From what supplies you’ll need to what rules and regulations you need to consider, there are a lot of things to consider before deciding to have a stand in a local farmer’s market. Whether you’re selling goods or marketing your business, this post will give you the basics of everything you need to know to get started and have a successful stand. Don’t forget to check out helpinghomestead.com for other tips including gardening and composting, and sign up for free to find help with your flora and/or fauna when you travel!
What are you Selling?
You probably already have an answer to that, but you do need to be organized and official about it.
- Goods/Produce: There are specific rules and regulations to what you can sell, where it was produced, how it’s stored, etc. Make sure you are aware of all of this before deciding what all is going into your stand.
- Marketing a Business or Service: You’ve probably seen stands at markets and fairs that aren’t selling anything tangible, but are giving out information or trying to get you to sign up for something. Instead of “vendors,” these stands are called “sponsors.” There are usually packages available depending on how many days you want to attend and whether you want some extra marketing, such as getting your logo on some of the materials for the market itself (newsletters, volunteer t-shirts, etc). The fee you pay reserves your spot and goes towards the costs that the farmer’s market committees have to pay to put everything on all season.
Choosing a Farmer’s Market
Here comes the fun part! Find any markets that you could sell in (many require your goods to be produced or business to be located within a certain mile radius of the town). Go several different times in the season and see how they are - do they have a lot of vendors? Good amount of traffic with shoppers? Food/coffee trucks that might influence shoppers to stay longer? My first week I was right across from a food truck and got so much interest from people who were staring at my stand because they were in line!
Weigh Costs and Regulations
All markets will have different fees, so maybe finding a more cost effective one is more important to you. Also, some might now allow generators, or might require certain insurance coverages that you don’t have. These things might make your decision for you.
Reading up on Rules and Regulations
The rules of farmer’s markets are a fine print that you will actually want to sit down and read. There are somethings that you’ll need to get in order before you can even sign up - such as business insurance,
Stand Requirements
Trust me - you will want one anyways - but some farmer’s markets actually require the specific (but standard) 10’x10’ canopy. They also typically have regulations on securing it, and if it’s not in a field you’ll need to buy some of these sand bags or canopy weights. If it’s in your budget, check out this option to personalize these items for even more marketing. I just got everything in a solid color that went well with my other materials which was a lot cheaper. some text
Set-up and Tear-Down Times
You’ll probably want to bring your car right up to your spot to make setting up and taking everything down easy. Most markets will require you to get there rather early since they do not want cars driving around when people start shopping. Our market requires all vehicles to be either parked or gone by 45 minutes prior to opening since so many shoppers show up early! For the same reason you are strictly not allowed to leave earlier than allowed - so make sure you aren’t going to have any schedule conflicts a good hour or two before and after the farmer’s market is “open.”
Signing Up
Choosing your Space
Make sure you know what you need! If you only have one assigned space and show up with several tables worth of goods, you’re going to have to pair things down or get really creative in your limited 10’x10’ space. If you need more, some market’s will let you sign up for more than one space. It’s typically discounted, but still going to cost you a bit more.
Frequency Packages
If you want, you can probably attend every single market from May through September. Otherwise, as either a vendor or sponsor there are usually several packages to choose from.
As a sponsor who was marketing a website/business, I chose a four day package and spread out my days through the entire season. I was surprised that it only cost me about $200, and without a doubt for me it was my most effective marketing strategy so far.
Upfront Requirements
For our local market, I had to pay the fee with my application and they also needed a copy of my business insurance. If you’re selling, you’ll also need to provide your sales permit number.
Getting Business Insurance
If you don’t have this yet, don’t panic - you can get it! My business only included me and I don’t technically provide a service or product, so I was able to get a very low-cost, high-coverage plan. But for any kind of business, start by calling up whoever you use for homeowners or car insurance. Even if they can’t help you, they’ll get you over to someone who can. Get a couple quotes and make sure you have the coverage you need to protect yourself and your business, and the coverage required by your farmer’s market.
Sales Permit
This you need to obtain through your state’s revenue department. Make sure you have already registered your business and then look up the application process for your state online.
Getting your Gear
We already talked about a canopy and ways to secure it, but of course you’ll need a lot more! Besides the obvious, you need to bring what you’re selling, how are you going to display what you’re selling? Especially when there are a lot of similar products (fresh produce, flower arrangements), people do notice booth aesthetics. Refinish some antique crates, invest in some tiered stands, make your booth stand out.
- Don’t forget about function too - what if it’s windy? I made sure most of my props/decor had some weight to them. I also had smaller things that could double as paper weights for my fliers.
- If you have produce and it’s a hot day, you might need to store a lot in coolers or keep things on ice. If you have fresh cut flowers, find a way to keep them in water where they are still cute and on display.
- Tables - you’ll probably need at least one table! Folding tables aren’t typically super eye catching. I ordered a solid color table cover which looked great, matched my logo, and didn’t move at all in the wind. I got mine here on amazon, but you can get customize with your logo on it here!
Making a Sale
Make sure you have your prices set and displayed. If you’re selling anything by weight, you’ll need a kitchen scale. Don’t forget bags to put purchases in for customers too! Maybe another marketing opportunity, otherwise you can get a lot in bulk here.
Cash or Credit
- Whether you accept cards or not, you’ll need a way to collect cash and make change for cash purchases. I’ve seen people with cash boxes and with simple aprons for efficiency and safe keeping.
- Tip - if messing around with change sounds horrible, keep all your prices rounded to a full dollar amount! You might still get some quarters in a sale but you won’t have to count coins making change!
