Vendors, L-R: Jale Jane Smith, Anatolian Jewelry, Lorraine Galante of Niconi’s Treasures, Laura, LaNae Riviere of LaNae Michelle Photography, Cindy Wilson of Essentials of Nature.
INDIAN SHORES, FLORIDA: They are athletic clowns who would rather turn hard work into play time. They get a bad rap sometimes thanks to folks who just don’t understand them. They are also virtually fearless and generally love people.
And then there are folks who are just plain afraid of them, usually for no reason at all.
“Yep. That’s me!” says the Beach Markets Operations Manager, Laura Garrison. “And don’t forget, we Pit Bulls were originally employed as Nannies!”
Pit Bulls are also extremely devoted to, and protective of, those they hold dear. In Garrison’s case, she’s devoted to the Vendors she refers to as her “Vending Family.” She’s also a huge advocate for animal rescue and is ‘Mama’ to three rescued pitties.
Market Mascot.
Being a full-time Vendor in an open air market is a much more challenging form of work than most people are aware of and Garrison bristles when someone makes the assumption that she or her vendors at the open air and farmer’s Markets she runs are hobbyists. “Our vendors are some of the hardest working folks you’ll find in this—or any– industry. For most of us, this is a ‘full time and then some’ occupation. We’re either busy creating our products, expanding our product lines, promoting our businesses, or going to market. This isn’t a simple pastime for us, it’s a livelihood. There are vendors that have been at this work for decades and make a great living at it. It is truly work like no other.”
And for Garrison, the Markets are a passion. She maintained a very large vending presence at the Sarasota Farmer’s Market with her vegan foods business, Raw! Raw! and Vegan Eats, for nearly ten years.
The Town of Indian Shores renewed the agreement for the Indian Shores Sunday Market with a three year extension and the Sunday Market entered its fourth Season in 2018. The Mid-Week Madeira Beach Open Air Market enjoyed four very successful seasons and moved, temporarily, to Seminole in November of 2018. “Definitely not an easy feat to move a Market after building it up from the ground. We’d hoped to announce the new Beach Market location in mid-Summer, 2020 and like so many other things, this new location was disrupted by the pandemic,” says Garrison.
Her vendors come from a myriad of backgrounds and Garrison works one on one with many of them outside of the Markets. “We’ve been on the phone together, brainstorming, at 11pm,” says Rosa LaBelle of Everyday Meals. “She’s authentic, really cares about us as vendors and she truly wants the best for us and our businesses.” Garrison sends weekly email updates to the vending family and networks heavily outside of the market on behalf of the Markets and the vendors. “We love the way she stays on top of things and keeps us informed,” says Audrey Rinker of Southern Belle’s Cottage Creations.
A fact that Garrison is especially proud of is that her vendors “are an amazing and extremely talented collection of people with a tremendous wealth of life experiences to offer.”
Says Garrison: “We have many vendors who hold advanced degrees, tremendous life stories and have a true passion about what they do. I like to call them ‘Hidden, Humble, Treasures’. Cindy Wilson of Essentials of Nature is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to her products. Cindy also walked the Camino de Santiago –yes, all 500 miles of it!–in 2019. JoJo Hampton, of Mindful Massage and Movement, is likewise a great example of someone who is tremendously educated, is a gifted healer, and is passionate about what she does as a massage therapist. I’m honored to know many of our vendors as friends and chosen family.”
Garrison herself holds a doctorate in Holistic Healing and has traveled and taught extensively and is the founder of La Alza Health and Wellness where she sees private clients five days a week. She, too, continues to train in advanced therapies with the Wellness Institute and is a featured contributor for sites such as Better Wellness Naturally. Her private office is located in Sarasota.
She states that “there is no other business environment like the Markets. While I no longer pull 16 hour days on Saturdays at the Market as a Vendor, I still have very dear customers who have become close friends. I’m blessed and I’ve witnessed huge, life-affirming transformations. Folks return week after week and year after year.”
Vendors in Garrison’s markets have gone on to open their own establishments–and there are those who have chosen to vend rather than maintain a storefront with employees. “Several of our vendors have created product lines that have been picked up by nationwide chains, such as our Granola Girls of Tanya’s Toasted Granola.” Still others have made the front covers of major publications with their products. We’re a proud incubator for some businesses.”
And Garrison is keen on helping up and coming vendors that show the dedication and the desire to grow their product lines: “She helped make my dream a reality,” says Rinker of Southern Belle’s Cottage Bakery. “She showed me the ropes and made everything so easy.” Garrison introduced Rinker’s hand-painted cookie products to representatives from over 250 local businesses and helped Rinker take the cookie business to a commercial level.
As the Market Operations Manager (aka “M.O.M.”), Garrison receives hundreds of emails and phone calls each week from prospective vendors. “Not everyone has what it takes to be a vendor. I really want everyone to succeed, especially as entrepreneurs and yet it is imperative to maintain certain boundaries with respect to our Markets. We’re not resale Markets –all of our vendors are hands-on owners and operators. We sponsor many local causes and we support our uniformed officers. And yes, we have zero tolerance when it comes to people taking a political or religious stance. We’re all family! Does it upset some people when I won’t allow them into the Market as vendors? Yes, absolutely. I’ve even overheard people discussing how “scary” talking to me about becoming a vendor–or building their vending business– can be. The fact remains that the Market is a business and we, as vendors, are small businesses within this larger model. And we work diligently to maintain a healthy family-friendly environment.”
the Indian Shores Sunday Morning Market
The Beach Markets are also very exclusionary Markets in some respects. While some markets may encourage overlapping product lines, Garrison won’t allow it. “I have 28 applicants, right now, for example, who want to sell jams and jellies in preparation for the move of the Mid-Week Madeira Beach Open Air Market. My jam maker, Bryan Krewes of Key West Key Limes, however, hand-makes extraordinary products. Why would we want to detract from his business by allowing other people in that sell what he sells?” says Garrison.
Likewise, the Markets foster and encourage community outreach and far-reaching contributions. “John and Doris McVay of Beauty for Ashes have an incredible story and make a huge impact worldwide. We’re very blessed to have them as part of our family,” states Garrison.
Garrison has run other markets, events, and workshops, both here and abroad, yet she is quick to refer to the Beach areas as her home base during market Season which runs November through April in Florida.
Visit the Beach Area Markets two-three hours before its opening and you’ll already find Garrison striding from one end of the Market to the other. “As a vendor, I’m already seasoned and still work ‘in the trenches; I know what it takes to build a strong Market and stay, intentionally, very connected with the vendor network. As a past and present Board Officer on three of the best Markets in Central Florida, I’m held to very high standards of maintaining the best sense of balance and fairness within our Markets. We all work extremely hard to maintain the positive ratings from the State level and from our customers and building a database of great vendors takes years. I love our vendors, I truly do, and I’m exceptionally proud of our vending family in our Beach Markets.”
Garrison makes it a point to connect with the vendors to solicit input for–and feedback about– the Markets and goes out of her way to hug each of the vendors during the Market day. “She’s just absolutely impossible to keep up with,” says Kevin Ritter of Fudge Boys. “She must put in twenty-five miles or more every Market. She loves us, she really does. And we love her.”
