Tim Willert
If it's Thursday, Carmen Garcia can be found selling flowers on
Brand Boulevard in front of Java City.
As for the rest of the week, you'll need a road map to pin her
down.
Garcia, who works for a Thousand Oaks wholesaler, shares sidewalk
space with other Glendale Farmers' Market vendors moving everything
from pistachios and soap to dog biscuits and oranges.
"I really like selling flowers," she said. "It's better than
working with fruits and vegetable because I don't get messy."
Her daisies go for $3 a bunch, sunflowers for $4. Oriental lilies
are Garcia's priciest flowers, selling for $10 a bunch. Assorted
bouquets sell for $7 and $8.
"I come here for the quality and the convenience," said Iris
Nieves, who works across the street and visited Garcia's booth on her
lunch break. "I normally eat in, but once a week I come out and get
some fresh air."
During the week, Garcia, a 32-year-old native of Zacatecas,
Mexico, divides her time between Farmers' Markets in Glendale, Long
Beach, Sherman Oaks and Torrance.
On the weekends, she splits her days between outdoor markets in
Santa Monica, Calabasas and Beverly Hills, where flowers are popular
and customers are not particularly price conscious.
"They want quality and I sell high-quality flowers," Garcia said.
"They don't care about the price."
The same can't be said of her Glendale clientele.
"They want to buy fruits and vegetables, not flowers," she said.
"They always complain about price, and most of the time they want to
use coupons."
Although she sells flowers seven days a week, Garcia finds the
time to work a second job as a nanny and attend L.A. Valley College,
where she is working toward a degree in architecture.
Working from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. does have its benefits.
"I like my schedule," she said. "It's so flexible for me."
