Market Tips & Safety

Thriving markets have loyal customers and great vendors. The customers love shopping with locals, return regularly and bring friends. Successful vendors bring great products, friendly smiles, right pricing, right pricing and good vibes, week after week.

Our desire our vendor family a rewarding and productive market. Here are a few things to consider to help foster a successful experience.

Tips for A Successful Market

Present Your Products To Sell

Showcase your work in the most visually appealing and practical way possible. A minimalist layout lets passersby feel like they’ve seen all your work in one glance, without stopping. Consider sketching a potential layout, experiment at home, and visit sites like Pinterest for inspiration. Think about what will draw viewers to your booth and keep in mind what they will see at eye level. Utilizing vertical space will give your stall extra impact.

Prepare For Success

It’s surprising how one small oversight can make or break your day. Double-check to see what is included in your market stall fees. Will there be tables and chairs? Shelter in outdoor markets in case of rain? Do you need power? These differ for every market. Bring with you anything needed that’s not included. Create a checklist of all the things you’ll need.

Engage With Visitors

Here, it’s all about finding balance. If you’re too laid back, you risk losing business. But being too pushy can be off-putting. Say hello to passersby, and engage with potential customers. Even a smile can go a long way! Increase your approachability by standing up occasionally, and never be on your phone. If a person approaches, make yourself available, and ask them if they are looking for anything in particular. Tell stories and create conversations. Sharing the backstory behind an artwork can help the customer feel connected to the piece and increase the likelihood of a sale.

Market For The Long Term

Artisan markets are about more than just sales. They can be great advertising opportunities to find new fans and get your work known. Even if someone doesn’t buy your art during an art fair, they may do so in the future. Follow these tips to ensure each art fair plays into your long-term strategy for business growth:

Make it easy for browsers to become buyers. Etsy offers a wide range of scan to pay signs like this one.

QR codes that link to your website, social media pages and payment portals: Post QR codes in visible locations around your booth.
Cards: Postcards or smaller business cards should be visually appealing and showcase your art. .
Promotions, Giveaways & Newsletter Sign-up: Email marketing is a low-cost way to nurture & engage your audience. It is vital to collect both customers and visitors email addresses (with visitors’ permission, of course). No one wants to give away their email address for free, so offer a promotion or giveaway, such as exchanging an email address for an entry into a raffle for a particularly product or a discount off their first purchase.

Connections Are Valuable Please take a minute to rethink your connections and make a list of all the people you reach and invite them to the markets

Your Energy & Vibe is Everything

Be Fun. Turn on Fun. Have Fun. Reach deep down and pull out your openness, share your smile.

Promote. Promote. Promote.

Canopy Weights

Everyone’s safety is our number one goal. It is the responsibility of every market’s staff and vendors.

Ideas for Canopy Weights

Filling an empty bucket (2.5 gallon works great) with cement and tying this to each corner of the tent with a rope or bungee. It is NOT sufficient to place the bucket on the feet of the canopy.
Filling buckets/containers with sand/cement that can be anchored or secured with a rope or bungee; these include canvas bags or plastic buckets/containers that have a handle through which a rope or bungee can be secured.
Sandbag weights that are specially made for securing canopies and weigh at least 20 pounds. These sandbag weights are vertical and can be strapped the legs of the canopy.
PVC pipe capped and filled with cement can be hung on the inside of canopy poles as long as it is secured so that it does not collide with customers.
The best weights are strapped to the bottom of each leg, and then tethered via a bungee to the top corner of the canopy, thus lowering the center of gravity of the canopy. In a strong gust of wind, even canopies secured with enough weight, can be broken if the weights are not suspended from the top corners of the canopy.
Cement blocks and exercise weights may be used, but should not be placed in walkways or the paths for customers as they may cause a tripping hazard

Bad Canopy Weights

Galion water jugs are not heavy enough for large gusts of wind. One gallon of water weights 8 pounds. One gallon of water on each corner would be the equivalent of a 3 year old child trying to hold down a 100 square foot parachute.
Tying tents, canopies or umbrellas to tables, coolers or vehicles provides tripping hazards and frequently does not provide adequate weight. Vendor safety is just as important as customer safety.
Sandbags that cannot be placed upright and securely tied to the tent or canopy should not be used.
ln addition to not providing enough grip to prevent a canopy from taking flight in a strong gust of wind, tent stakes are barely visible to shoppers and can cause a serious tripping hazard to an unsuspecting customer.

In certain inclement weather conditions even properly, secured canopies can be precarious. If canopies need to be taken down in the middle of market due to inclement weather, vendors should direct customers to move out of the way so they are not injured. Weights should be secured in a manner that does not create its own safety hazard