Fullerton has been a college kid hot spot for a long while now, brimming with coffee shops, thrift stores and trendy little ramen places that smell like perfection. It has an irrevocable charm about it, something that screams picturesque as well as cozy. In each trip taken there, one can find a new little nook of uniqueness.

a simple but comforting ambience

The Fullerton Market, located in the Downtown Plaza between Harbor and Pomona Ave., acts as a hot spot for families, elderly couples and young hipsters who need to make sure they purchase organic fruit. The market takes place on Thursday nights from 4:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., when the weather has already turned quite pleasant and the sun has begun to set. As I walked through the market around 7:00 p.m., the autumn sunlight turned iridescent as it shone off the pavement, creating a simple but comforting ambience.The scene before me consisted of a stretch of open street which held dozens of vendors. The vendors sold everything from fruit and assorted nuts to clothes and cacti.

Beside this splendid street sat a circle of restaurant shacks. It all smelled phenomenal. Scents of rich crepes, as well as cheesy pizza floated through the air and began to blend in with the funky tunes of the ‘80s cover band as they played a great rendition of The B-52s “Love Shack.” The stage was adorned with band members clothed in vintage prints and sporadic smiles displaying the excitement that filled both their hearts and the faces of the people watching the show.

The people

One of the most endearing qualities of the whole market included the copious amount of families. A mother and her kids walked around hand in hand, oozing relaxation and starry eyes. Groovy adolescents perused the thrift shacks, watchfully gazing at the racks of clothes. Couples and families swayed to the music they had come to hear.

Another thing widely sold at the Fullerton Market: cacti succulents. Clifford and Linda Meng, an elderly couple who have been selling there for almost 10 years shared their experience with working in such an environment,

“Our favorite part of being here is the people. We come for the people, because we’ve formed real relationships with them,” Clifford said.

For a new thing to do, the Fullerton Market is definitely an underrated place to check out. With such minimal distance from Biola and its vendors so kind, there seems like little reason to hesitate making a much needed pit-stop. Whether it be the need of some scrumptious looking strawberries or some radical thrifty finds, if you look closely enough, you will more than likely find something you did not know you needed to look for.