Getting market setup right.

It was Swagger Market time again and as I wrote about my first time at Swagger in July, you always need to take things away from each market on how you can improve for next time.

So what did I do different this time? The July Swagger Market was very congested. It was hard for the hundreds of people to get to see all products, so the first thing I set out to improve on was stall size and access to my products. Having seen the option to share a stall on the application form, I spoke with the talented Bree from Sir Trouble and we agreed that sharing was a great decision. I went from a 1.5m wide stall to a 4m stall. Our products compliment each other well and we both have similar stall display stands.

A few weeks before the market, over a cuppa and some chocolate we sketched out a rough design of how we wanted it to look. With 110 stalls we wanted it to be eye catching. To stand out. For people to be able to see/touch all of the products they want. Bree had the great idea of a little counter at the front and whilst she had sketched one out for her handy hubby to whip up, we ended up using a small trestle table instead.

At 7am on market day we unloaded it all and stood looking our space. We definitely make it look bigger on our sketch! After some playing around it was all set and ready. I stood back and thought Wow. This is looking so professional.

Throughout the day we had many people commenting on the look of the stall. The layout worked well as people could come in one side and out the other. The counter at the front was a great little addition. Allowed us to process the payments and package them up. This is a important thing to consider in stall design too.

We didn’t sit down all day. The stall design allowed us to walk around and talk to people, pick up products and get out of the way if needed. I have learnt that at times, people like to talk about your products and whether that want to purchase them without you hovering over them or just staring at them from behind a trestle.

The standard market stall trestle setups are becoming a thing of the past. It really has become a key to grabbing the attention of customers to have the stall that stands out and is remembered. One that people come back to. It was nearly two years ago that I had this grand idea of a ladder like shelf made of pine. I put the call out in a local classifieds and had a chippy make it. It cost me a fortune. I cant believe I paid so much for it. But it has made such a difference and I see so many others being creative and trying new stall setups.

So this market setup worked well for Bree and I for this market. It is important to be flexible with your stall design and make it appropriate for the market you are at. The layout of the stalls, whether it is indoors or outdoors, the size of the stalls. Markets have different stall sizes and whilst this 4m one was perfect for us at Swagger, we may not have a 4m one at other markets.

My next market is Flemington Twilight Market on November 14th. Time to start planning that one….