The truck is all loaded up, we’re planning our crockpot dinner for tomorrow night so we can come home to a warm meal, and we’re excited for another Saturday Market day with new creations to grace our booth!
Each time we go to Saturday Market, I am filled with admiration for the people who set up there. For some it’s a hobby or a second job, but for many it is a large majority (or all) of their income. And I know from experience how much hard work it takes to make a living creating things with your own hands. When each and every item is handmade, it takes a lot of time and energy to fill a booth up. Besides making things and filling the booth up, setting it up, and tearing it down; besides just plain ol’ hard work, it requires faith to make a living without a steady paycheck. When you go to market, you never know how much money you are going to make. Every market vendor has those tough weekends that make them sweat when it comes to bill time, especially when they are first starting out. There have been weekends we’ve worked so hard to prepare for and then felt discouraged when we had spent more money on gas in the truck and lunch, than we made at market. But those are times to keep your chin up, think of all the things you’re grateful for and keep following your heart when it guides you to keep doing what you love!
And of course there are weekends where there is so much community support and you come home glowing and inspired!
And of course there are weekends where there is so much community support and you come home glowing and inspired!
My point in all of this is to say- support your local markets with artists, farmers and musicians! They work so hard to bring all that goodness to you! Do you need a gift for someone you love? You can purchase one from a local artist, with a story behind it, rather than from a large box store. Do you need some ingredients for your supper? You can buy the freshest, best food from your local farmer’s market instead of the grocery store where it’s shipped from across the world with hardly any flavor left. When you make the choice to support your local market, your money will go towards supporting hard working families like this one:
(Jeff and Bracken from market last weekend.)
You know, the kind of people who wear elf hats (hehe) and are ready to tell you the story behind each heartfelt, handmade creation.
In our world today, where we can go to the big stores and buy things for pennies, we can easily forget how much work it takes to make something. Sara, of Farmama, wrote a beautiful post this week about all the work local farmers put into growing food, you can read it here: Harvest Day: Market Day: Food With Value.
It’s so good for us to realize what happens behind the scenes in creating our local markets, so we can have a deeper appreciation for the gift of local markets to our communities. And of course money is not the only way to support your market. You can give support and spread lots of good cheer by simply visiting booths, admiring creations, and expressing your appreciation in how they share their gifts with the world. You could make someone’s whole day!
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy your local market!
I’ll see you on Sunday for
G r a t i t u d e * S u n d a y !
Love to you!
So well said!
I hope you had a successful day at Market today. 🙂
Thinking of you lots! I’ll write back soon!
Love,
Lindsey
You make me love the market even more, thinking ‘behind the scenes’ through your blog and stories. 🙂 I’ve been meaning to get to market as of late – a big plan to go today but we camped an extra night in the cascades and I JUST got home! Oh well at least I can experience it through your blog 🙂
hello Taryn,
I think you are now at your saturday market and I hope you will sell a lot.
We are “homemakers”, “changers” and “homeplanters” but when I buy things I always buy them from people similar to you.
I hope you have a sunny market day
Heike
i always try to buy local and handmade when possible. As someone who hand makes things herself, I appreciate the time and soul that goes into it.
Great picture.
I’ve wanted to check out Eugene for such a long time – it’s silly really – I just leave up the road a piece and could get there if Powell’s in Portland didn’t always get in the way ;-). Wishing you a beautiful day tomorrow!
What cute men you have in your life, how blessed you are .