It’s the height of strawberry season in Florida, but it’s been difficult to find the flats of ripe Plant City strawberries in our area. My wife said, “We probably need to go to the farmers market in Daytona.” That’s where we headed today.
According to their brochure, the Daytona Flea and Farmers Market is the sixth best flea market in the world, with 1,000 booths filled with vendors and food. I haven’t been here in ten years. When we moved to Florida nearly thirty years ago, it was a novel destination. It still is an attraction for the many visitors who are in town for the big events like speed weeks and bike week.
As we wandered through the endless maze of booths, we noticed that not much has changed since the last time we were here a decade ago. There is no end to the tables filled with t-shirts and hats, cheap jewelry, toys, leather vests, belts, and wallets, and miscellaneous household items for sale. Some booths offer an extensive selection of nuts, dried fruit, spices, seasonings, pickles, and hot sauces. Others sold golf carts and electric scooters. I saw an impressive selection of swords, knives, and martial arts weapons. At the intersection of the main aisles, you can buy hot dogs, sandwiches, french fries, popcorn, beer, soft drinks, and ice cream.
One young man had a hot dog covered in ketchup in one hand and a vanilla soft-serve cone in the other. He took turns eating from each hand, enjoying an interesting combination of flavors.
There were a few produce stands, but not as many as I remember from the past. We did find big ripe strawberries from Plant City, but they were pricey: $40 for a flat (12 pints). Ouch.
As we wandered through the maze of booths, I wondered, “Who buys this stuff?” I suppose if you’re here for an event, this is a good place for t-shirts and other merch. If you brought the kids along, they’ll talk you into buying them cheap toys and a treat. Do people really buy jewelry here? Given the huge displays of rings and necklaces, I guess many do. The market has been here for forty-two years, so lots of people must shop here.
We left with a half-flat of strawberries and three huge Roma tomatoes. That’s enough flea market for this decade.
Waite for it... 