Flea Market Post Mortem
The bottom line is that I made back the fee I paid and then some. So I reached my goal. That feels good. I also learned a ton.
Requests
I had two requests for wedding cards and one for a 60th birthday. I’ve already made some wedding cards and listed them on Etsy.
Attendance
Attendance was much lower than last month when I visited. I expected that because of the four-day weekend and the heat. Still, it was good to know that it isn’t always this quiet.
The most eager shoppers start coming around 7.30, even though the market is only supposed to start at 8. That surprised me.
On the other hand, around noon it got very quiet. The vendors around me started packing up before 1 pm, even though the market is supposed to last till 2. It’s going to be interesting to see if that holds true during the darker months ahead.
Payment
All customers volunteered cash. Nobody showed any interest in my signs for Venmo and Zelle. This despite the market being held in Cupertino, famous for being the home of Apple. Another surprise.
Relationship building
I didn’t feel comfortable asking for people’s email addresses, but giving out my business card is easy. I’m going to do that more at future markets. The back of my card shows a QR code for signing up to my newsletter and getting a 15% discount code.
As far as my physical attitude, more people approached when I sat down than when I stood up. At 5’ 6”, I’m of average height for my age and national origin. But a lot of customers were under 5’, some by a lot. So when I stand up, I tower over them. Sitting down made me look a lot more approachable. Bring two chairs was the right move.
Set up
I really need a pop-up tent. A tent would give me shade. It also prevents the sun from getting in early customers’ eyes if my booth is on the east side of the aisle. It could also make it easier to build a vertical display. From afar you can’t see what I’m selling. That is a problem.
OTOH if I have a tent, I’d have to park my car in the parking garage, rather than my booth space. That makes logistics a bit more challenging. I’d have to be more organized.
A big vinyl banner would be great. If I get a tent, I could stencil “Handmade greeting cards & gifts” on it. Or apply vinyl letters. That’s going to be cheaper than buying a banner. Or I could make fabric pennants. That would be cute.
Ideas for next time
Working on cards at the market might get more people interested in the process. It would also demonstrate that I make all my cards by hand. That’s even better than telling people or writing it on a board. If I’m going to do that, I need to bring my second table. As you can tell from my set-up photo, my six-foot table was pretty crowded. I have another 4-foot table, so that’s definitely doable.
