Laguna’s Saturday morning farmers market has always been the best place for freshly picked pears and steaming hot empanadas. Still, after hearing from the vendors there, it seems there is a whole other layer to this iconic Laguna site. While all the sellers have joined the market at different times, some as long as 20 years ago and some months ago, they all have the same overall opinion. Without fail, they all described the Saturday Market as a communal experience. Selling at the same place every Saturday, they see many of the same faces and eventually get to know each other through brief conversations and stories swapped while shopping.
The fascinating thing about this is that the sellers who also go to other markets say they don’t experience this same familiarity anywhere else. Vendors come from Tulare, San Diego, and other faraway places to sell their products here in Laguna, choosing this market out of all the ones in their area because of this unique sense of community within it.
“The community is wonderful, really pulled me in,” said the owner of Grammy’s Granola Janet Braver, “[Laguna] is a very safe place to sell, and you know people.”
She goes on to mention how she has personal relationships with her customs, and some of these people have even turned into her friends. Similarly, Steven Acosta, who works for Acosta Farms, has sold in Laguna for a year and selling all over SoCal.
In addition to the wonderful community, there is another very prevalent perk of shopping at the Laguna Beach Market. All the items sold at the market are farm fresh, made without preservatives; some are even put together right before you. All the shoppers here know they are getting what they ask for; quality products with no extra items for added appeal.
From fresh fruit to piping hot street foods, the Saturday Market has it all in a farm-to-table fashion many stores wish they could replicate. The way both customers and sellers grow to know and trust each other through their shared desire for a healthy, communal way of living is a positive means of making relationships in a small town like Laguna. Taking a visit just once could result in you coming back every Saturday and getting to experience this pleasant sense of community, too. So, take just thirty minutes on a Saturday morning and see what it feels like to shop fresh, friendly, and local at the Laguna Beach Saturday Market.
