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Most days you can find a surprise shopping experience on the side of 34614 Texas Hwy. 249 near Coe Road in Pinehurst. The market Elysium (Elysian Fields) offers home-made crafts and fresh produce for sale weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to dusk.

A larger selection is offered on Fridays and Saturdays as a greater number of vendors set up shop on the location next to the Beaver Creek Boathouse restaurant to ply their wares. Whether you are looking for a holiday gift, a unique home decoration or fruits and vegetables for your dinner table, you will usually find it at the market.

Elysium opened two months ago, in September. Rose Leverton, the market's founder, explained how she came to be the proprietor of the new roadside market.

"I had lost my job and was looking for a career alternative," she said. "I had always enjoyed making crafts and had sold them at local events, so I wanted to try selling seasonal decorative items. I did some research on rental properties and road traffic. I learned that more than 55,000 cars per day passed this location and that I could rent the property for a reasonable rate. I started out selling my crafts and almost sold out the first day. Then I added the produce. Then more vendors asked to join me. I thought that would offer a better selection and more people would stop. I was right. It just took off from there. I feel blessed to be able to make my own future."

Crafts vendors interested in joining Leverton at Elysium can pay a small daily fee of $15 for a 12-foot space on her lot, bring a table and pop-up canopy, and be in business. She has a Facebook page for those who would like more information about the types of items being offered for sale: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Elysium always offers produce, but the crafts vary. On recent days, vendors have been selling quilts, yard stones, jewelry, jams and jellies, furniture, centerpieces and bamboo plants. So far, there have been very few days the roadside market has had to close due to bad weather, so local residents will very likely be able to check it out on any weekday or Saturday.

"We are starting to get regular customers who visit all the time," said Leverton.

She said Saturday is the best day, because there are more customers and a greater selection of items to purchase.

Two farmers markets are now open for residents of the Magnolia-Waller areas, giving them a chance to buy fresh produce, eggs and meats. The most recent market to open is the Waller County Farmers Market, located at the Waller ISD Auxiliary Stadium, just south of SH 290, on Field Store Road. The other is the Magnolia Farmers Market, which has been in existence for three years and is located at the intersection of FM 1488 and FM 1774 in Magnolia.

The new Waller County market, which is open each Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., opened on July 14 and had many visitors, despite the floods in the area that week. On July 21 the market had 15 vendors offering locally-produced food products and home-made crafts. It is sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension and the Texas Cooperative Extension.

“This market was founded to boost the agricultural community in Waller County by encouraging crop diversification and offering a year-round sales opportunity for their products,” Debbie Cross, Vice President of the Waller County Farmers Market Board of Directors and vendor, said.

Any grower in the area can participate on any given Saturday, by paying the booth fee of $40. There are restrictions on prepared food products, but not on raw produce. Interested vendors should call Debbie Cross for more information at 832-863-5533. All of the workers are volunteers and currently the proceeds from booth fees are used for advertising. The market is looking to partner with local charities that will receive donations and can help promote the market.

The Magnolia market, also called Sweet Magnolia Pickins, is held every second and fourth Sunday of the month from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. It is supported by 4B Community Development of the City of Magnolia and offers local residents fresh and organic food options to purchase. This market requires vendors to be members and currently charges a $25 annual membership fee and a $15 booth fee on each market day the vendor attends. In addition, there is a permit fee required for vendors that sell temperature-specific products such as meat or eggs, or that offer samples. Some of the vendors at the Magnolia market are also represented at the Waller market, but each market also has unique food products. Those interested in seeing the vendor list or becoming a vendor should visitwww.sweetmagnoliapickins.net.

At this time, the Magnolia Farmers Market is held at the same location as Magnolia’s Peddler’s Green Crafts Market, but on separate days. It is a goal to combine both markets on the same days in the near future, according to Market Manager Boo Henderson.

Big sellers at the markets this month were ripe watermelons, local honey and free-range and grass-fed meats, according to organizers. Today people look for natural food products that are purported to be higher in nutrients and free of unhealthy additives or pesticides. In addition, many residents prefer to help the farms in their own area by buying locally.

The Magnolia Farmers and Artisans Market, also known as Sweet Magnolia Pickins, is now offering vendors a rebate. Market manager Boo Henderson explains it is due to a new fee charged by the county.

“For vendors who sign on with the market for six months or more, we will cover the cost of the new food vendor permit, should the county require one,” she said. “Let me emphasize this is for food vendors subject to the new permit, only.”

A new state law allows counties to require a new permit for any food vendors that pass out samples or are required to keep temperatures at a constant level. While only some Texas counties have chosen to enact the new permit, Montgomery County is requiring it.

Regardless of the status, the local market wants to keep vendors. As a result, the City of Magnolia 4B Economic Development Corporation that operates the market is making the “rebate” offer.

“We have had many loyal vendors since we began in 2008,” Henderson said. “And, many people come to find these particular vendors at our markets. We don’t want this new permit to scare them away so we have found a way to recoup their possible extra expense of approximately $125 per year and are offering to cover it.”

In other news, the market will hold a costume contest for children at 2 p.m., Oct. 21. All area children are invited to turn out for this special fall market and “trick or treat” at each vendor for no fee.

The Magnolia Farmers and Artisans Market is held on the first and third Sundays of each month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,

There is no admission for Sweet Magnolia Pickins and parking is free. Visit, sweetmagnoliapickins.net for more information or a vendor application, or call Henderson at 832-934-2648.