Folk and Bespoke organise markets for artisans and small businesses to sell their wares, and they’ve kindly written a guest blog for Pedddle! If you’re a small business owner, read how to optimise your Small Business Sales with Folk and Bespoke.
If you’d like to participate in any of their events, find application forms all linked below.
How to Optimise your Small Business Sales with Folk and Bespoke
What is Folk and Bespoke?
I’m Katy and Folk and Bespoke has been created out of my desire to provide a regular place for quality bespoke artists and brands to display and sell their work, whilst not costing them a fortune to do so.
Folk and Bespoke provides a place for people to come together to make, sell, buy and collect unique and bespoke items, supporting local design professionals and crafters alike.
As well as running my own business, www.joeandannamarketplace.co.uk, I decided in the start of 2022 that a website that lists and provides a link to all the other wonderful artists and crafters out there would be a great idea, hence the start of Folk & Bespoke!
My goal is to create the very best website for all creative professionals and connect you with small and local businesses through year-round, accessible marketplaces.
If you’d like to know more about our history, click here.
How can I get involved?
I am looking for other business to join me at Folk & Bespoke. I am looking for time-served artists, artisans or creatives, looking for events, on a regular basis, throughout the year.
If that sounds like your thing, Folk & Bespoke is giving businesses the opportunity to get out there on a regular basis, in well known locations across Essex, Herts, Cambridgeshire, Sussex and Surrey, building a fantastic clientele at the fraction of the price of a high street shop.
How to Optimise your Small Business Sales with Folk and Bespoke
Folk & Bespoke is a website for artists, brands and makers, as well as a brand that hosts live events, so it’s a combination of what most creatives need.
As the title of this blog implies, these things could help you to optimise your own small business sales, in several ways! Similarly to Pedddle, we have a strong focus on assisting the creative community in myriad ways.
My aim is to help raise awareness of the wonderful work that lots of small businesses create and to provide the opportunity and space for them to expand their online presence. I will write blogs and personally vet all businesses that are interested, to ensure that the website has quality work and brands on there, making it a place where customers will feel confident to shop. The site will be a links page, meaning that you will provide one image and a link to your site, that customers will click onto to directly access your business.
There is a monthly charge of £5 per month. There will be no other charges, all sales will go directly via your website or business page.
I run “live” events, regularly at a host of great venues; The New Windmill Hall Upminster, Firstsite Colchester, Rayleigh Mill, Leigh Community Centre, Epping Catholic Church Hall, The Cliffs Pavilion, Great Baddow Millennium Centre Chelmsford, Ware Priory Hertfordshire, Sawbridgewoth Village Hall, The Grange Community Centre in the South Downs, The Phoenix Community Centre in Wallington, Surrey and Love’s Farm House in Cambridgeshire.
If you’d like to participate in any of these events, find application forms for all F&B markets linked at the end of this blog.
Folk & Bespoke run some events monthly at certain venues, to give small businesses and brands like mine the opportunity to show and sell their products to an increasing audience, face to face and then via the Folk & Bespoke website. There has been so much demand!
Folk & Bespoke is a platform where people can sell their products online and at our events and have complete control over their own finances. No extra commission etc will be taken by anyone.
I am focused on having a platform that provides customers with quality products and quality customer service, something which bigger corporations often struggle to provide. They seem to be interested in fake reviews, cheap products to get more sales and not at all interested in customers and/ or customer service. Customers will always be attracted to them as they can sell products for the cheapest possible price.
Feedback from our community…
There were 20 Folk & Bespoke events throughout 2022, a whopping 35 throughout 2023 and around 50 in 2024 – and the feedback has been great!
“It all looked great. So many stalls and such a wide range of lovely things. I visited as a customer and chatted with some really nice people. I’m looking forward to setting up my stall in June, even more now.”
“I had such a lovely day- there was such a fab vibe and wow, what a talented bunch. Looking forward to seeing you again in June.”
“It was a well organised event with a good selection of quality crafts.”
“The layout and set up was brilliant, you must have spent ages organising the layout so we didn’t have two stalls selling the same items next to each other.”
“Thank you for the opportunity, I truly enjoyed having a stall at such a good location – lots of natural light, spacious, clean, music and great view.”
“I thought the selection of businesses was varied and high quality. You also didn’t pack us in too tightly which is appreciated!”
“I thought your social media has been strong, especially considering Folk and bespoke is so new and your communication leading up to the event was great.”
“I visited your fair at the Cliffs yesterday & it was really refreshing to see lots of new stalls.”
