Being an Artisan Vendor at a Farmers' Market:
A Series of Five Short Essays
So your table is set. You have spent the last
month getting ready—creating inventory, designing labels, and figuring out your display—and
the last fifteen minutes agonizing over getting it just right. It’s a
coolish but beautifully sunny day at the beginning of June: the first Farmers’
market of the year. You’re excited: anticipating the people that
you’ll meet, all the creations that you may sell. Fast forward to the end of
market day. You talked to lots of
people, your friends dropped by as promised, your mum bought a token item in
support, but you barely sold a thing. The excitement has gone, you feel let
down. As you take down your displays and carefully pack away your goods, you wonder what did I do wrong?
The above scenario is hypothetical but
realistic. Most artisan vendors will experience something similar at least
once, if not several times
over. People often frequent their local Farmers’
Market to buy fresh local produce: the idea of purchasing beautiful, one of a
kind hand-crafted goods not uppermost in their mind, if there at all. Aah, the
challenge of being an artisan vendor at a Farmers’ Market!
It’s hard not to, but don’t
let the type of situation just described put you off vending at your Farmers’
Market. There are many positives to vending at your local market; making sales
is just one aspect of it and the others are worth exploring.
In this first short essay (blog post) I am going
to focus on being a regular at the market.
Essay One:
Committing
to Be There; Why You Should Become a Seasonal Vendor
For a vendor to get the most out of a Farmers’ Market,
people need to get acquainted with their offerings. This means that you need to
be a regular, and a great way to do that is to become a seasonal vendor. To be
considered a seasonal vendor at your local Farmers’ Market you
need to buy a season’s pass.
These may offer a small discount on the per-market fee that you would
normally pay but they come with some perks such as the same spot every week and
free features in the Market’s advertising.
The commitment of a seasonal pass to your
Farmers’ Market is a commitment to your community as well as to your
business, and can result in paybacks in different ways.
To get down to the nitty-gritty of Farmers’ Market
vending and why it’s all worth it, I spoke to a couple of seasoned vendors from my
local Farmers’ Market (The Rossland Mountain Market). Susan from RiverstoneYarns and Tricia Rasku from TR by Hand were both very willing to
share what they have learned from being artisan vendors: the drawbacks and the
amazing positives.
Susan, of Riverstone Yarns, focuses on hand dyed
yarn in stunning colourways to sell at the market. She explained that she likes
being a vendor at her local Farmers’ Market because it is a connection to the
community. When she visits other towns, she likes to visit the Farmers’ Market
there to see what other artisans are doing and to support the local economy.
Susan likes to be realistic about her sales, often she does not aim for high
sales, rather she aims to cover her vendor costs. Susan views being at the
Farmers’ Market on a regular basis as a marketing tool, her seasonal vendor
fee comes out of her business’s marketing budget.
Being at the Market allows her to meet her fellow vendors, create connections,
and let people know what she has to offer. Her main piece of advice to other
artisan vendors is, ‘decide to commit and pay the seasonal fee.’
When I spoke to Tricia Rasku of TR by Hand
(purveyor of luscious hand soaps, mouthwatering vinegars, gorgeous yarns, woven
blankets, and felted accessories) and asked her why she is committed to vending
regularly at the local Farmers’ Market she commented that she goes to the
market to interact with the people. She enjoys the atmosphere and the live
music. Tricia has been a vendor since the beginnings of the Rossland Mountain
Market and although she may not be at every market, she certainly is a
regular vendor. Her presence at the market is consistent enough it’s
easy to stop by and purchase her hand made soap before you run out, or to pick
up a gift of flavoured vinegar or hand felted accessory for an upcoming
occasion. Tricia, like, Susan does not
expect to sell much every time and considers anything over $50 in sales to be a
successful market. As a seasoned vendor, she says that you develop a tough skin
when it comes to lack of sales and other market challenges. You have to roll
with it and be back again.
Making a commitment to your Farmers’ Market won’t, by itself, ensure
success, but being there week after week will help solidify you as a market
presence. This in turn will help to encourage new and repeat business. When a
vendor makes a seasonal commitment they become a stable and reliable presence,
one that customers of the Farmers’ Market can count on. The following
scenario is worth some consideration if you are still feeling skeptical: Maybe
last week someone came by your booth, they oohed and aahed over your gorgeous
work, but they did not purchase anything. What if they return next week, cash
in hand for that item they just loved and what if you are not there? What if
they have thought of the perfect gift and want to give you a custom order to make
it for them, but didn’t pick up your business card
last time? If you are not at the next market, they may wait until the following
one, but without knowing that they can find you again they’ll
look elsewhere. Bottom line, as an artisan vendor, a committed and continued
presence at the Market will bring in more sales then a sporadic presence.
