We spent last weekend in Greenville, SC, visiting my daughter and her family. On Saturday morning we went downtown to visit the Farmers’ Market and then have lunch. I was overwhelmed by the enormity, the excitement, and the hordes of people there. The rejuvenation and development of downtown Greenville is a marvelous story in itself, but on Saturdays during the season, three or four blocks in the heart of town are closed to traffic, the vendors set up there wares, and the people of this fine city turn out in droves. I am not aware of any city that gives this type of priority to the vendors in its area. It could well be a model that other cities and towns might want to consider.

Vendors were offering plants, vegetables, fruit, soap, cheese, wood working items, fruit drinks, food, yogurt, and so many other items that you would expect at a Farmers’ Market. A folk group was playing live music, and passers by would stop and listen and even throw a dollar or two in the hat. The biggest impression I carried away from the Market was color–a sea of bright colors in the clothes people were wearing and  goods for sale:

Greenville must also be a city that takes its natural resources seriously. I saw this in a local store, and I think it captures the mood of the city quite well:

I think I know where I will be the next Saturday morning I am in Greenville.