What-What?! Week of March 8th

Everyone in the house is sick.  It sucks.

I finally ironed patches onto everything, any by everything, I mean Saffron's Girl Scout sash, and the big kid's Lowe's aprons (they get a patch for each project they complete).

This weekend, Amazon sent me a "don't you want to buy stuff?!" email, with links to various genres.  The most interesting one it chose for me was Graphic Novel Biographies.  There are some pretty neat selections in there, some with better reviews than others (the Immanuel Kant one is very poorly rated).  Of course, you have to read the reviews closely, as the one 2-star review on Escape to Gold Mountain shows; the woman giving the review trashes it because it's not suitable for children.  Of course it's not suitable for children; it's written for adults, like many other graphic novels.  Seems like the same sort of person who would be surprised and horrified at the amount of gore in Princess Mononoke.

At any rate, I may be buying some books soon... assuming the library doesn't have them. :P

The American Girl Brand and Extravagance

My daughter has recently been obsessed with the American Girl catalogues (link to online version).  We have two now, a winter and a spring, and she pages through them nearly every day.  Earlier this week, she thought I was throwing away one of them, and was seriously distraught.  Often, she'll draw detailed pictures inspired by the scenes and products showcased on its pages.

I view the whole thing with mixed feelings.

I like the American Girl books.  I bought a set as a kid, and I treasured it.  I still have it.  The history in the books is really why I loved them, but there was also the connection with the characters, who were my age and dealing with some of the same daily issues (having to do chores, disagreeing with your parents, etc.).

Sweet Shoppe?  Check!

However, American Girl products are extravagant in every single detail.  The line of dolls is fine.  But what about all the other stuff?  Literally hundreds of accessories.  Doll-sized books?  A sweet shop set, complete with clothes, furniture, fake treats, an so on?  Oh, now they have dogs!  There are also babies.  And these are just the products.  The stores take to the next level.  The first time we went to one of the stores, I was just floored.  They have a café, and a salon that styles doll hair:

The café

The salon.

It is perfectly reasonable to argue that this isn't any different than Barbie, or My Little Pony, or what have you.  But I don't get Barbie and MLP magazines sent to my house, and they certainly do not have such luxurious stores, nor such ridiculous prices.

The article that brought on these thoughts was an opinion piece published in the Huffington Post this past holiday season, titled Why I Won't Be Buying an American Girl Doll This Year.  The photos of the other, less expensive dolls lying mangled in various places rung true.  My daughter tends to have more care for our current dolls, but her two brothers definitely do not have that same sense of care.  The boys seem to like the baby dolls better, but more so than that, they enjoy pretending to be babies themselves (when they play this way, hearing their high-pitched voices go even higher is both hilarious and deeply annoying).  My kids are too rough and tumble for American Girl dolls, just like I was as a kid.  Between that and my annoyance at the extravagance, we're not buying an American Girl doll.

(images from the NY Times, Yahoo! News, Evergreen Power Systems, MyOnCell Mobi Tours)

A Successful Farmers' Market: 3 Defining Aspects

In the United States, there are currently 8,144 farmers' markets.  However, how many of them are truly enjoyable, entertaining, and exciting?  What defines a good market from a great one?  After visiting many of the local markets in the Bay Area, I came up with these defining characteristics:

Exclusivity

Kika's strawberries are the best in the valley.  Photo via realtimefarms.com.

One key ingredient is a variety of exclusive offerings. A few years ago, when it was impossible to find pluots at grocery stores.  People had to go to the farmers market or a farm stand to buy them.  Some may think that this idea is limited to specialty crops, or even prepared and processed foods -- after all, a strawberry from the farmers' market is the same as a strawberry from the store, right?  Wrong.  Just having a special variety of fruit will draw people in and keep them coming back.  At a local market, there is a strawberry grower that everyone looks forward to seeing when strawberry season starts; their strawberries are have such a great berry flavor, and are so sweet.  Unusual offerings, even if only a bit special, will expand customers' horizons and keep them thinking about the market.

Location

Baltimore Farmers Market and Bazaar -- Under an overpass.  Not the worst location, actually.  Photo via examiner.com.

Yes, yes!  Location, location, location.  This might seem silly, but it's really not.  I've seen enough markets placed in inconvenient and confusing locations to know that this is important.  Sometimes this is because of finances; it's cheaper to place a market somewhere a little out of the way.  At the same time, if a market isn't well marketed, no one will know it's there.  If it's difficult to find, then less hardy prospective customers will turn around and go to Whole Foods.  Even those that do arrive may do so in a less than happy mood -- I know, I've been there.  Similarly, close and plentiful parking are important, though less so if the area is metropolitan enough.  Another aspect of this is permanence; a market that's constantly moving just creates confusion.  One local farmers' market has moved nearly every year its been in existence; this means, every year, the market has to work hard to inform the community of its new location, and convince them that its still worth going to.  Customers shouldn't have to question whether a market will be there the next week, so a sense of permanence is extremely important.

Community

Create spaces for people to socialize.  Photo via missioncommunitymarket.org.

This is perhaps the hardest aspect to develop in a market, but nonetheless, the most important.  It's a touchy-feely, ever-shifting point that depends very heavily upon the participation of those who come to the market, both the vendors and the customers.  Having vendors who truly understand and believe in their product helps significantly; it means that they can create real dialogue with customers, which helps build relationships.  Entertainment and events can help build a sense of community, too; chef's demonstrations, sampling days, a children's area, and holiday celebrations are all events that can foster a sense of community.  If the market has hot foods or other offerings that are ready to eat there, then a café are with tables and chairs would be beneficial to encouraging people to gather and socialize.


Sources:
Planck, N. (2004). Some thoughts on selling at farmers' markets.  Rodale Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.newfarm.org/features/0504/farmmarkets/index.shtml

USDA (2014).  Farmers Markets and Direct-to-Consumer Marketing.  Retrieved from http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/farmersmarkets