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I live in a prime fruit- and vegetable-growing region, and we have four year-round farmer's markets within a few miles of where I live. And they're all on different days of the week, so you can always find one when you want one. I can walk to the closest.
Every one of them has got its own feel and culture. The one near me is very college-town, with lots of long-haired young- and old- people on bicycles buying organic veggies and running tables on saving the environment.
Another is very 'burb, with people in Lincoln Navigators and a pet adoption van from the SPCA, handicrafts, and live music.
The third market, in a largely Latino town, has got an interesting mix of fruits and veggies plus orchids and other plants which ag workers get to take home for free from local flower growers and then sell at the market for extra cash. Plus fresh tamales year round, oh yeah. And there are tables from labor unions, health clinics, social service agencies, and so on.
At least two of the farmer's markets are regulated, but not on price. There are rules on how early each vendor can start selling, so that people who get there early don't soak up all the sales. And I think that some markets divvy up who can sell what, so that there are only so many people selling tomatoes, so many people selling apples, and so on.
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