A Personal Thank You to Market Organisers.
Have you thought about what goes behind the scenes in organising a market? It takes time, lots of time, dedication, tears, passion, strength to organise a market and we asked a few of our fans from Markets and Community to write about their appreciation to their Market Organisers.
The Dazzling Boutique Market
Just like to share my experience as a stallholder at The Dazzling Boutique Market.
I am from Her Macarons and a regular stall holder at Dazzling. Sarah the organiser is very lovely and helpful, that she always goes all out in supporting us by heaps of advertising (that i know will cost her a lot of money) and constantly promoting our business page in facebook. The market is every second month but she is always sharing our sales/promotions ALL the time.
One more thing, her market gave us a lot of exposure to customers not only to buy on the spot but to become our regulars.
Oh and I was surprised that I received an invitation from Better Homes and Garden (TV show) to attend their expo and said they found me from the Dazzling Boutique Market.
Sherelyn
Her Macarons
Salt Water Market
Simply Boutique Market
I would like to thank Nicole Joy from Simply Boutique Market in Werribee VIC. Nicole volunteers long hours so the market runs smoothly, with little or no thanks for the stallholders. I have just started helping her out and also volunteering one day a week of my time. I would like to formally acknowledge the hard work Nicole puts into the market. My business is Hani’s Mirror Creations and my name is Geanette. Cheers
Huckleberry Market
Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market
My name is Mish and our business Ur Baby Trendz has undertaken 2 markets thus far with Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market.
Being first time market stall holders (my 12 year old daughters bright idea) I thought the process would be time consuming, expensive and confusing. I made my first call to Bianca (who I have dealt with throughout our experience) to enquire about a stall and everything was explained to me step by step in simple terms making the whole process less daunting. Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market do a lot self promotion which is great and we really saw this in the turn around of attendance. As we are a kids stall we loved that there was also bouncy castles, face painters etc to attract the families.
On arrival our table was easy to find and set up was a breeze due to the great organisation. Any questions we had were answered throughout the day as Bianca made a presence at all stalls to see how we were all going. I really appreciated this as it showed that Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market was not just about making money for themselves, but ensuring their market holders had a great day of selling.
After the first Williamstown market there was no question about booking another stall, and it was even better. A smaller venue meant less people and less money to be made right? Wrong. We made even more on sales and saw even more people thanks again to Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market’s promotion. During this market there was a spare stall next to us that someone hadn’t shown up to and instead of leaving it bare, Bianca invited us to spread our stock out across these tables. It was perfect as our samples are huge. There was no extra charge and the market did not have any spare tables making it look amazing and full.
I highly recommend Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market and Bianca’s great organisation. We will be holding stalls at all their markets time permitting.
Mish
Hi just wanted to say I have been part of Melbourne Cheeky Monkey Market twice now and have booked for another I wanted to say it’s the most enjoyable market I have done, the girls Bianca and Stacey both are excellent with their attitude and patience with all stall holders. They go out of their way to make the day as enjoyable as they can for stall holders and consumers no problem is too big or small they welcome feedback chat with the stall holders always checking to see if things are going ok I would highly recommend them and their market any day over some that I have been to. regards Deborah I am a Sales Leader with Avon and I do Breast cancer stands at markets deborah henshall, henshall_deborah@hotmail.com
Macarthur Indoor Community Market
Naomi from Macarthur Indoor Community Market is a fantastic organiser, lovely person and really cares about her stallholders. I love seeing an organiser walking around, talking to everyone & introducing herself. Plus on the HOT days, she hands out bottles of cold water. Little things make a big difference!
Off To Market by Toadstools and Tails
Guest Blog by Sarah Bowers owner of Toadstools and Tails
The trouble with having a creative mind is that you change it all the time. Once you think you’ve settled on something, another brilliant idea pops in…..and of course you just HAVE to do it!
Finally I have decided on a ‘range’ and I’m going to stick to it. We will now be concentrating on our well known ‘Toadstool & Mouse’ blankets (we also provide monogramming on the blankets), swaddling wraps and an assortment of gift packs. All packaged beautifully and our gift packs are especially ideal for baby shower and newborn gifts. If requested, we will also hand write a personal gift card.
I have to say though, the beauty of taking your wares to market is that you can create every idea that pops into your head as it’s a great way to road test, get feedback and most importantly, see if it sells.
Markets are a fantastic, inexpensive way to get your business some major exposure especially when you’re first starting out. This was why I first started markets. The adrenalin (and nerves mind you), on the day of your first market are exhilarating. You look around at your display and possibly for the first time, you realise just how proud you are of yourself and your products.
It gets better…wait until the market goers come in and start paying you compliments, then it feels amazing and makes all your hard work worth every minute.
Doing your first market is a bit like your first day at a new job…how much stock is enough? How much money do I need in my float? Can I leave my stall? What is correct market etiquette? Obviously do as much research as you can and ask as many questions as you like but at the end of the day, it’s such a wonderful community to be a part of. Everyone helps one another, supports one another’s business and this community is where you will receive the most valuable advice because everyone has been in your shoes.
Before not too long, you’re an old hat at it. Your marquee is up in minutes, you know exactly how best to display your products, you know which markets work best for you, your organised and most importantly of all….you have worked out who sells the best coffee!
You will make lifetime friends, have a laugh and admire the amazing work of others BUT, it is hard yakka, so be organised, always have plenty of stock (it makes your stall look so much more attractive) and practice setting up your marquee and how you would like to display your products. Oh and plenty of sleep! This can save a lot of time and disappointment at 6am in the morning, best of all you will be confident and feeling on top of the world.
Markets and Community had the pleasure of selling Toadstools and Tails products at the GO Festival held in October at the Melbourne Showgrounds, the products were bought as gifts as they were presented beautifully ready to be gifted.
Toadstools and Tails products can be purchased via their website: http://www.toadstoolsandtails.com.au/
Markets and Community 