Setting up shop! (Welcome to "Lulu's".)

[big brown horse]

Ok, long story short: I need some extra cashola to help support my teenaged daughter's budding hobby. (She is going to be helping me after homework, school and lessons, because this is her hobby and I want her involved.) Sooo, I'm going to rent a booth at the indoor flea market we have here in town. The booth I am thinking about renting is 8 x 6 priced at $100 per month + 10% of what I can sell in it. They also have a big room in the back for stuff that doesn't fit, but they charge a 25% consignment fee for that if it sells. It is a month to month lease with a 30 day notice of vacating. (They advertise all over, but I will double advertise via craigslist.) Here is what I'm going to sell:

all homemade:
soaps
laundry detergent
dish soap
candles
lip balms
aprons (if I can)
tea towels
reusable reversible grocery bags/toats
cloth reversible purses
felted wool pot holders and cup holders
cloth napkins
felted children's toys
wool hats
wool scarves
wool stuffed ticked pillows (remember I had sheep)
pillow covers for the wool stuffed pillows
baby blankets


And other used stuff that I have no use for anymore:
Vintage purse collection
other vintage clothes I collected over the years
Crosby english saddle
very nice english bridle
other horse items
table/chairs
small tufted reading chair
cute linens
house plants
garden plant starts
Sam's huge collection of children's dvds and books



Question, (and I'm sure I will have more so don't count them! ) has anyone done this and if so, do you have any advice?

Does my list of items look good enough? Is there anything I should add that would help the cause?

Also I plan on having a theme as far as decor goes. I can paint the shelves etc what ever color I want. Help, this is not my strong area! I wan't it to have a country farmhouse theme...or maybe you have a better idea.


What sort of containers should I use for my laundry powder etc? The hand soap is going to be wrapped simply in unbleached craft paper and stamped "handmade" etc. I have a thin black plaid ribbon to tie it with.

How about price tags? Where can I get some?

Now that I'm thinking about it, am I totally crazy? Is my overhead too high??? Granted, I won't have to work up there, someone else does that

 

[valmom]

How many days a week is it open? Can you keep up your stock if it does sell well?

 

[hillfarm]

My experiance is that soap only sales for a good price at higher end type places. Flea markets dont sale soap. Whats your foot traffic like and the clientele?

 

[big brown horse]

How many days a week is it open? Can you keep up your stock if it does sell well?

It is open 7 days a week and most holidays from 8-6. They have cameras and people on staff to walk around to keep an eye on stuff as well as help people get what they want to the counter then to their cars.

Keeping up with stock, wow I hope that becomes a problem! Thankfully the dark days of winter are near and I won't be able to spend time outdoors after 4:30 w/o a flashlight...good crafting weather! I think if I work 2 full hours a day on my crafts I can keep up...that is after I make enough product to put on the shelves. (Hoping to open up shop Nov. 1st.)

Hillfarm, I aim to keep my prices low as possible. The soap I want to sell is mostly castile soap then hopefully milk-based soaps later on.

ETA: just reread your reply hillfarm. The soap I make will have a rustic farm house quality...don't know if that will help sell it or not. I plan on keeping the price as low as possible...

 

[big brown horse]

Foot traffic, well there are people just like me shopping in there, most of my kitchen came from this place. It has all kinds of stuff in the booths which attracts all sorts of people. It is always busy when I'm in there (usually during the week). They have a coffee shop and an icecream booth.

 

[freemotion]

Paint your shelves and backgrounds in a neutral color that will not distract from your items....can you do paint techniques like crackle or antique wash? That would lend to the rustic look.

Is this one of those places where you don't have to be there to man the booth at all? If so, you'll want to have some very small, brief tags or something that tells how your products will save the client money. Good soap means less lotion, laundry soap is __ cents per use and the average big box is ___ cents per use, etc. Or that everything is handmade the old-fashioned way....something that tells a bit about you if you won't be there. That would really attract me, the bargain hunter. I also like to "know" the crafter a bit if possible.

I personally love the hand-made look, so you can make your tags with some 80 lb paper from Staples printed and cut out, then use a hole punch and use ribbon, rafia, baling twine, string from grain bags.....to tie them on.

You could use recycled containers for your powdered soaps, but....that would look a bit messy on an unmanned table. But it would be a good gimmick if you can get a supply of containers that are all the same (gallon milk jugs from all your friends and neighbors, maybe? Peel the labels off?) Or simply get some sturdy paper bags or maybe double bag them with lunch bags. Or ziplocs if the paper doesn't seem like it would hold up. But staple everything so no one opens one up. You can use address labels as price tags, too.....oh, yeah, don't forget Vistaprint! You could get the free business cards and print something on them about you and Sam, maybe, and then use those as price tags! And get return address labels (even keeping them blank if you want) to use on smaller items. You can get the postcards printed with laundry soap instructions....the possibilities are endless. Resist the urge to upgrade, though....stick with the free choices. Sign up for their email flyers and you'll get all the sales. They are non-stop. They count on you upgrading. I never do and get great stuff!

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks freemotion!




So my idea isn't crazy?

 

[freemotion]

Well, I didn't say that..... Isn't everyone here a bit loony? You are going into this right during holiday shopping time, so you should do ok for the first two months. If you can get repeat business, you are golden. Can you set up an email account or something so you can put contact info on your items? That way you can sell to repeat customers even if you don't keep the booth. (Maybe put "ask about bulk pricing!" above or below the email.....and offer discounts for referred customers to anyone who emails you.)

 

[Boogity]

I think freem has offered some great advice. I say go for it and work as hard as you can for the first few months. Keep trying new things and give it 100% effort. Believe me, it will be a lot more work than you ever expected to make it a success. But if you don't try you will never know how successful you can be. You go girl.

 

[Beekissed]

You are gonna have fun!!! I know I love booths that have what you are offering and it always helps if your booth doesn't look like everyone else's.

I differ from Free on one notion...neutral colors do not attract me unless they are displaying something with pretty colors. Like weathered farm looking black paint beneath the display of your colorful scarves and pillows. Less colorful items against a splash of muted, but distinctive and warm color.

Under the neutral colored display of the soaps, maybe you should have a barn, and well-weathered, red. Whatever you use should blend and flow, not be jarring to the eye and should attract from a distance...like good art. Display is everything if you wish to attract people with cash to spend. The booth shouldn't be overwhelmingly busy to look upon but should draw the eye at different levels and to different areas of delight.

I like to get the everyday hang type tags, which are cheap, and soak them in tea. Let them dry and then write on them with a black calligraphy style pen or even a fine point sharpy. They will have an old-timey, vintage look to them but won't break the bank.

If you can display a good pic of your sheep next to the woolly items, people always like that....I'd put it in an old-timey looking frame and I'd put your sheep's name on the pillow or scarf if it came from their wool.

Have you thought of a name for your booth? You need a great signage that sort of stands out from the other vendors.