A Local Store where you can Sell your Hand-crafted Wares

I've read about people who sell on eBay and other online stores, but I have yet to see anyone talking about selling their wares at the local Farmers' Market.

Farmers' Markets sell more than food, produce, eggs, meat, and dairy products. They also sell handcrafted items that you make at home. I've been selling at the Farmers' Market for more than 5 years and am doing well. I sell hand processed alpaca and wool fibers, hand-carded locks, batts, handspun yarn, handcrafted items made from the fibers and the yarn. I sell the raw and finished products there.

Where I live, the Farmers' Market booth space rental is $25/each Saturday from 9 am - 1 pm.  If you want, you can rent a space on Sunday for the same hours as well. They also have a Christmas Market with mostly handcrafted items, but some of the stored produce items like gourds (decorative), pumpkins, squash, and other fall/winter produce. They have free music and there's always something going on each weekend around this area, so there's lots of people local and vacationers who stop by the Market to see what we have.

What you need to get set up:

• A good shelter that's 10' x 10'
• Four 20-35 pound weights to hold the shelter down in case of wind or stormy weather,
  
• 2-3 banquet tables and/or shelving to hold your wares, 
• Table coverings,
  
• Cash box with $100 in 40-$1, 6-$5, and 3-$10 bills in it,
• A large supply of business cards
•  Don't forget your sign--one that is large enough to be read by your customers.
  
• You will also need a nice notebook to keep track of what was sold, mileage, debits and credits (it doesn't have to be fancy--just need the information for taxes). They give you a receipt when you turn in your booth space rental at the end of the day. I also keep it in a notebook to keep track of people with their phone numbers, who want me to contact them for custom-made items and my class schedules.

It's a lot of fun being at the market because it gives me time away from home where I can be in touch with people who have some of the same things in common with me and I've made good friends there also. We have public officials who come by and city employees. I've learned really great local information that was vital to things I do, so I have found being at the market invaluable.

One of the last things is to realize that you need some type of hand-crafted items that not many people are making. When I started at the Market, I was the only person who made hand-spun, hand knit and crocheted baby hats and booties, baby blankets, and baby toys. Now there are 3 of us, but each of us has slightly different things. One of the two women have hand sewn bath towels with hoods and the other one has hand crocheted/knitted sweaters for babies and toddlers as well as sewn dresses and rompers.

As you can see, you have a broad paintbrush in terms of where you ca sell. I'm not sure if all the Farmers' Markets allow hand-crafted items, but the SE portion of WA and the NE portion of OR do allow the regular Farmers' Market fare as well as hand-crafted items. Give the local Farmers' Market a call and find out, or check to see if they have a website. There are more Farmers' Markets now than they have ever had before, so it's worth checking out and it might be less expensive in terms of some of the other options, plus you get to know the local customers.

The main thing about having a booth at the Farmers' Market is that you need to be there each Saturday (or Saturday/Sunday). Your customers look for you each time you're at the market. I started reserving my space because that way I'll be in the same spot. It seems to be paying off because more and more people are coming to see me specifically. One woman found me from last year so I could make her one of my infamous Hugging Kitties for her grandson. She picked the colors of the wool, the eyes, the nose, whiskers, etc.

One other thing: if you have a nice foyer at the front of your home, a big front porch, a covered patio, or a extra building on your property, you can open your own store if you live on a farm. This would be a perfect place to sell when the Farmers' Markets is "Off-Season.". People expect you to be "open" even if it's by appointment. You will be amazed at how much people will buy from you at the Farmers' Markets when it's "hand-crafted."