Coffee, Art and Local Produce – Our Morning in Downtown Gilbert

My favorite thing to do as a dog mom is get together with my dog mom friends!  I love the fall, winter and spring in Arizona because the weather is nice enough to go on outdoor outings all the time.  Downtown Gilbert is a hot spot in the area with many dog friendly restaurants and a weekly farmer’s market.  I’d say this is one of the many reasons I love Gilbert – it’s incredibly dog friendly.  So today I got together with my girlfriends for coffee, the Gilbert Art Walk and to browse local produce and products at the farmer’s market.

My friends Ashley, Debbie, Katie, Tami, Kerri and I started out by relaxing on the patio at Bergie’s Coffee Roast House.  The weather was perfect (finally) and I shared a blueberry scone with Wynston.  I also drank the most delicious hot apple cider that I’ve ever had in my life.  We all chatted for about an hour and took photos of the dogs before moving on to the Gilbert Art Walk.

Our friend Lisa and her dog Sonic met up with us after coffee as we walked over to the Gilbert Art Walk.  The event happens 2-3 times every month through March.  It features local artists and small businesses.  It was very busy this morning, which was great to see.  Many people had their dogs out as well because the weather was nice!  However, there were a few times I had to pick up Wynston because he was getting overwhelmed and I was afraid of him getting stepped on.

While strolling along, we came across a booth with dog collars!  There were tons of beautiful fabric collars of all sizes and colors.  The company is called Heidi’s Houndwear and it’s a local small business.  I LOVE supporting small local pet businesses.  I spotted a collar with baseballs on it for Wynston so I had to buy it!  There was a US Army collar as well, but they didn’t have a small and the fabric is discontinued.  That would have been perfect to support my baby brother who’s currently serving over seas.  The baseball collar that I bought in a size small fits very well and the quality is great.  It was $12 which is such a fantastic price, especially considering it’s supporting a small business!  You can custom order leashes as well, so go give Heidi’s Houndwear a Facebook like and check out their Etsy store!

The Gilbert Art Walk is conveniently located right next to the farmer’s market, so we wandered over there to check out the vendor booths.  They have everything from homemade pickles, veggies, and nuts to dog treats, bundt cakes and pastries!  The Gilbert Farmer’s Market also features live entertainment, food trucks and games for the whole family.  It’s open year round and we can finally start going since it’s getting cooler out!  (Not that 90 degrees is cool, but at least it’s around 70-80 in the morning!)

I’m glad that my health is finally improving so I can get up early and go out with my friends.  I feel so incredibly blessed to have such wonderful girlfriends who have amazing dogs.  I am truly grateful for every single one of them.  Today, I’m feeling blessed that Wynston and I were able to spend the morning surrounded by such happiness.

Do you have any local markets that you frequent with your dogs?  I’d love to hear about them!