event Farmers Markets thoughts??

Gemini Crow Sauce Company

Gemini Crow Sauce Company

Right now I go between 2 markets on Saturdays and two on Sundays.

Debating on doing 4 on Saturday and 4 on Sunday next spring. This way I hit each market once a month and open myself to being seen by more and more people.

Or is that spreading myself too thin? From what I'm learning, my repeat business is not week to week, but more of a bi-weekly basis so the current set up is working

I do like the idea though of seeing more and more different people per month.

Whatcha think?
 
I gave up trying to sell and decided to either go big of stay home...grew 1760 T. Scorps a few years back and realized the logistics, if not already in place is a nightmare...
 
now, I can just grow in my yard and baby my plants....I love being retired....every minute of it....
 
to answer your question, you are the only one that can do that....personally, schlepping all the product around is  royal PIA and I would not do it again for all the peppers in Trinidad
 
I was a little confused when I first read the OP.  You're alternating markets on Sat and Sun, not doing 2 markets on the same day Sat and 2 markets on the same day Sun?
 
I would worry that if you are only at any given market once every 4 weeks, you won't have enough consistency with your customers.  They have to know that if they go to the market and you aren't there, you will be there the next week.  If you aren't there, and the customer hasn't been there in a couple weeks, they won't know what week you will be there. 
 
Just my 2cents.  I've never don't markets that way, couldn't say for sure.....

Are there other markets in the area on non-weekend days?
 
I've been doing farmers markets on the weekends for about 5 years. Doing a single market once a month, you will not build the local clientele that you want. I do 3 a weekend, one on Sunday and I bounce between 2 on alternating Saturdays. Every 2 weeks is the minimum you want to do a specific market. People want to be able to rely on you. Take into consideration the weather, and if you do a specific market once a month and it's raining like crazy, well, it'll be once in 2 months.
 
The only issue I have with committing to one market for each day of the week/weekend, is that I'm still kind of new and as a first time market, guy, I guess I am using this Summer to see which markets draw better than others.....Word of mouth only means so much when you sell a niche item, such as hot sauce as opposed to produce which is why most people go out....
 
At this point, I know which is my better Saturday market and which one I do better at on Sundays.....But I did make commitments to the two other markets as well, and feel somewhat obligated to finish out the season....
 
I do well on all of them. I have been lucky....But I can see which ones are 'the real deal'.
 
I think maybe next year, if I can get one or two good weekday markets in the mix, I might explore your thought process.....It's always unpredicatble...
 
#alwayslearning
 
Ah - that makes more sense then. Your question has more to do with leaving weak markets for stronger ones then?

I encourage that. See if you can go 3/1 then rather than every other week. Focus your time on developing the better markets while preparing to exit the little ones (yet not altogether abandoning them).
:cheers:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top