Marketing Materials
Fliers
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I want my flier to catch your eye, give a bit more information than just a card, but didn’t want it to be so word heavy that people didn’t want to read it.
Cards
For my business cards, I wanted them to be as simple as possible. My logo, QR code, and very basic contact information on the back. I do have a separate box of cards that has my phone number on it, but not exactly something I want to be handing out to anyone!
Signage
My biggest items here were my hanging banner and custom table runner. These were very important as they were what brought people over to my stand.
Banner
This I also didn’t want to be too word heavy, but wanted a very brief attention getter that tells people what my business is. Here’s an example of it below:
I had it made a a local printing shop that was recommended to me - mainly because I wanted to make sure an actual person was going to look at it and make sure it was right, and two because it was actually a quicker turnaround than ordering from a larger online-based company.
Table Runner
This one I did get on amazon! For my logo, I knew blowing it up wouldn’t jeopardize the image. If you have something a little more complex, you may want to try a local printing/graphic design company. When you send over your images, they’ll be able to help you troubleshoot any potential issues.
I also had one of my fliers framed as well as QR codes for my social media pages which you can see in the photo of my stand.
Clothes
Do you have a shirt, hat, or apron with your logo on it? Couldn’t be a better time to wear it! If you’re looking for something like that, I had a t-shirt made at canva.com. However, many sites require ordering a minimum number of the product rather than just one. This might be another good time to find a local place that will work with you!
Not your style? No problem! Just dress the part. If you’re selling produce, business casual probably isn’t the right angle. However, you don’t want to look like you just strolled in after working deep in the fields all day either. Get creative and don’t forget to think about the weather!
Make your Booth Stand Out
We already talked about presenting your products/goods well, but there’s more to it than that - especially if you’re like me and not actually selling anything. I’m talking about decorations! This doesn’t have to break the bank either. A lot of what I used was decorations that are usually displayed at my own (or my moms!) house. I also kept an eye out at craft fairs or local shops for cute little additions, like the little chicken that I found at a local shop!
I did a trial run of my set up on my kitchen table which helped me visualize and see what was missing or what was too much.
“Explore the Vertical”
Don’t forget that it’s more than just the table! I put some fake flowers in a vase that I weighed down with some rocks. I put that on the ground in front of my table along with another cute chicken I found. I also hung the banner at the top of my canopy so that there was something to catch your eye from any angle. If your booth is set up in a way that you want people to actually “walk in” and look around, hang banners/posters from the back so it draws the eye in!
Practice your Pitch
Have you heard of an elevator pitch? The idea is to have a quick but effective way of explaining why your goods or services are great. People will come up and ask to hear more about what you’re selling, so be ready for something that grabs their attention and isn’t so long that they feel like they’re now trapped at your stand.
For my stand for Helping Homestead, the words “Farm Sitting Jobs” on my banner made a lot of people come over and say “How does that work?” I stuck with a variation of the the following:
- “Helping Homestead is a free job board where you can post or apply to jobs that could include as little as watering someone’s garden when they’re out of town or as much as caring for a larger scale farm with lots of different kinds of animals.”
More often than not people were interested and had a lot of follow up questions.
I really didn’t want to come off as that pushy sales person who has many times made me uncomfortable when I’m shopping at fairs or farmer’s markets. I only pitched at people who asked me questions. If people were just walking by, I stuck with a simple “good morning.” However, if I could see people staring at my sign or talking to their friends about the booth, I would go with a “watch someone’s chickens for a weekend!” or “Find help with watering your garden when you travel!” Which did spark enough interest to get a lot of those shoppers to stop and want to know more. I tried hard not to pose these remarks as questions so people wouldn’t feel like I was pressuring them to talk to me if they didn’t want to.
Give out your Marketing Materials!
If you are advertising a business, website, or even if you’re selling produce but want to get your name out there more - make sure anyone who stops to talk to you or buy from you gets a flier or a card. The last thing you would want is to make a good connection with and interested party and then by the time they get home, they say “oh shoot…. What was the name of that website I wanted to check out?”
It’s nice to have both business cards with a QR code and a flier since some people don’t want to carry around a giant piece of paper, but some people might be passing it along to a friend so a flier with more information might be helpful. I ordered all of my materials from canva.com and took advantage of the discounts you get for ordering multiple quantities. I wanted to feel confident about giving out anything I could without being nervous about running out. some text
- Consider having an enlarged photo or poster of your QR code that people can just scan, too! It was so easy to make and I just had it printed as a 8x10 photo at a local printing shop since I only needed one. Instant traffic to your site or social media pages!
Other Demeanor Tips
- This is another good one to look for when you’re shopping at farmer’s markets. I talked a lot about not being too pushy, but you don’t want to be passive either. I did pack a chair but did not use it! I stood right at the front of my booth with a smile so that people knew I was approachable if they wanted to learn more.
- I also tried to talk with anyone who came to the booth. If i had been talking to the same person for a while and other people started coming to take fliers, I would interject my conversation with a quick “hello” or “be right with you!” Every single time the person I was talking with would very politely wrap up the conversation to let me speak to other customers. It’s the perfect way to get to talk to everyone without making anyone feel brushed off.
Phew! Now you’re ready to get planning on your farmer’s market stand! If salesmanship scares you, try not to worry. People come to shop! If you believe in your product or service, others will too. Be proud that you are putting your stuff out there! Don’t forget to take some time for leisure this summer too - find a reviewed helper at helpinghomestead.com to watch your farm or water plants for you while you’re away. You can also sign up to provide the same help for people in your own community! Click here to sign up for free.
