Monday, February 23, 2009

Our Saturday Afternoon Excursion

Located in Booth's Corner is a big, fascinating Farmer's Market. On Saturday afternoon my husband and I visited this market. The drawing card for this particular market, was the fact that we have family members who own and operate stands within the market. Actually, five individual cousins and their families operate five of the stands. What a special privilege this was for us. The big, attractive stand pictured above is owned and operated by my cousin and her husband. One could see very quickly, the popularity of the fresh meat stand, by the number of people waiting in line, to make purchases. Clean, well lit glass cases showcased all of the fresh beef and pork one could possibly want. As we stood there waiting to purchase, our list of wants was growing. We were told that each week of market, all of the meat is freshly cut. What an operation!




The owner of the stand was kind and helpful to us, taking time to explain behind the scenes details that take place in running a stand like this. For both my husband and I, this was truly an interesting education.

The beautiful artistically arranged produce stand, was the next visit we made. This stand is owned and operated by our cousin's son and his wife. The attractively arranged fruit made one want to buy one from every display. Unfortunately, we did not take pictures of the lunch that we ate, at the next one of our relative's stands. The aromas alone would have drawn us to this restaurant, not to mention we were told they make the BEST cheeseburgers and crab cake sandwiches ever!! Our cousin's oldest son and his wife run this successful operation, feeding the many people waiting in line. We each had turkey burgers with lettuce and tomatoes. The servers were friendly and the seating area was cozy and clean.



Another cousin and his wife. own the pet stand. We could tell right away upon arriving in this area, that this was also a popular place to be. Big, glass display cases gave clear viewing of some of the cutest little puppies ever!! One could hear children begging their parents for one of the adorable pets, as they watched them rump and play in front of them. Here my cousin holds one of the adorable little guys up to us, stealing our hearts immediately. You can tell that his love of these pets has created another successful stand, in this busy market.



His beautiful, friendly daughter was so helpful in showing us the pet store's many displays. Above, she is holding a football jersey for puppies. In fact, all of the clothing displayed above, was created for dogs of different sizes. I never saw anything like it! There must be some mighty fine dressed dogs in this state. The display included fancy dog dresses. Quite interesting!




The next stand that we visited was something one would not expect to find in a farmer's market. An elegant and inviting Boutique, owned and operated by our cousin's wife. One was drawn into this shop by the beauty alone, not to mention the skillfully decorated space and the huge inventory. Tiny lights graced the area, along with the sounds of water fountains and soft music playing. There was so much to see in this boutique, and all of it was so artistically displayed. Jewelry, clothing, purses, many home decor pieces, outstanding floral arrangements done by owner and her mother, cards and seasonal ornaments, were for sale.




I was drawn to this to display because of the color purple...one of my favorite colors. Our visit was memorable. It was a privilege for us to step into the market world of our cousins, and to now have a new appreciation for the management, knowledge, skill, and time that fills their days on a weekly basis. So totally different that our weekly routines.










13 comments:

Shelley said...

Now I'm craving crabmeat! Burgers too! LOL! What a wonderful place to visit - that Boutique place looks like it has such an inviting look!

Happy@Home said...

The market looks like a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Lots of interesting things to look at and purchase. It must have been especially nice for you to also see so many of your cousins.

Tracy said...

Looks like a wonderful place to spend a Saturday! How wonderful to have such an array of different shops! Especially love the boutique and the puppy! = )

Judy said...

Thanks for the tour...it looks like a wonderful place to spend some time. It also looks like a great place for you to meet family! I enjoy visiting Farmer's Markets when we are on vacation...it always gives you a feeling for the community.

Anonymous said...

What a fun place to visit. I really like to go to the farmers market here in our area. You find the most interesting things. I would love to go to one owned by family. You get to see everyone plus do your shopping :>) That is really neat. I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Charmingdesigns said...

I just read through your blog. How fun...love your flowers prints on the water bottle and your pansy. Love the story about the old ladies. I didn't catch where you are from. Laurie

amy said...

Wow!!! How cool is that! All those relatives running businesses under one roof. Amazing!

That is one super organized produce stand. Love it!

Sara said...

Hi Judy....What fun to see the pics from Booths Corner. You probably saw my youngest Matt at the Sausage stand...he is the "griller" on Sats. He has been working there since he was 14/15 & is now 23!! He loves it!! We are planning to go visit both of the markets on Sat. March 6th with Randy's 2 sisters & husbands...can't wait!!
Thanks for sharing!!

Miss Gracie's House said...

What a fun outing!
Rene'

LisaShaw said...

Looks like a good time had by all. Love the photos. They seem like very nice people. I pray the blessings of the Lord over their businesses.

Love you Sweetie.

Mitch Smucker said...

Hey Mrs. Marin. Kim told me you and your husband were in at Booth's Corner. Surprised I didn't see you there! I was actually running the stand last weekend (Doug and mandi were in Florida). I was running around like crazy so I probably just missed you. Looks like ya'll enjoyed it though! Have a good weekend!

Gina said...

Judy, where do you live? We used to go to Booth's Corner every Friday night or Saturday morning. We bought all our meats there and lots of other goodies. I miss it so much. We used to be about a 1/2 hr. from there but now we live in Indiana due to a job transfer 6 yrs. ago. My children all live back there and my daughter still loves to go shopping there. Whenever we go back we make sure we always go. I really miss it; we don't seem to have any farmers markets around here like that.

Gina

Gina said...

Judy, where do you live? We used to go to Booth's Corner every Friday night or Saturday morning. We bought all our meats there and lots of other goodies. I miss it so much. We used to be about a 1/2 hr. from there but now we live in Indiana due to a job transfer 6 yrs. ago. My children all live back there and my daughter still loves to go shopping there. Whenever we go back we make sure we always go. I really miss it; we don't seem to have any farmers markets around here like that.

Gina

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