{"id":10187,"date":"2016-02-09T06:18:46","date_gmt":"2016-02-09T12:18:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/?p=10187"},"modified":"2018-01-02T15:44:39","modified_gmt":"2018-01-02T21:44:39","slug":"how-to-sell-at-farmers-markets-when-youre-not-a-farmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/2016\/02\/how-to-sell-at-farmers-markets-when-youre-not-a-farmer.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell at Farmer\u2019s Markets When You’re Not a Farmer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Capital

Rolling pins by SJ Woodworks<\/a> offered for sale at Capital City Public Market. Photo\u00a0by Melissa Nodzu, used with permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

How to Wow the Big Town Farmer’s Markets, even if you’re not a farmer<\/h3>\n

Guest Post by H. E. James<\/h3>\n

Small town businesses like yours can often be limited in audience and market.\u00a0 Depending on how isolated your community is, it can be difficult to do business outside the community without simply going online.<\/p>\n

E-commerce sites like Etsy are a great way to get started when you\u2019re a small town business owner looking to sell handmade goods.\u00a0 My own parents live in a rural area and are jewelers and artisans who travel outside their community to market their products.\u00a0 Getting offline at art shows and farmer\u2019s markets in larger communities has proved to be great exposure for them and many others, but it does take some finesse.<\/p>\n

Logistics<\/h2>\n
\"Capital

Brett “Buzz” Davis of Long Valley Coffee travels a long way to Capital City Public Market. Photo\u00a0by Melissa Nodzu, used with permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

In the case of the farmer\u2019s markets in my hometown area, the two with the most exposure are at least 45 minutes away from most rural areas.\u00a0 Set-up starts early at both of them, with loading opening around seven in the morning.\u00a0 So first and foremost, you must decide if it\u2019s worth the time and effort to visit a farmer\u2019s market, which you should do as regularly as possible for the best return on investment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When you\u2019re carrying in products that require you to set up displays or require the set-up of electricity, you have to plan your day down to the minute.\u00a0 For vendor BuckSnort Sodas<\/a>, that was definitely the case.\u00a0 Their trip to Boise, Idaho\u2019s Capital City Public Market<\/a> (CCPM) would start from more than 150 miles away in Ketchum, almost three hours from the market.<\/p>\n

The distance was worth it, as BuckSnort can now be found alongside beers and wines at restaurants and bars all over the state and even in Oregon.\u00a0 By starting small, sharing just one or two products at the market, BuckSnort was able to manage the logistics of travelling the long distance for the day.\u00a0 Its success has been so great that it has now moved closer to its main market: Boise.<\/p>\n

Another CCPM vendor who travels a great distance each week is Brett \u201cBuzz\u201d Davis, owner of Long Valley Coffee<\/a>.\u00a0 He and his son roast their own coffees and bring them to Boise from McCall, more than two hours away.<\/p>\n

Know the Market<\/h2>\n

Secondly, you must think strategically about the market, and not just the one at which you\u2019re going to sell your product.\u00a0 If you decide to sell at more than one in a given market, be sure to look at the demographics of your target market<\/a>.\u00a0 Why is this important?<\/p>\n

People in rural, suburban, and urban markets spend differently, and not just because incomes differ among them.\u00a0 Urban dwellers are likely to be exposed more often to what you are offering, so you must consider your products\u2019 prices carefully.\u00a0 While you should always consider what it truly costs you to produce your work and price that work higher than expected, don\u2019t forget to consider the wares of your competitors.\u00a0 As author Rochelle Bailis advises in her article on product pricing<\/a>, it\u2019s best to compare yourself honestly with your competition.<\/p>\n

At the farmer\u2019s markets in Boise, there are multiple honey growers who sell multiple products.\u00a0 Their prices are all relatively the same.\u00a0 What differentiates them from each other are things like packaging, specialty products, and even production location.<\/p>\n

Leverage the Story<\/h2>\n
\"HomesteadBrooms\"

Ernie Garvin of Homestead Brooms, exhibiting at Capital City Public Market. Photo by Melissa Nodzu, used with permission.<\/p><\/div>\n

Like the many wineries that sell their vintages at the Boise Farmer\u2019s Market<\/a>, or the honey producers at Capital City, if you are selling among multiple competitors, you have to find unique ways to differentiate yourself.<\/p>\n

One way is to start with your story.\u00a0 Every business has a story.\u00a0 For rural lavender farmer and Capital City vendor Silver Fox Lavender<\/a>, that starts with the history of the farm itself.\u00a0 The owners live in a century-old Sears mail-order farmhouse, and it is featured on their packaging and the banner that it is displayed at the market booth.<\/p>\n

If your product is unique from other sellers at the farmer\u2019s markets, make that a feature of your booth presentation.\u00a0 Big Lost River Meats<\/a> travels all the way to Boise from Mackay every Saturday for the Boise Farmer\u2019s Market.\u00a0 This round-trip of 440 miles is worth it because they typically sell out within the first couple of hours.\u00a0 Their no-preservatives, specialty sausages and game salami can\u2019t be found among other vendors at that market.<\/p>\n

All About You<\/h2>\n

Taking your small business to a farmer\u2019s market in a larger community can be a gamble if you\u2019re not prepared<\/a>, but it can pay off in the long run.\u00a0 Marketing your goods online is a great way to get started as an artisan or producer.\u00a0 Yet it can be an impersonal experience for small business owners who are used to interacting with friends and neighbors in rural neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

Marketing at a larger-scale farmer\u2019s market is a great way to translate the social aspect of small town business to big town sales and growth.\u00a0 Take what makes your business unique and head to the market.\u00a0 Do it right, and you\u2019ll be successful!<\/p>\n

<\/h2>\n

Photos of vendors at\u00a0Capital City Public Market, taken by Melissa Nodzu<\/a>, and used with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to Wow the Big Town Farmer’s Markets, even if you’re not a farmer Guest Post by H. E. James Small town businesses like yours can often be limited in audience and market.\u00a0 Depending on how isolated your community is, it can be difficult to do business outside the community without simply going online. E-commerce […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":10191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7,8],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/SJWoodworks.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10187"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10187"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11091,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10187\/revisions\/11091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}