We have started at the Thunder Bay Country Market recently and have been pleasantly surprised by both the positive responses from customers and how much we have enjoyed interacting with market goers. The whole process began a few months ago as we started to amass the equipment needed and started the design of the booth. An outdoor vendor’s tent, shelving, signage, price cards, a portable credit card terminal and other various items were prepped and practiced with. As the first few trial runs were attempted, so too were a few unplanned items added to our market supplies list (sandbags for the wind “issues”, means of transporting larger amounts of sunflowers and water without spillage, etc.).
All things considered, even the first market night for us was fairly straightforward. Gwen and I had visited markets as customers, but this was our first foray into attending as vendors…truthfully, this was our first time selling anything (unless you count lemonade stands in the 1980’s). Set up went smoothly and customers were interested in our story, our products and the future plans we have for the farm. Sales were solid and Gwen and I both felt that the evening was a success financially, but also an important opportunity for us to build visibility within the community.
Moving forward, we are excited to add new products and expand our displays in our booth and eventually branch out beyond the market- maybe even a store here at the farm. As the wool mill gets up and running and the flock grows to allow for more lambs, being able to ramp up our production will mean that we are able to share more of our farm’s products with an even wider group of customers: local and beyond.
See you at the market,
Brody