GILROY
– This year, even though temperatures were nowhere as high as
previous festivals, the hottest-selling item at the Garlic Festival
was specifically designed to keep guests cool.
GILROY – This year, even though temperatures were nowhere as high as previous festivals, the hottest-selling item at the Garlic Festival was specifically designed to keep guests cool. Many guests were walking around with hats and parasols from Rosie’s Posies, a booth that has been a staple at the Garlic Festival for 25 years.
“I’m just helping people get shady,” said Rosie Echelmeier, owner and manager of the company.
Echelmeier not only designs all of the umbrellas, she and three of her friends hand paint and decorate them in their warehouse in Marin County. Echelmeier’s favorite thing about the festival is interacting with all of the people.
“Every year we pick out our favorite customers,” she said. “We all go around and ask each other ‘Who did you like? Who did you like?’ ”
Her enjoyment shows as she and her assistants move constantly from customer to customer, talking with them, asking questions and helping them find what they need.
The booth, which is located separately from the rest of the arts and crafts, in-between the beer tent and the Gazebo Stage on the park side of Christmas Hill Park, had its own distinct atmosphere.
“We’re very informal here,” said Echelmeier. In fact, with the western-style music drifting from the Gazebo stage, many customers were inspired to buy cowboy hats and lacy parasols that looked straight out of the Wild West.
“I love the details on everything,” said San Francisco resident Isabella Lorenzo.
Echelmeier started selling the umbrellas when she realized that although not everyone would buy or wear a hat, they would buy a parasol. This was especially true for young kids.
“It’s almost like a toy,” she said.
Stacey Lawrence, from San Jose, visited the booth because her daughter wanted a parasol.
“I was looking at the booth, and I thought that this was really smart,” Lawrence said.
Her daughter, 8-year-old Allie Lawrence, picked out a little white parasol with leaves sponge-painted on. She twirled it around, and when asked if she liked it, she nodded once, and then continued playing with the umbrella.
Despite the routine high demand for her merchandise, Echelmeier says that the last time that she sold out of anything was three years ago, when she ran out of hats. Since then she has always been careful to make and bring plenty of merchandise. However, this year she was close to selling completely out of square-shaped umbrellas. As of Sunday afternoon, there was only one, plain cream-colored one left.
In addition to selling parasols, hats and garlands, she also donates to organizations. She has donated many garlands to the Peace Corps over the years, and allows the Garlic Court to choose whatever garlands they want for the festival.
“I even tell them, if they wear a different color another day, they’re welcome to return and pick out another that matches.”
Echelmeier travels to many different festivals over the year, including the Renaissance Faire.
For more information or a complete list of festivals that she attends, call Rosie Echelmeier at (415) 488-4697.