“Thank you for organising this event, it was so lovely to be in the company of so many talented local artists and craftsmen.”
“Thank you so much Katy, such a well organised event. It was a pleasure meeting you and also the amazing artist, artisans and crafters. Well done for organising such an exceptional event.”
“Well done Katy putting on a great event. Every crafter was amazingly talented.”
“Thanks so much Katy – had such a great day and really enjoyed meeting you and the other amazing sellers.”
“I came along as I love a good craft fair and it was really lovely to see so many new stalls, the makes & stalls were so professional. Wish I had got there earlier didn’t give myself enough time to have a proper wander.”
“Thanks for all your hard work, much appreciated. Enjoy your much deserved rest, have a great Christmas and see you in the New Year.”
“Katy…I’ve had a fab day!! Have fallen in love with Rayleigh…I had a mooch round the shops after…loved today…can’t wait until the next one there!”
“Merry Christmas everyone, I had a lovely day & it’s been fab getting to know everyone! Looking forward to the New Year & more events!”
“Well done Katy for all your hard work this year and a fabulous day today at Rayleigh Mill. I love that venue. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year.”
“Thanks again Katy for all your hard work, not only for this event, but for all the others throughout the year. Now time to take a well deserved break! Roll on 2023! Happy Christmas Folk and Bespokers!”
“Thankyou Katy for all your hard work, loved the venue and the other traders.”
“Thanks for all you do Katy, and just wanted to add what a lovely polite son you have in Joe!”
“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone. Today was really great and thank you Katy for all your amazing efforts in pulling this all together.”
“A lovely event and a brilliant concept, thank you Katy for all your hard work. You have pulled off such special events, brilliant!!”
“The greatest selection of crafter’s today. Was really impressed with the variety of stalls and the high quality. Can’t wait till the next one!”
“Thank you, a really lovely event! We bought so many lovely presents. So well organised and a fabulous venue!”
“We both would like to thank you for today at leigh. The footfall was brilliant and had a buzzing atmosphere, a real community spirit with all the sellers and customers, a lovely group of people. Keep up all the good work you do. P.S. Please tell your daughter that her performance on piano and guitar/singing was brilliant today and just added to the charming atmosphere. Look forward to 2024. All the best to everyone.”
“I second this – F&B are By far my favourite events a massive well done to Katy and all involved in making them all so wonderful x”
“As ever, a great event thanks to background planning and organisation. Thank you Katy. Love F&B! Relishing a short respite over the holiday period but looking forward to being back in March. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the F&B community. Roll on 2024!”
“Thank you Katy the events are so well organised and we know how much work you put in.”
“As a newbie to the craft market game, I’ve learnt a few lessons already one is to find a good provider and stick with them. Fingers have been burnt a couple of times this year but I have been really impressed with the professionalism and integrity shown by Katy and all the F&B team and traders. Many thanks Katy for the couple of events I have attended this year and you can be sure I will be booking more with you next year. Well done and have a great Christmas.”
“This group has been hands down the most informative and eye opening. Thanks Katy and all for the learning. Greatly appreciated.”
How to join Folk & Bespoke
I really want to develop the Folk & Bespoke community even more as we move further into 2024.
If you are interested in being at any of my events during 2024, and/or having a card on my website, then sign up at www.folkandbespoke.com to receive up to date information regarding dates and booking etc.
Below are the links to apply for all events and/or the website.
I will send an email to confirm your bookings, followed by an invoice for all the events booked. The invoices will then need to be paid 2 months before each event. You can use the reference number on the invoice for each event that is paid for and settled along the way!
Click the individual links listed below to directly apply…
1. Folk & Bespoke website application form
2. Application form for monthly events at The Leigh Community Centre and The Rayleigh Mill
3. New Windmill Hall Upminster application form
4. Colchester application form
5. Epping Catholic Church Hall application form
6. Cliffs Pavilion application form
7. Great Baddow Community Centre application form
8. Ware Priory application form
9. Sawbridgeworth Village Hall application form
10. The Grange Community Centre application form
11. The Phoenix Community Centre application form
12. Love’s Farm application form
If you choose to apply for F&B events, you will be invoiced, with payment confirming your place at the event.
Thank you in advance and let me know if you have any other questions and welcome to Folk & Bespoke, where we can all come together to “sell what we love to make!”
Speak to you soon!
This blog was written by Katy from Folk & Bespoke in June 2024. Please contact Folk & Bespoke directly for current selling opportunities at their markets.
Pedddle offers various memberships to help the creative community, whether you’re a small business owner, another market organiser, or a market visitor. Check them out via the button below!