiques, collectibles and the rest of us that don't really fit a category. You find everything from shoes and boots, to artwork, jewelry, baby clothes and real estate! Some of us are there almost every Sunday and the rest of the vendors vary each weekend.
Oh ... I almost forgot ... there is also a section devoted to kids with bounce houses, ponies, gym equipment and the occasional petting zoo! So if you don't have anything to do on a Sunday morning, come by the Montrose Farmer's Market and make sure you stop at the open house signs to say, "Hi"!
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