Sorry, readers, that I’ve been out of touch for so long.  I’ve been getting ready for my stint at the Farmer’s Market.  I did it! I’m a big time business woman now!

Monday was my first day, and though I didn’t do a perfect job, things were incredibly successful.  Below are some of my musings about how to pull off a great farmer’s market booth.

Tip 1: Get There Early! The call time for setting up for farmer’s market is always early, but err on the side of caution and arrive on the early side of your window.  Even if you don’t need the time, there is tremendous beauty in watching the community unfold right before you.  

Tip 2: Bring a Great Friend!  This sweet lady is Jayme.  She refinishes furniture that is just delightful.  She uses words that I don’t understand like “dark wax finish.”  Taking a friend means that you will get to go to the bathroom, maintain great customer interactions even if your table gets busy, and see what other vendors are selling.

Tip 3: Organize Your Items Into Categories!  Visitors will come up to your booth and ask you generically what your’ve got.  So, you’ll want to organize your tables and displays into categories.  You want to be able to say “over here we have crafts for kids and everything on this table is made of recycled material.”  Efficiency in your “spiel” may be the difference between a sale or not.

Tip 4:  Consider a Center Piece! If your table has something that appears interactive, you’ll draw people over to you and be able to share even more of your awesomeness with them.  If the centerpiece appeals to kids, you may give parents just a moment’s peace enough to listen to your spiel while the littles play.

Side Bar: Get a Square! I absolutely recommend getting a square card reader.  I had at least four customers who said things like “I’ll go and get cash and come back.”  If we’re honest, they probably wouldn’t have come back- it was hot, there were other great vendors. I probably wouldn’t have seen those customers again.  So, by taking cards, I ensured a sale.  Additionally, many people at our market are just passing through on their way to or from the beach, which means they skipped over getting cash and were planning to just window shop.  Square is incredibly easy to set up and to use.  The percentage of your sale that they take for fees is fair too.Finally, don’t worry if you don’t have four tables with constructed tiered stands.  My customers didn’t need to see all my inventory at once, only enough to see my style and their options.  You can host a successful booth with a few candles, a jar of flowers from the garden, and cleverly placed chalkboard. (Watch for tutorials on all the things I sold yesterday!)

Now go and do it!

PS- What are some things that make your farmer’s market experience great?