Recent chats with well-known handmakers in St. Pete revealed various benefits to selling your wares at craft markets. From brand exposure to instant customer feedback, makers around St. Petersburg have reaped rewards from selling at local markets ranging from financial gain to finding their tribe.
That’s not to say that success doesn’t come with a lot of hard work. If you already own your own business or are considering pursuing a creative side hustle, here are some suggestions from local experts.
Preparation is Everything
Julie Angerosa is the talent behind the eco-chic jewelry, REJuled, made from natural stones and repurposed metals. She stressed that success at an event begins before you arrive.
“It’s helpful to do a dry set up at your house,” she said. Pop your tent or table in your yard and lay everything out.
“It’s part of market initiation, learning what works for you and doesn’t.”
Vendors need to think about how their display will look to shoppers. “What will they see when they walk past?” Angerosa suggests placing products at varying heights, including eye-level, to draw people in. She places products that customers can try on, like bracelets, on the ends of tables for easy access. She also considers the best placement for a checkout area to avoid traffic jams.
Shop REJuled at rejuled.com and find Julie’s work in several local boutiques around town including The Merchant and The Market at Left Bank.
Try Everything
Amelia Dean handcrafts the plant based skincare and hand poured botanical candles at Bohemian Rêves. She’s found success not only around Tampa Bay, but traveling the country at other craft markets. Her suggestion is to try everything, twice.
“It’s really hard to gauge with just one market,” she notes. All factors have to be considered when reviewing how well your products did at an event, including what else was going on in that city on that day.
According to Dean it’s good to: have realistic goals about getting into a market the first time you apply, have a backup plan and understand there’s a rotation of vendors at markets. She’s found a strong following in cities like Chicago, and will follow traveling markets to cities she knows her product line does well in. “Do a little research,” she said, and “know your customers.” Even the same market group can have a different turnout for customers in different regions, and it’s important to try new things but track trends on where you do well.
Find Bohemian Rêves at bohemianreves.com or visit Amelia’s new brick-and-mortar opening later this summer at 1620 Central Avenue.
Persistence is Key
Julie Dye is the handcrafter behind the minimalist, geometrically inspired jewelry at Blossom and Shine. She’s been in business for a decade, and she suggests that if your application to vend at an event has been rejected, don’t take it personally.
“If there’s an event you really want to be a part of, it’s important to go to that event and make sure your product fits in that event.” Vendors have to know their brand and their audience. “It’s not just about who they want but what’s best for you, too.”
On the flip side, “If there’s a dream market for you to get in to, don’t give up on it.” Julie did exactly that and as her business developed, her application improved along with her brand. Dye reiterated, “Keep trying.”
Visit Blossom and Shine at blossomandshine.com or visit her studio at The Art Lofts during the ArtWalk the second Saturday of every month.
Stay on the Sunny Side
Evan Neidich is the maker behind the “gifts and art that bring joy” known as Fox & Crow. She suggests you remember to make the most of each opportunity.
When you’re just starting a business “it hurts to have a bad day,” Neidich noted, but not every market, every time, will be a winner. “Sometimes it’s about improving your work and sometimes it’s just a bad day. It doesn’t mean you didn’t make good moves for your business that day, or make a new friend.” You may discover a great collaborative opportunity with a fellow vendor, someone may email you days later with a commission project, “or some days the best thing that’s going to happen is you had a beautiful sunny day in Florida.”
Find Fox & Crow at etsy.com/shop/foxandcrowco and catch her teaching with Nomad Art Bus where their mission is “Art for all.”
Make friends and small business mentors by participating in a local market. Try everything. Reapply if you’re not accepted. With a little bravery, creativity and commitment, you could join the ranks of the maker community in St. Pete and beyond.
Market Mafia is a resource connecting residents and visitors throughout Greater Tampa Bay with local handcraft markets. Find local happenings and #HitTheMarket, visit www.MarketMafia.com.
