Market season is upon us and I'm here to help.
Do you call it a craft fair? A vendor’s event? A market? I feel like craft fair invokes memories of all the ladies from church or the PTO moms gathering up their hobby crafts to sell at the church/school craft fair to fundraise for some event. Vendor’s event sounds weirdly formal. While market makes me think of fresh veggies and artisanal bread, we’re going to use the term market for the purpose of this blog post. Whatever you call it, ’tis the start of the season.
Typically I see market season starting around April, when the weather warms up and everyone is itching to get outside, and ending in November, when the holiday shopping season is sort of unofficially over. The photo at the top of this post is from a market I sold at in October 2022 for my finished pieces business. This table pictured had some of my best sellers, and I’m going to share not only these patterns, but other market-friendly patterns as well as some tips for vending.
How do you find markets?
Great question, and one many people have. Answers may vary depending on your location, but here’s what’s worked for me.
- Facebook. I know it seems like this is just where the older people hang out…trust me, I’m an elder milennial, I KNOW I’m not cool for still being active on Facebook. BUT hear me out. It’s actually a great way to get connected with your local community. Because I have my location set on Facebook, I frequently get notifications for events in my area, including upcoming markets. Take this opportunity to find the event organizer’s page and see if they have past markets posted where you can see the types of products being sold there, maybe gauge the attendance, and give them a follow if you think they might have other offerings that could work for you. This is also a great way to find annual or recurring markets.
- Staying in the vein of Facebook, local Facebook groups. There might be a community or neighborhood group you can join, or if you’re a parent there’s usually a local mom and/or dad’s group. These groups can come with some kooky posts and drama. If you find the general posts aren’t your jam but you DO see posts in there that give you insight to market opportunities, you can stay in the group and unfollow it so the posts don’t appear on your feed; this way you can choose when you actively go into the group and search for posts that have market ideas for you.
- I joked about it above, but let’s go back to craft fair roots – your local church/school/community center bulletin board (…or Facebook page). The very first market I sold at was at a church. I didn’t attend that church, but I did drive by there frequently and noticed a banner advertising an upcoming market and I found info on their website for applying. Even if these places aren’t hosting their own events, they may be advertising for other events.
- Talk to your friends. Are they attending festivals or other events that have vendors there? Maybe you can look into those events.
- Just Google it. Seriously, just search for craft fairs in your area. I just did a search and found that my city’s website has a calendar of events, including some markets; lots of Facebook posts came up where people were searching for markets in the area; we even have a local crafting website where organizers/promoters can send in their events and they get added to a list of upcoming events on the site.
I promise you can find events in your area and it’s not that hard. No matter how you find the event, one thing to keep in mind is not to jump into too many unknowns at once. You may want to choose one to do this year and then choose a few more to attend this year in consideration of selling at them next year. As an attendee you can seek out the organizer and ask them what the application cost/process is, when they open applications, whether they have other events, and see if they can tell you estimated attendance at the events.
I got accepted...now what?
Congratulations! Now comes the hard part. Getting ready. I know you want to just start making all the things, but I urge you to do a little planning first. I recommend keeping a folder or binder for market paperwork. Keep a copy of your application and acceptance in there as well as evidence of payment...just in case.
Check the requirements for the event. Do you need a city/county/state business license or sales tax ID? Make sure you have that in place and keep a printed copy in a folder or binder to take with you to the event. Do you need any kind of insurance? Make sure you have that and put a copy in your folder/binder. What kind of space are you going to have - indoor/outdoor, tent/no tent, how big? If you need a tent, do you have a tent and weights and the ability to set it up on the day of the market? Think about the logistics of your booth set up early.
If you need business cards, banners, any sort of printables, get those ordered ASAP.
Make sure you have electronic payments set up. I offer Venmo and PayPal as well as having a Square card reader. I've been to plenty of markets where people didn't have a card reader and could only accept PayPal/Venmo or cash, and it seemed to be totally fine. Also take cash with you for change. I like to take $200 cash and the bill breakdown is based on my prices, what I think will sell most and what change I would likely need for that. It's kind of a guessing game the first few times really.
The fun part - making things!
Be mindful of your ideal customer and your niche when making items for markets. And don’t make things specifically for a market that you wouldn’t ever want to sell at another market or in an online shop…you never know what will be a best seller and you might have to make hundreds of them.
