I love vending outdoors!
Since 2004, I have been setting up shop at my local farmer's market, selling soap to the masses. Well, back then, there weren't as many masses. Nowadays, it's hard to navigate the street because the market is so packed with people (UPDATE: We were able to still have the market in 2020! Far fewer masses, but the market still happened, as it was an “essential business. We are so lucky!). I am lucky to live in a place that has such a great market so close to home; I am doubly lucky to be a part of that market as a vendor for so long.
Because I have been around so long on this scene, I often get asked questions about vending, from those new to outdoor vending. The questions range from:
"Do you know the local tax rate? I forgot."
to
"You don't happen to have some duct tape I can borrow, do you?"
The answer to both is, of course, "Yes." And the tax rate. You get it.
Aaaanyway, listen, there are lots of things craft business owners need to know when vending outdoors. I could probably do an entire blog or video series on this exact topic, because there are a lot of things to think about for the very specific skill of vending outdoors. There's tent choice and weights, display choices, labeling choices for products, how to TALK TO HUMANS, how to manage the money, how to deal with market managers, etc. Maybe I should do a blog or video series. Maybe I just made my list and I'm copying it and pasting it to a doc right now! (Not maybe, I just did it.) Let me know in the comments what aspect of outdoor vending you would like to read about.
As a start, today I am offering you the Ultimate Outdoor Vending Checklist!
When I started vending, I didn't have much. Just a tent, one cheap-ass camping table (You know, those aluminum ones with the cardboard-type top? Ugh.), and a piece of denim to cover the table. The tent was super cheap, from a big box store, and I threw it away at the end of my first season, because it was broken in 4 places and I had to tape it with duct tape in those four places every time I had a show.
Oh, those were the days. Not very well thought-out on my part.
I got smarter as the years went on, and as I packed my car each time, I mentally checked off everything on the checklist as I packed my car:
"Tent
Weights
Bungee cords
Sign
Tables
Chair..."
and so on. As time went on, I kept forgetting things here and there while vending, and the list got pretty long, so I had to write it down.
I suppose that's another tip for outdoor vending: write everything down! My memory is just too full for details anymore.
Since this blog is meant to be helpful to you, I'm offering you the checklist that I use when getting ready for an outdoor show. I've spiffed it up so it looks nice. Enter your email address below to get yours, and please let me know what you think should be added to it, so I can update it.
Enjoy your vending! I hope you sell out!