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.
