My top tips for running a market stall
Ok, so I’ll start by letting you know I’m not an expert on running a market stall by any means. I litterally only did my 2nd one a week ago, (at the East Bridgford Village show in Nottingham) but I did learn lots and wanted to share my experience with you in hope it may help others in the future!
All set up! I arrived at the East Bridgford village show in Nottingham early to set up. It ended up taking about 2 hours to set it all up.
THE PREP
Getting everything sorted for the show felt like it took over my life (& home) for a few weeks. I had lists everywhere and was determined to be organised in advance so I could concentrate on the good stuff (talking to and selling to customers) on the day. And I can tell you it worked! I had such a great experience on the day, so here are a few top tips for anyone else looking to run their own handmade business stall…
1) BRANDING
It can be a hard balance to get this right… you don’t want to look like a high street and you want to keep things personal, but you do want it to look professional. It’s worth investing a bit on the initial set up as a professional looking stall will invite the right customer in and encourage them to invest in you as a small business. I had a bespoke banner by printed.com who I also use for all my marketing. I borrowed the gazebo from my mum but if you’re buying one would suggest going for one that ties in with your own brand colours. (Unfortunately mine was green but would have chosen grey)! Other things to consider are:
• Table cloth colour: I actually used plain white bed sheets as wanted the jewellery to stand out.
• Display stands: It’s worth thinking outside the box a bit here, as you may be able to use what you already have. I used a mix of wooden blocks and slats (which I painted grey) along with some grey drawers turned upside down. I also made a display board from an old canvas picture which I covered in some material in my branding colours.
• Uniform: You obviously don’t have to do this and the main thing is you’re comfortable. (I ended up having to nip home to swap my leggings for shorts as it was a lot warmer than expected). But I did choose to wear my branded apron. I loved that it was an instant message to customers that it’s all handmade and that I take my business seriously. Branded T shirts are also a great idea.
Whatever you decide to do I’d suggest keeping things simple. Just stick to between 1 and 3 colours that show off your products in the best way and all tie in to your packaging and marketing. I made some simple tassle bunting too but actually ended up taking this off as I realised it wasn’t tall-person friendly!
2) SIGNAGE
I wanted to make it obvious what I was selling so as well as my logo banner, I used a light up box and printed ‘Handmade jewellery made from recycled sterling silver’ onto some transparency paper. I had actually wanted to have an A-board display too but wasn’t sure if it would be a trip hazard so decided not to. However, another stall selling gin did use one which worked really well. (It attracted me in to try some samples out anyway)!
3) MARKETING
I had a few flyers to hand which included work examples, web and social links plus my contact details. This was really useful for directing anyone to if I felt they weren’t in a position to buy on the day. I also had a QR code printed and displayed in a frame which linked to my instagram.
I prepared some silver coloured paper bags with branded tags and included a postcard inside with contact info. Having these all ready to go made everything so much easier when a customer ordered something.
4) PRICING
I’ve seen different people approach this in different ways- I chose to print all my prices out and made little stands from air dry clay for them but some people also hand-write tags or use pricing cubes. Whichever method you choose, I would just suggest that it’s clear. Not having prices in an obvious place for people to see can put potential customers off as they may not want to ask how much an item is (think of a restaurant scenario where you’re handed a menu with no prices.. the first thought is likely to be “this is a really expensive restaurant”).
Also I would suggest you don’t compromise on your prices just for a stall.. your handmade business deserves recognition as quality, well priced and fair and reducing prices or allowing a customer to haggle won’t reflect this.
5) PRACTICE
The 2 weeks leading up to the show felt slightly manic and chaotic (despite my best efforts to be organised)! It wasn’t until I practiced setting it all up that I was able to focus on what was needed and what did and didn’t work. It also gave me a good idea of how long it would take to set up, as well as work out the logistics of things (like making sure things wouldn’t blow away). I would DEFINITELY recommend you do this! (Remember to take photos to refer back to)!
It’s also a good idea to practice how you’ll interact with customers. (I know- this is a bit cringe), but it really helps to go through possible questions people may have to make sure you’re prepared with answers. Also to have a few conversation starters ready. I would say about a third of the customers I had wouldn’t have made a purchase if I hadn’t made an effort in making conversation so this is REALLY important!
6) PRODUCTS
This is an obvious one but I really wanted to get the amount of products right. The main aim was to have enough stock so there was some choice (& I wasn’t going to run out) but to not have too much that it ended up looking cluttered and confused. Practicing laying it out really helped with this. I decided to keep a few pieces back which didn’t quite fit with everything else, but did take them with me along with a few spare chains etc.
7) THINK OF THE EXTRAS
Ok so I realise this is pretty vague and open, but there were quite a few extras that really helped. (Some of these are obviously specific to having a jewellery stall).
• A mirror
• Ring sizers
• A chair (Although I actually only spent about 30 seconds sitting down as was so busy)
• Drinks
• Float/ change
• Card reader (& app downloaded)
• Backup charger (for phone and card reader)
• Order forms & pen
• Double sided tape
• String
• Mini bulldog clips (I Used these the make the table cloth fit the table better)
• Safety pins
• A spare foldaway table
8) ENJOY IT
One of my favourite sayings is ‘fake it till you make it’… so even if you feel like you aren’t getting the footfall you expected or the rain is moving in, you should still portray a happy, successful business. I’m personally much more likely to buy from someone who smiles, says hello and appears upbeat than someone who doesnt make eye contact, stands looking at their phone or doesn’t interact with their customers. Quite a few people also re-visted my stall later on in the day after passing by in the morning so it really does pay to be friendly.
Last but not least.. photograph it! I failed slightly in this respect as now wish I had taken a lot more photos of individual pieces and close ups of marketing etc. They could be repurposed as content for social media, email marketing and blogs (like this one)!
I’d love to hear your suggestions and feedback too so please let me know if you have anything to add. I would also love to see your own stalls so feel free to tag me if you use any of the above on your next stall.