Our First Market Stall: What we learnt!

Running a small business, we never could have imagined how much we would learn and experience in such a short span of time. Our first 3-hour market stall at a local school Summer Fair was certainly no exception! The day was both challenging and rewarding, filled with valuable lessons and unforgettable moments. Here’s a glimpse into our experience:

The Important Lesson of Rain and Plastic Tubs

The stall was scheduled from 11am to 2pm and, as predicted, heavy rain fell during those hours (fortunately, setup and takedown remained dry!). We quickly realised the importance of weather-proofing our display and replacing cardboard stock boxes with plastic tubs. Seeing other stalls using tubs showed their effectiveness in keeping everything dry, allowing them to focus on engaging customers without worrying about water damage to their stock. While we initially organised our boxes neatly for efficiency, the priority shifted to keeping items dry, which led to a bit of chaos.

This lesson hit home so strongly that the next working day, we invested in our own set of clear, easy-access plastic tubs. Thanks to fellow vendors for showing us the way!

Footfall and Positive Vibes

Footfall decreased during the heaviest rain, but everyone at the fair maintained a positive attitude. We have to admit, we were somewhat relieved by this given our challenges.

Looking ahead, we plan to implement order forms for future events. This way, if unexpected weather or other issues arise, customers can easily place orders for delivery if we're unable to assemble them on-site.

Interactivity: Lucky Dips, Competitions and Free Stories

Wanting an interactive stall, we introduced a 'Lucky Dip' where customers paid to pull a reusable cracker and win the surprise inside. It drew significant attention to our stall and we plan to trial this again (on a dry day) ! The wind and rain made refilling the crackers a challenge, and we couldn't refill them quick enough for this to be manageable in the conditions. 

We also directed people to our story-based competition, free stories and our free Eid activity placemat, ensuring every customer left with something special. 

This interactivity made for good talking points and drew people to our stall. We aren't sure yet if this will work for every type of stall or market, but at a school fair it definitely improved engagement and sales. 

Meeting the Mayor and Mayoress

One of the highlights of our first market experience was meeting the mayor and mayoress. They stopped by our stall, intrigued by the concept of reusable crackers. We had a wonderful conversation about sustainability and the importance of reducing waste. To our delight, they later placed an order online. This encounter was a significant morale boost and validated the effort we put into our small business. 

Our picture even made it into the local paper! Hopefully, it will open up opportunities for further visibility and recognition within the community. 

An Invitation to a local Artisan Market

Deciding which markets to approach and apply for can be a challenge. Each venue has its unique dynamics—what works well for one stall might not necessarily be ideal for another. Some markets are better advertised and organised than others, making it crucial to gather insights from seasoned vendors.

In a stroke of luck, the stall holders next to us also organise a well-regarded local artisan market that we had previously considered. We remembered the standards being quite high, so this invitation was incredibly encouraging and highlighted the supportive nature of the artisan community. It is also an exciting opportunity to reach a broader audience and grow our business further.

Conclusion

Seeing how much we gained from just a short, 3 hour stall has been really encouraging! Our main goal was to gain some experience and improve how we do things, and that's exactly what we got. For our next stall: we've started assembling our crackers ahead of time, stocked up on resin bookmarks (as we noticed these sold well), created an order form and we're even prepping another activity sheet! 

Deciding to use our own gazebo or go into a marquee at the next stall was a no-brainer, especially after dealing with the soggy gazebo roof and damp walls at home this week.

If you're ever at a local market, come by and say hello—we'd love to share our reusable crackers and stories with you! We will publicise any events we will be attending on our facebook and instagram pages.