Have Yourself a Very Merry Market

Nov 13

Tis the season for holiday markets — we’ve arrived. Applying to markets, prepping inventory, hauling said inventory around, setting up your booth, staying engaged through the entire market, it’s (to say the least) a busy time for makers out there. Don’t let your precious energy and time go wasted, think about the following things for your next market.

Research the market

Take the time to research the market before you arrive. Spending this time can pay off in the long run. Things you’ll want to figure out:

Who will be attending? You want to know who that audience is so you may be able to cater your booth for them.
How many people attend this market? Knowing if a couple hundred or couple thousand attend is helpful to understand so you know how much inventory to bring.
Do attendees need to pay to get in or is it free? Markets where attendees need to pay may bring less customers vs a free one. However paid markets you may be able to get info as if tickets are sold out so you know how many folks will attend.
Where is the market located? Is it in a busy area? Having a market be located on a busy street will bring in customers who didn’t know/weren’t planning on attending.
What rules do you need to follow for your booth? Know when you need to set up/tear down, size of your booth, etc before you get to the market.

If you can research these things before you even apply to make sure this market is the right fit for you.

Setting up your booth

Your booth set up can be almost as important as your products. The way your booth looks is important to draw customers in rather than steering them away. Here are some tips for having a solid booth set up:

How big is your booth? Where is it located? Will you be inside or outside? Knowing these details are important so you understand the space that you are working with. If you are going to be outside be prepared. Have water, food, blankets, etc so you are comfortable. For your booth have weights to hold down your tent, the last thing you want to deal with is a runaway tent.
How early can you set up? Getting a jump start on setting up is a good idea. Setting up can take longer than you think, especially the first few times. It’s a great idea to set up your entire booth at home and make any tweaks there. Take pictures so you can refer to them when you get to the market.
What do your booth look like? What makes your booth set up unique? You want your booth that people gravitate towards — you can do this with your products, booth set up, or a combo of both.
- Use a table cloth to make things look professional — and a bonus you can store things under your table without customers knowing
- Don’t overload the table. If you have a lot of stock put only some out and as folks buy things replenish it. If you have a lot of different type of products to show try to go vertical rather than using all of the table space.
- Have your name front and center. You don’t want to leave people guessing what your business name is.
- Make sure everything has a price. People can feel awkward asking for a price. Make it easy for them to find so folks can confidently shop.
- Put out a pile of business cards. Maybe someone can’t buy something right now or they want to refer you to a friend, whatever the case a business card gives them an easy way to find you again.

Running your booth

The time has come, customers are entering the market, looking at your products, and buying from your booth. Awesome! Keep in mind the following for a successful time operating your booth:

How will you take payment? It’s a good idea to accept cash and card. For card, be sure to test out the card reader beforehand (and charge it!). With cash be sure to keep it on you rather than leaving it on a box on the table.
Are you going to be solo at the booth the whole time? If you can, ask a friend or family member to join you for some time. This will give you a chance to take a break to recharge and sneak in a meal.
Remember to be friendly and let people shop. Greet them when they arrive, let them browse, and thank them when they leave.
Do you remember all the products that sold? Without writing them down, probably not — write down what’s selling. When you’ve finished your market it’s a good idea to reflect on what did well and what didn’t. Learn from it and apply it to your next market.

Chat with other vendors

Jai Long has a great point of view when it comes to competition. He says to not view others as competitors but to draw inspiration and motivation from them. I feel that same philosophy should carry onto markets as well. The beautiful thing about art is everyone has their own style. Sure we can do it in the same medium, but no two artists are the same. Talk to other vendors at the show. Take their business cards. Build relationships and learn from them.