Market Days Spotlight

Saturday, March 2, begins the 2019 Wimberley Market Days season at Lions Field. Last year’s fund-raising, despite some days of inclement weather, met the local Lions Club’s expectations. This year, that past fund-raising will benefit many area non-profit organizations and local students through generous grants and renewable scholarships. This current shopping season will see an increase in the variety of vendors, naturally increasing the variety of goods being sold, which is what every shopper wants.

One of those vendors is Chris Vaughn, who owns Booth 211. There, he and his wife, Roxanne, sell one-of-a-kind object d’art, each piece crafted by him and sold through Fusion by Chris Vaughn. He said, “We’ve owned the space that we’re in right now for a year and a half. We’ve been out at Market Days, total, two years.” He describes his booth’s location as being “dead-center of the property on the back row.” The pathways from Gates 1, 2 and 3 directly lead to their walk-in booth.

Vaughn is relatively new to the business, only becoming a craftsman after retiring from professional sports as a triathelete. He said, “I started it as a hobby to have something to do.” Recalling one Saturday visit to Lions Field before even considering becoming a tradesman, he said, “It was so clean, and everybody was happy to be there. I didn’t know why, at that time. It was just kind of the feel you got from it, From the people who worked there to the customers that were there, every single thing about it. I made the joking comment that ‘We can do this,’ and then, moved on.”

Then, recalling his first Market Days as a vendor, Vaughn said, “It was really slow. I promise you we made no money. It was in August , so it was a hundred and bizillion degrees - crazy hot. There were so few people walking around. But, we wanted to come back. That was the point when I stepped back to evaluate. I looked at what Market Days is, and how it is different from the other marketplaces. What I came up with is that there is nothing super easy about Market Days. It’s been around for so long, it’s a very well-known thing. So, what we see that ends up happening, in my opinion, is that every customer who goes there is not trying to just kill time. They really go out of their way to come and see us. I think a lot of vendors , knowingly or unknowingly, know that, so they go out of their way to make the experience better for the customer. There’s no other place that we’ve been in the last two years where it shows the same level of commitment from the property, from the vendors, but it also shows an absolute commitment from the customers. When that customer comes into your place, you know that the person wants to be there at that time, at your place, so you automatically give them the respect that they deserve. It brings it out of you…” After a laugh, he added, “Even if you’re having a bad day!”

All vendors and Wimberley Lions Club volunteers know that the “good days” and “bad days” are largely dependent upon the unpredictable phenomenon that is Central Texas weather. Rain or shine, visit Wimberley Market Days on the first Saturday of each month, March through December, and explore the many unique treasures from Fusion by Chris Vaughn.