Maker Markets: The Inside Scoop
LET’S GET READY TO APPLY TO THOSE 2025 MAKER MARKETS!
If you’re new to the maker marketplace, or maybe you’re just in the early stages of thinking about starting a maker business of your own, you’re probably getting excited about becoming a vendor at maker markets and craft shows this year! It’s such a great way to connect with your customers, grow your brand, and make an extra revenue stream! Plus I really love doing these events in new towns and cities, getting to tour around with my family and make money while I travel, is really awesome!
For years before I was selling candles, I was definitely hitting all of the Ontario maker markets to check out the beautiful handmade products. I’ve always enjoyed the crafty, boho, market vibe that comes with that type of warm and welcoming community. Great news – those markets and craft shows are actually super fun to enjoy as a vendor as well!
It’s impossible to spend a whole day (or a whole weekend) stationed next to other vendor booths without getting to know your maker-neighbours. I’ve made so many great new friends and business buddies this way, and most of them even turn into profitable instagram business collabs, or they team up to become amazing giveaway contest participants with me.
Tip: Be a good neighbour! A cool move is to tag your booth buddies in your social posts when you’re at market events – just do it and you’ll see the social media love in return! The hardest part of these days is trying not spend all the money you make on the amazing handmade products you’ll be checking out all day (well, and the packing up when it’s all done!).
But… the truth is, there are some very important steps to take to be successful in the maker marketplace, and I’ll walk you through some of my tips for getting your market applications accepted, building a beautiful table display for your products, and I’ll share my personal strategies for converting those strolling shoppers into happy customers… and putting their cash in your pockets!
MAKER MARKET TECH:
The tech is pretty important these days. Not many customers are shopping with cash, and most are very comfortable tapping their credit cards on square readers. So making sure you have a Square Reader to accept those payments is important. I have also seen some cash-only vendors offer e-transfer to their customers, but the steps involved with doing that are several, and truthfully, customers don’t really want to e-transfer you the payment. It feels kind of icky, and unprofessional. I mean, would you want to do this with a stranger?
In the same breath, make sure you do have a cashbox with lots of $5 and $10 bills. The odd person who WILL want to pay cash, WILL almost certainly need you to break their bill and make change. It sucks when you can’t do it, and you usually lose the sale.
MAKER MARKET BRANDING
Signage looks sharp – and it’s essential, in my opinion. Be aware when you sign up for a market, what the space looks like. If they don’t tell you, then ask: What are the booth dimensions, are there drapes or curtain rods in-between or behind the booths, and is there anything behind you from which you can hang a sign or banner on? Make sure you ask these questions, and if there is a space for a sign or banner behind you – make sure you get one! Don’t leave this marketing space blank (it looks very semi-pro when there’s a table full of stuff, but the background is a beat-up old piece of plywood). Design a sign with your logo on it using Canva’s free graphic design platform (yes, it’s free) and then order the design from Vistaprint (for a super small fee!). You can literally design and order it online in less than an hour. It looks (and feels!) so on point to have your lovely logo behind you when you’re standing at that table. Trust me, it will draw people in, and also make it MUCH easier for your customers to find you if they are there to buy from YOU specifically. Oh, and it also makes for a great selfie background for your social posts!
APPLYING TO MAKER MARKETS (SUCCESSFULLY)
There are definitely better markets than others – that’s just the truth. One of my personal favourites is the Peterborough Modern Makers Market – it’s hosted seasonally (by the very colourful and fabulous organizer, Chantal!). It’s SUCH a great event and I look forward to it so much. It’s full of super talented makers, lovely customers, and it’s always a truly curated mix of small businesses. Let’s be real, not everybody who applies makes it into this show, and there are lots of other Ontario maker markets with a tight selection process, like this one. It’s tight, tidy and a bit exclusive, and I think that’s ok. I like to feel that there’s a on-brand market experience for my candle products, and some markets just aren’t the right fit for me. It can be tricky to decide which to apply to, but honestly the best way to do the research is… Google the upcoming craft shows around you, and go shopping! Hit the Ontario market circuit and you’ll see that there’s an unmistakable sense of ‘brand’ or vibe’ for all of these different events! I personally avoid the ‘yard sale’ type where there’s a random smattering of business types. I’m all about branding, and positioning your brand in environments where the other businesses are complimentary is just the ticket, for me. It also really sucks if the event isn’t super well organized and the host books far too many of the same types of vendors (for me this means would be 5-6 other candle companies there for me to compete with for sales). But trust me, it’s not brand snobbery, it’s really is just better to find your target customer at the events that YOU know they will be shopping at. This is what I mean by positioning your brand.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: Remember, location matters. Different cities have different types of customers, and some markets are much more small-town feeling, with their bake sale type tables and the classic sweet granny booths with their knitted tea cozies. Others are simply more modern, with things like ultra-minimalist, concrete jewelry dishes, shaped like boobs. Everything and anything goes, and you can find any type of show that works for your maker brand!
