The Greater Phoenix Area Real Estate Video Blog with Mario Romero

I'm pleased to be joined by Phoenix Public Market manager Sara Matlin to talk about this wonderful downtown farmers market that's open year-round. Selling your Greater Phoenix Home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Greater Phoenix Home? Search all homes for sale Today I'm happy to be joined by Sara Matlin, who is the market manager of the Phoenix Public Market. Sara is a Phoenix native and lives in the downtown community. She's always worked with small businesses and has always enjoyed helping them thrive in our community. "Working with the farmers market is definitely a dream," she says. "I love supporting local and shopping local, and that's exactly what we do at the farmers market." As Sara points out, the Phoenix Public Market is actually one of the only nonprofit farmers markets in the Valley. They're focused on supporting local food systems and supporting small business. This month, they're celebrating 12 years, and many of their vendors and farmers have been with them the whole time. Currently, they host about 100 vendors each week, ranging from local growers to bakers all the way to artisans and specialty services. The Phoenix Public Market is open year-round, rain or shine. If you're not familiar with Phoenix and our history, we were agriculture-based in the beginning. Next to California and Florida, we were one of the largest producers of citrus. An abundance of agricultural products still exists. Thanks to this great growing season, Sara says, the market is open every Saturday year-round, rain or shine (but mainly shine!) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. during the high season. In the summer from about May to October, they are open from 8 a.m. to noon. You can learn more at their website, phxpublicmarket.com, or you can give them a call at 602-625-6736. As always, if you have any questions about the Phoenix real estate market or you're looking to buy or sell a home, I'm always here. Just give me a call or send me an email!

Today I’m spotlighting the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, a non-profit organization committed to engaging the minds and muscles of both children and the adults who care for them. Selling your Greater Phoenix Home? Get a free home value reportBuying a Greater Phoenix Home? Search all homes for sale Today I’m proud to welcome Kate Wells, the CEO of the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, to talk a little bit about her non-profit organization. According to Kate, the Children’s Museum of Phoenix began all the way back in 1998 when she and a group of friends decided that a city as big as ours very much needed a children’s museum. Initially, they called themselves the “Phoenix Family Museum” but rebranded after a few years and opened the new museum in 2008 after acquiring the Monroe School building. In making this iconic, territorial-style building their home, they also saved it from certain demolition. This museum’s mission is to engage the minds and muscles of both the children and the adults who care about them. They do this by focusing on the early development of kids ages 10 and under by emphasizing things that have to happen in their young lives for them to be ready to attend school, be productive members of society, and enjoy a lifelong love affair with learning. They don’t teach about any particular topic—they create educational playtime opportunities to cultivate life skills like sharing and fostering interpersonal relationships. These playtime opportunities feature hands-on exhibits that develop the concepts of cause and effect, trial and error, and risk-taking.   This museum helps kids embrace learning. The last four years running, they’ve hosted the biggest gala in the city—the Moroccan Nights gala. This year, they will host it once more on April 1st in conjunction with Sandfest—their sand castle building festival. As one of their primary fundraisers, this gala features a weeklong schedule of activities. Out of the roughly 350,000 visits they get each year, around 50,000 kids come on free passes. All the money they raise at this gala then goes to their Every Child program.Speaking for herself, Kate is happy to call the museum a part of her life’s work. As part of their Every Child program, they partner with about 125 other social service agencies around town and maintain partnerships with other kinds of corporations that help them serve as many children as possible. In Kate’s words, “They play well in the sandbox with others.” The Children’s Museum of Phoenix is located at 215 N 7th St., Phoenix, AZ 85034. They’re open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you have any questions for them or want to learn more about them, you can visit them online at www.childrensmuseumofphoenix.org. If you have any other questions about this organization or just want to talk about real estate, give me a call. Make it a great day!