In case you didn't know, Megan Sibbett and I are out of our minds! We had the brilliant idea the other day to go down to the wholesale plant market. Only thing is : A) It's only open from 1AM to 10AM and B) It's located in the deep Bronx and C) The best pick is right when it opens. My impressions: Yes, you get good deals and yes, the plants are wonderful quality and yes, it's worth the disruption of sleep. I was and still am pleased with all I got, but overall, we had a sidesplitting time when our minds weren't functioning quite so clear due to the wind chill, the hour and the darkness. It's literally in a dark parking lot at the Hunt's Point Fish Market.
It was so funny to watch as the trucks would roll in and the masses would clamor to the approaching cargo and some would literally take their pick as the carts were being wheeled off the backside before they were even placed in their spots.
The prices were pretty much what they dictated with little haggling tolerated. I did manage to get one vendor to lower his prices by $2/flat, but most would say, "My prices only go up, lady, so don't mess with me!" I would say the vast majority of vendors were selling for about 30% below retail, some even more.
It was so interesting to see this underground culture emerge at 2AM. Most were shop owners, lots of Koreans snatching up the hydrangeas for their corner markets and some Russians I heard and very few like me and Megan which are homemakers trying to save a few bucks and have a NY adventure! The funniest part of the evening (and there were many) was the fact that it costs $5/car to enter the lot, so we decided to leave my car outside while we checked out the goods and before we committed another $5. We never actually exited to retrieve my car, instead, we just put the excess that wouldn't fit inside Megan's car on top on the roof racks and you wouldn't believe the incredulous looks we got as people were shaking their heads envisioning the two giggling novices driving all the way home that way. Little did they know were were going 100 yards outside the tollbooth to my car to make the transfer. I'm all for giving people a laugh!
Overall, we learned a lot about Market etiquette (don't put aside what you're not going to buy an hour later or you will have the wrath of "Vinny from Jersey", have lots of cash on hand, bring a flashlight -- dark purple under sodium street lights is really neon pink during the day, it's ok to ask lots of questions about shade, water and planting, get there early and be prepared to wait for several trucks until you get what you want! Can't wait to post the progress of my flora in a few weeks!
Thanks Megan, you're a hilarious date!
