Market Preparation 2024 Season!
With market season upon us, many of us are applying and getting ready for markets. Whether its your first time or you’re a seasoned pro, there’s a lot to do and it can be overwhelming, but don’t worry! Its entirely something you are capable of and i’m here to help break it down with you step by step as I prepare for my own markets this year!
1. First off were going to have to make sure we have enough stock for an event. I suggest having enough to fill your table allowing you to cover your fees, and so that you can profit from all this hard work you’ve put in. Make sure to have a mix of different sized items so you can offer different price points. While the larger crochet items might not sell as quickly, they help to draw customers into your space and gives you a higher chance at making a sale. I find that the smaller crochet items typically will cover your costs so make sure to have a decent number of these lower priced items available.
2. Next your going to find a market/event where you feel your products and brand would fit in and be well received. When I say this I mean, learn your demographic and gravitate towards events that those types of customers would visit. Do your research, ask vendors who have participated in prior events their experience. If you have a chance, attend an event as a guest before applying as a vendor so that you can have a sense of everything. You want to make sure that your applying for events with fees in a range your comfortable covering in the day. Lately there has been an influx of market organizers asking outrageous vendor fees, last week I was invited to an event which charge $900 for the weekend!! That’s $900 worth of work and time being spent in order to just attend an event. That is insane! The majority of the events that I will be attending charge $150 or less per to in order to put it in perspective.
3. Now that we have our stock and an event. We’re going to need to start working on a setup. Some events will provide tables or tents but the majority will not. The space that your allotted will change from market to market. Typically the standard for indoor events is 6’x4’ which allows you to have a 6’ market table with your display. If your doing an outdoor event, most will give you 10×10 and ask that you provide a popup tent as well your tables. For my outdoor setup I typically use 3 tables and new this year I am adding a clothing rack/peg board (more on that another time)
4. Once you have your tables and space to display things sorted you need to merchandise and figure out how your going to display your products. There are many ways to do this so I suggest taking a look at as many other market setups as you can and see what works and what doesn’t. Your display is going to be ever evolving but its good to do your research first. I suggest finding some wooden crates, they can be used in a number of orientations and stacking setups and are perfect for adding height to your setup. I also suggest going to your local thrift store and looking for whicker baskets, trays, metal baskets, and anything else that would look cute full of plush on your market table. Your table will be much cleaner if you have your items organized within bins and baskets. This will also promote your customers to help keep the display tidy.
You may also want to build a stair style display stand. This might seem intimidating but if you can use a saw and a drill then your more then capable! If your still not sure, then I’m sure there’s someone in your life that you can ask. I just recently made this one and will be doing a full blog post on the process next week but here is my rough notes if you need to make one sooner!
5. Finally, your going to want to gather up all your essentials and what ifs. This includes everything from table clothes and tent weights to your float and card reader. This is the list that Ive been putting together while preparing for my own market this week.
Check back soon for more market tips and info as well as a more detail post about that market stand I promised!
Aaron
