Fall is the time for colored leaves, pumpkins, apples, warm drinks, cool air, and of course farmers markets.

The vendors are always cheery and eager to make their customers days, even when it feels too cold to be outside for longer than ten minutes.

What most don’t know though, is the massive amounts of work that goes into selling at the market and the impact selling can have on their lives.

This past summer has been Sharrol’s first at the Fulton Street Farmers Market.

Even in the short time she has been selling she absolutely loves it. Her favorite part is “meeting the customers.”

When customers first walk by Sharrol’s stand, it will be impossible for them to miss the gorgeous and thoughtfully arranged bouquets. This is no simple task for her though.

“First of all, I cut everything at the farm. So I have to go out the night before and spend two or three hours cutting whatever I need and putting them in buckets,” Sharrol said about the preparation for selling at the market.

Another factor Sharrol considers when making sure her bouquets are as beautiful as they are is temperature.

“If it’s warm, then I have to figure out what to do with the flowers overnight so I might keep them in my air conditioned house or leave them on the porch. If it’s cold I can leave them in the car overnight,” Sharrol said.

John is a face that regular Fulton Street Farmers Market customers will recognize.

John has been selling at the market since 1965. For 53 years John has spent his fall mornings at 23 Fulton Avenue meeting new people.

“We have a lot of people that we have known for so long that they aren’t customers, they’re friends,” John said.

This is bound to happen and just like John, others return to the market every year too.

“We’ve had people who have watched my daughters grow up and they will still ask about them, and I’ll ask how their kids are doing. We have more friends than customers,” John said.

What might have just started as a way to bring his produce to a new part of Michigan has turned into a network for lifelong friends.

The Fulton Street Farmers Market is a fun adventure to embark on during a fall day. With rows of vendors selling, there is plenty to explore and you’re bound to find a treat of some kind. What may appear to be a simple farmers market to passersby, means so much more to so many.