Well, this is an interesting topic for stallholders – if we had a glass ball, we would be rich and the organisers of said events would also be rich. However, it’s just not that cut and dry. One artisan market/craft fair could be an absolute boom for one stall and a flop for the next.
It’s not always just the market that is the important variable in this situation.
There are multiple factors that, when they come together, create a sweet spot and make a wonderful market success for the trader.
What Makes a Successful Fair?
An event has to be suited to your business. By this, we mean that the quality of the curation has to suit your business and the audience has to align with it also.
It’s when everything comes together perfectly – that’s what makes a market successful.
- When the fair is well curated – what does this mean? A great variety of stalls, beautiful stall set-ups, everyone working actively to help promote the event.
- When the stalls complement one another and there is not too much competition/repetition
- When the market is very well promoted across multiple channels. The best market organisers gather their community, they do everything within their power to share the event far and wide. We will explain this further shortly.
- When customers turn up to actively support the event and its traders.
- When everyone leaves after having a wonderful experience and shares the event far and wide – both traders and customers.
We will share markets/fairs that demonstrate how they tick these boxes but if you can find events that meet these factors for your business then you are starting to find YOUR best craft fairs to sell at.
When You don’t Get Accepted on a Market
The next thing to point out is when stallholders don’t get accepted into these events that people perceive to be amazing. This can be a real blow to confidence, with traders often feeling as though their products are not good enough. Ultimately art and products are all subjective and organisers have to make difficult choices about their markets and the stallholders they bring along. These decisions are not made lightly and it will be very difficult for them, with some seeing over 600 applications for 150-300 spaces.
So, how do you get accepted?
You have to make the decision really easy for the organiser and poor images is your biggest setback here. If at first glance the imagery and the product offering is not clear, you’re less likely to stand a chance against those that have top quality photos. Generally, we advise getting just a few professional shots of your products, and also of you! If not, phones nowadays are amazing and you could grab yourself some great photos on your phone, but be hyper critical about them.
Give details about your business, remember to be clear about your ethos without being pushy. Have a clear brand and demonstrate what your stall will look like. See our top tips on how to make a fab stall set up.
Provide links – social media is essential and again your page should be soley focused on you and your brand. It’s hard to outline what this looks like, as the hyper-polished Insta accounts are really the most important thing, but your bio and posting should all align.
The Pop-up in the Palmhouse
Fabulous venue, immensely curated market, stalls that are super polished – their stalls are usually amazing with the best set up. Customers usually flock in droves to the event. Recent economic challenges have made it a little less lucrative for the traders.
The Incredible Makers Market
What a market – it’s a little powerhouse of an event created by three wonderful makers that you can find on Pedddle – Louise Crookenden Johnson and Ray of Soap – James and Ruth.
They used techniques learnt during Covid and lockdown that was implemented for the online markets. With a great social media presence, introducing the makers involved and it has brought together a fabulous community of traders that were super supportive of the event and shared it far and wide. This meant that they had a huge reach and the event was a success on many levels.
Their second event is imminent as this article is being written and we’re sure that it will also be a huge success. What this trio demonstrated is that if you can put in the work and advertise an event as much as possible, finding your ideal audience, it will pay off with people through the door.
Pexmas
Pexmas has been around for a while and their events seem to be growing year on year. After speaking with the organiser, Sarah, she told us of the challenges it has faced over the years. But it seems to effortlessly ride out the storms and come back stronger each time.
Tea Green Events
Jo has been working on her events for years and she continues to set very high standards, working with brands that want to be showcasing their events alongside other really talented businesses. They showcase in spaces such as The V&A in Dundee, Aberdeen Art Gallery and the fab Bowhouse. By hosting at many prestigious places, they have managed to build a strong customer base and also an audience of stallholders wanting to take part.
Green Rooms Markets
Find your niche and stay in it! We love that the Green Rooms Markets are finding new locations for their botanical markets. If you fit into this space – definitely give them a little look up! Jemma and Annie are twins with a force for all things botanical, and their markets always gather a great crowd. Having also just created an online marketplace for their green-fingered traders, they have built a wonderful community that appreciates all things botanical!
This list isn’t exhausted by any means. There are so many events around the country that are worthy of being on this list, and we are sharing just a few that have done really well (and continue to do well) to show you why they have had so much success.
One thing’s for certain, they all do well on Pedddle! Listing events is a great way to spread the word and also listing your stallholder business to check into these markets helps to raise your profile too.