On a Saturday in early June, I accompanied Liz to the Union Square Greenmarket, which is comprised of several dozen vendors marketing all types of produce – fruits, vegetables and even lamb chops. Long-time employees Eric Smith and Tyrone Jordan, who both live in the city, were tending the Cato Corner booth at Union Square.
By eight o’clock in the morning, the crowds of regulars were already elbow to elbow on this small plaza located right over a busy subway station. One woman who owns a small cheese shop on the lower east side of Manhattan purchased two wheels of ripened cheese, each weighing around nine pounds. By midday, the regular customers were replaced with tourists – business was brisk. By four o’clock that afternoon, when the market closed, a couple hundred pounds of cheese had been sold. Tyrone commented that it wasn’t uncommon for the market to attract 40,000 people during a typical summer day – it’s even busier during the autumn months when fall produce is available.