How to Set Up at Markets - Market Set Up Tips - 5 Amateur Market Set Up Mistakes To Avoid

[@theresajones504]

love the information you shared about craft fair.

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

Thank you so much!! I hope it was helpful!!!

[@joanprinceprince79]

A very informative video. Thank you.

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

Thank you so much!! I hope it's helpful!!!

[@LovelyStitchesUS]

Great video and tips on market displays! I just joined and posted on your Facebook group.

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

You rock! And thank you so much!!!

[@WitchyLittleStitches]

This is so helpful! I am doing my first market this Saturday and I'm so nervous! I do have business cards and a stretchy tablecloth so that boosted my confidence! 😅 I didn't know about the white tents being required for some events so I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thankfully my first event is indoors and I just need to worry about one table. Thanks for all your great content!

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

You'll see in the paperwork if the white tent is required. I've done A TON of markets and it's not been a requirement for all but one of them. Meaning, the average market, any colored tent is okay. But the fancier juried events, it CAN be a requirement. And the benefit to THESE events is that they tend to be quite selective about who they let in, so you don't always have to worry about like 5 other crochet artists being at the same show. Plus, they tend to attract *actual* shoppers. Whereas, at regular events, some people are just going to browse (which is okay, but when the customer has to pay money to get into an event, they're more likely to actually spend money within the event too). HOWEVER, you definitely don't have to do juried events to make money. So basically, all that to say, don't worry if your tent ISN'T white, because you can still do plenty of events with a colored tent. It's just something to be mindful of. Also, good luck at your first event!!! I hope it goes fantastic!

[@Hookstohugs]

Having a chaotic display is such a good point, it’s so off putting and to be honest I struggle to see the items, we keep everything separate and have space between items, we’ve been complimented on our displays which we’re proud of

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

Yes, for sure. It can be quite overwhelming to have to take in a chaotic display. Especially if you're literally trying to pick through and shop. And that's awesome that your set up is so well received!! f you have Facebook, I'd love it if you could go to my Facebook group and post a picture of your display. I know that's a weird request, but: 1. I'm trying to grow the group, so I'd love to have you! 2. I want the group to be a place of learning and inspiration, so seeing your set up might help people get ideas for how to organize THEIR stuff. Plus, it's good to see an example of what's actually be well received by customers too! Here's a link to the group: facebook.com/share/AWf6u6tY6HE4pdio/

[@Hookstohugs]

@@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo I have joined and uploaded a small video of a stall we’ve had this year x

[@lisapettit7403]

Thanks for the advice! I have my first 2 markets this month and so far I can tick off many of your boxes. When I try outdoor markets I will use my dinette tent - it is not a cheap one, at all. Once I have determined whether or not outdoor markets are for me, then I will invest in a commercial tent. I going to take my table cloths out now and get out any wrinkles. I saw a tip to use a pool noodle to roll up your table cloths so that they aren't wrinkled when you get to the show. I will be testing this out!

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

Ohhh, I like that tip!!! I would have never thought of that, but I could see it working pretty well and it's not like pool noodles take up a ton of space, so it could be pretty functional too. Great suggestion. You'll have to let me know how it goes. I don't use table cloths anymore because I've switched totally to grid walls, so I can't test this advice myself, but I'd love to find out of it works!!! And I totally understand where you're coming from. Not everyone that has a crochet business does markets, that's just one option for your business. So, it's definitely smart to find out if it's right for you before investing a lot of money into those larger purchases, like a commercial tent. I hope most people got that as a take away here: the fact that you can work your way up to these things and you don't necessarily have to have them all from the get go. I don't want to stress anyone out or overwhelm them.

[@lisapettit7403]

@@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo I'm sure that no one was stressed out. You were giving advice from your experience and not telling anyone what to do. I appreciated the information and the visuals.

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

This is true. It's just hard/nerve wracking to say stuff sometimes because I don't actually have control over how it's perceived.

[@sarapalmer572]

The commercial tents are expensive but they are definitely worth the money. The quality is much better. I had two tents - one was commercial and the other was walmart brand. I had left both overnight at an outdoor market and a strong microburst went through and had completely snapped the bar of the walmart tent but only bent the commercial tent. Both had to be thrown out, but the quality difference was very obvious.

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

Yeah, that's probably the most expensive upgrade on this list, getting a commercial tent. But if you're going to be regularly doing markets, it IS worth the money for sure. That's a cool side by side comparison though. I mean, not cool cool because having to spend more money on something you already had sucks but just for science sake, that's a cool side by side comparison lol.

[@strawberry0sunset]

I have been a vendor for a year now and i have liked the tent I bought, except that it is super hard for me to set up alone. There were decently strong winds at my last market and a leg bent up towards the top so im in the market for a new one. How easy is yours to do alone?

[@WorksofWhimsyCrochetCo]

It IS doable alone, definitely. Rebecca, my podcast cohost sets up alone at all of her events and has an ABCanopy tent too. But it's definitely easier to do if you're not on the pavement because you can kind of use the dirt/ground as leverage. Like basically slightly bury a foot to hold it in place so when you're trying to pull the tent to pop it open, you're not just dragging the whole thing, if that makes sense. However, I don't set up alone, so I can't 100% give you my own experience. But I do know it's doable because of Rebecca and because, I won't lie, a lot of times, I just have my husband set up the tent for me, and then I get out and start setting up the stuff in the tent haha.