FLEX THE ASSETS: To strengthen your market application, make sure you have social media handles. At least an instagram, if nothing else! Oh, and if you have even a basic website it’s awesome to share the link. But most importantly in my opinion, make sure you have professional product photography to upload when they ask for photos of your handmade products. Can’t afford a product photographer right now? No worries – you can totally fake it to make it! Use a nice preset to help you boost your iPhone photos (like Adobe Lightroom) and those DIY product shots will stand out beautifully in your online market application (and look totally pro).
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BE A MARKET VENDOR?
This absolutely, 100% varies, and wildly. It depends where the market is happening (location is a big factor) as well as the clout factor of the market organizer. Well-known shows in downtown Toronto, like the One Of A Kind Show for example, will cost you thousands of dollars to participate in (but the return on your investment will be big too). You’ll surely make thousands back in that multi-week, unique market shopping space. In contrast, some smaller, or more rural events might even be free for you to set up your booth at, and if you only walk away with a few hundred dollars made, well hell, that’s all profit baby! I would say a safe bet is to expect to pay a vendor fee between $60-$300 for the organized types of events where they offer some type of value to you. This value could look like: providing electricity, providing tables or background drapes, doing tons of local marketing and social media posts to get shoppers to the event… that type of stuff.
WORKING YOUR BOOTH- THE DO’S + DONT’S
BODY LANGUAGE: I’m fairly seasoned at the maker market experience now, and I have a few juicy secrets to share with you. There are some interesting consumer behaviour patterns I’ve noticed as well as some observations I’ve made about myself and other vendors. This one is huge: I can tell you that if I stand up (rather than stay seated) when a customer approaches the table, it helps to draw them in and it is welcoming to them. They linger longer, and they will opt in to smalltalk with you. If you stay seated, it’s a weird feeling for a customer (they feel like they’re interrupting your lunch or something). I’ve seen this happen 100’s of times!
YOUR TABLE DISPLAY: Don’t overcrowd your market table display. Less is definitely more in these scenarios. Maker markets and craft shows are usually pretty overstimulating for shoppers (there is so much to see, smell, taste and touch!) so give them an experience with you that is… easy. For example, I have much better success at shows when I display 3-4 candle scents instead of my full collection of over 20 scents. Sometimes, when you have SO many items to sample, the customers will simply pass you by, thinking that your booth experience seems like a lot of work. But just a few products or iterations, makes for a manageable visit, and explaining that those are your bestsellers is a surefire way to get them to sample your product too. They’ll want to know what all the fuss is about, right? Oh, and don’t wait for them to reach for it – go ahead and hand it to them to try, touch, smell or sample. They’ll take it from you, and believe me, it works ($$$).
A FINAL THOUGHT: Finally, DO make or bring a friend to the show with you! It’s so nice to have help at the busy ones, it’s great to have someone to chat and giggle with, and you’ll love to have the freedom to leave your booth to shop, network with the other vendors, grab a latte, or take a much-needed pee break! Trust me on this one!
If you found this helpful, there’s SO MUCH MORE to discover in my new online course, called MAKE! The MAKE Program is designed for specifically for makers and small business owners – I’ve taken my full business coaching program online! When you sign up, you’ll have access to module called, ‘Maker Marketplace’ with over 100 lessons to help give you the insight and the confidence to be successful in this unique maker marketplace. I would love to have you become a MAKE client – it’s fully narrated (by me!), 100% online, and it’s good for life – The best part? You can now take your coaching lessons from anywhere, whenever you find time. Girl, as much as I’ll miss those one-on-one sessions and coffee dates, you won’t miss paying my hourly rate as your business consultant. See you online!