The ideal make for a market is something that doesn’t cost a lot in materials to make, doesn’t take a ton of time, and is easily repeatable. Intricate shawl patterns are probably not top of the list here. Queen sized blankets? No thanks. Baby blankets? Yes please. I also like to think about what OTHER vendors there outside of crochet might be selling and how I can maybe piggyback of their items within my customer and product niche. If I already offer washcloths or soap savers in my shop and I know there will be soap sellers at the market, I’m definitely bringing washcloths or soap savers to the market. I might even go buy a bar of soap from them at the beginning of the market and use that as a prop in my display.
How to price items can be tricky because there are SO many factors. It’s best to have 3 tiers of pricing in your items – low, middle, high. Have the majority of your items be in the middle range, just slightly less in the lower range, and only a few things in the higher range. Pam Grice at Crochetpreneur has some really great blog posts on pricing your items and craft fair inventory – check her out!
Now, some pattern ideas.
I’ve rounded up some patterns that I think would make great sellers at a market. For this particular post, I’m going to steer clear of amigurumi patterns. I feel like there’s just TOO many choices there, but if you have any favorite ami patterns for markets, leave them in the comments!
Blackbird Iced Coffee Cozy
Keep your iced coffee cold and your hands dry with this iced coffee cozy. This is an easy-to-memorize quick make, perfect for markets. The pattern includes 2 sizes, giving you options for pricing as well as selling them as a bundle. It is designed to fit most standard cold coffee cups, adding a touch of handmade whimsy and reducing single-use cardboard sleeve waste.
Check it out here on the blog.
Claire Bun Beanie
This is sure to be a best seller at your fall and winter markets! Bun Beanies had a viral moment maybe about 10 years ago, but even after that faded, they’re still really popular. This is a pretty quick make, low cost for the yarn, and is a great mid-range priced item. There are video tutorials if you need assistance, and the designer also has a fully beanie pattern available in this same style. That’s another great opportunity to create bundles.
Find the full instructions at A Crafty Concept
Wild Oleander Hooded Scarf
This is a showstopper piece. You probably don’t want to flood your booth with a ton of these due to the high price point, but placing this on a mannequin at the front of your booth will make people stop for sure! If you’re a Ravelry user, you can look at the projects on there to see all the different customizations you could do – make it a shawl, give it a cowl neck instead of being hooded, color ideas, etc.
Buy the pattern at Wickedly Handmade
Halcyon Wristlet Keychain
Keychains are a great lower price option for your booth. You can make them super fast and people who are shopping for gifts love something like this that isn’t specifically sized for someone. Customize the link, match your hardware to your yarn, and use up scraps.
Buy the pattern at Christina Ann Studios
Eryn Plant Hanger
Pairing functionality with bohemian style, this is an eye-catching home decor piece. Everyone is a plant girly these days, and what better way to display your plants than a cute handmade hanger?
Get the pattern at Through The Loop
Blackbird E-Reader Cozy
While I love a physical book, my Kindle is way more practical for my reading habits. This e-reader cozy is sized to fit most standard sized e-readers and works up surprisingly fast. This would be a great way to use those random buttons you inherited from Grandma or picked up at a thrift store, or buy these cute book buttons on Etsy.
Check it out here
Mesh Market Bag
Shoppers at markets always need a way to carry their purchases, so why not offer them a solution? This crochet mesh market bag doesn’t take as long as you would think, and you can use these cotton scraps to make some matching keychains with the pattern above. This is a great way to showcase those variegated cotton yarns that look really pretty but you aren’t quite sure what to do with.
Video tutorial available from Stephanie Zed
Sage Dishcloth
This simple textured dishcloth uses worsted weight cotton yarn, works up quickly, and is a great gift to be purchased at a market. As I mentioned above, if you know there will be booths there selling soaps, stop by in the morning to buy a bar of their soap and use it as a prop when you set up your dishcloths.
Grab the pattern from Daisy Cottage Designs
Granny Square Book Sleeve
Granny squares are such a fun way to use up super colorful yarn, they’re so fast and easy, and they’re really eye catching. Even someone who knows nothing about crochet will recognize a granny square because their grandma probably had afghans around the house in the same stitch pattern. One square, a little seaming, and a simple chain to wrap it closed.
Grab the pattern from Stitch By Fay
Reusable Water Balloons
A few years ago I made reusable water balloons for my kids and they LOVED them. There was no mess for them to clean up, no worries that the dog would eat a rogue piece of balloon, no time spent filling them up, and ultimately they were far cheaper than buying a bag of water balloons. Make sets to sell at a market, and sell them with an inexpensive small bucket as a kit.
Get the pattern from Left In Knots
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