August 26, 2024 • 19 mins
For Task #8 in our Prep for the Holidays checklist I'm putting the focus on getting your holiday market applications in - for makers, artists and creative service providers (yes, there's room for you, too!).
While it may be too late to apply to some of the bigger craft and maker markets in major urban centres, there's no shortage of opportunities in smaller, local markets. I'm sharing tips for finding those smaller markets because there's a LOT of them and they're looking to fill their vendor rosters now! Plus, these smaller, community markets can be a great way for newer sellers to get some experience and gain some confidence
Oh... and those big markets that are already full? They often host spring markets and now is the time to research those market application deadlines!
Past episodes you may want to listen to:
EP080: Get Ready for Craft Market Season with Louisa Hrennikoff of Luli Designs Jewelry
This episode is brought to you by our Premium Subscriber Community on Patreon and Buzzsprout
You can find Melissa at finelimedesigns.com, finelimeillustrations.com or on Instagram @finelimedesigns.
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And She Looked Up Creative Hour Podcast
Each week The And She Looked Up Podcast sits down with inspiring Canadian women who create for a living. We talk about their creative journeys and their best business tips, as well as the creative and business mindset issues all creative entrepreneurs struggle with. This podcast is for Canadian artists, makers and creators who want to find a way to make a living doing what they love.
Your host, Melissa Hartfiel (@finelimedesigns), left a 20 year career in corporate retail and has been happily self-employed as a working creative since 2010. She's a graphic designer, writer and illustrator as well as the co-founder of a multi-six figure a year business in the digital content space. She resides just outside of Vancouver, BC.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome to the and she Looked Up podcast.
Each week, we sit down withinspiring Canadian women who
create for a living.
We talk about their creativejourneys and their best business
tips, as well as the creativeand business mindset issues all
creative entrepreneurs strugglewith.
I'm your host, melissaHartfield, and after leaving a
20-year career in corporateretail, I've been happily
(00:32):
self-employed for 12 years.
I'm a graphic designer, anillustrator and a
multi-six-figure-a-yearentrepreneur in the digital
content space.
This podcast is for the artists, the makers and the creatives
who want to find a way to make aliving doing what they love.
Hello everyone, and welcome toanother episode of the and she
(00:58):
Looked Up podcast.
As always, I am your host,melissa, and this week we're
back with another episode in ourPrep for the Holidays series.
I think we're up to task numbereight this week and we're going
to be talking about markets.
So prepping for markets,applying for markets, all the
(01:21):
early stuff that we need to doif we want to participate in
holiday markets this season.
And if you are a creativeservices provider, don't go away
, because I think that there isa space for you here as well.
I think there could even be aspace for content creators here,
but you might have to get alittle creative and find the
right market for you.
I will also say a lot ofcontent creators I know don't
(01:45):
really want to do in-personstyle markets.
They prefer very much beingonline as opposed to in-person.
So if that's you, then by allmeans carry on with your day.
But if you are thinking itmight be something you'd be
interested in, you might enjoythis episode.
So now is the time, if youhaven't already, to start
researching markets that youmight like to take part in Now,
(02:11):
if you're interested in some ofthe really big markets and there
are several across Canada.
I don't know them all, but thereis the one-of-a-kind market in
Toronto.
There's the Make it show inAlberta and BC there's Got Craft
Circle Craft, both here on theWest Coast.
Those are all fairly largemarkets and they are probably
(02:34):
already full Not probably, I'msure they are already full.
So you've probably missed theboat if you want to take part in
those.
But I do just want to say thosetypes of markets tend to fill
their vendor roster very earlyon.
They do a lot of planning, alot of prep.
I would also put the Etsymarkets.
(02:55):
The Etsy hosts markets acrossthe country as well, and they
invite some of their Etsysellers to take part in those
markets.
Those markets do fill up earlybecause the planners start
planning well in advance, and soif those are markets that
you're interested in doing inthe future, you need to start
(03:15):
researching them now and findout what their application
deadlines are and what'sinvolved in applying to those
markets.
I also will just mention thatsome of those markets I know
definitely the Make it Show herein Western Canada and Got Craft
and the Etsy pop-ups most ofthem also do a spring market,
(03:37):
usually somewhere aroundMother's Day, and so they are
probably starting theapplication process for those
markets towards the end of theyear.
So you might want to take alook and see if you can apply to
those.
It can be very difficult to getinto some of those bigger
markets.
Usually you have to have a bitof market selling history behind
(04:00):
you, so you may need to startat smaller markets, but I
sometimes think if you can getin at the spring market, it
gives you a better chance ofgetting accepted into the
Christmas or holiday markets.
So that's something to thinkabout, and if that is something,
a strategy that you want toemploy, you need to start
looking very soon.
However, there are loads ofother markets out there.
(04:24):
There has been an absoluteexplosion in holiday markets.
It used to be, you know,pre-pandemic.
I feel like there was maybe ahandful in each neighborhood
every year, but now it seemslike they're everywhere.
I know in my community where Ilive, every single elementary
school does a holiday craftmarket.
(04:44):
Where I live, every singleelementary school does a holiday
craft market.
There are lots of other sort ofwhat's the word I'm looking for
kind of communal markets thatare run by a larger entity, but
they'll have several marketsthroughout a certain
geographical area.
They might run six or sevenleading up to the holidays and
you can apply to be in all ofthem or just some of them.
(05:05):
So there are so many optionsout there to take part in if
that is something that you wantto do.
Like I said, some of them areprobably already full, but start
looking.
One of the ways that I foundvery effective to start finding
other markets was I got servedup an ad on Instagram for a
(05:28):
market collective here in BC.
That was advertising and I wascurious and I clicked on it, and
by clicking on it, we all knowwhat happens when we click on an
ad on Instagram or Facebook, westart getting served up ads by
similar people, companies orbrands, and that is exactly what
happened.
I started getting served up adsfor all kinds of markets
(05:50):
looking for vendors.
So that was a really fluky way,but it was.
It wound up being a goodstrategy.
So I just started clicking onall of them so that I could see
what was out there, and that'show I started to see all the
different markets that were inmy local area and found ones
that I had no idea even existed.
So that's a great way to kindof see what's out there.
(06:13):
There also tends to be a lot ofFacebook groups out there that
are specifically for vendorssearching for markets or markets
searching for vendors, and itis worth taking a look on
Facebook to see if there are anynear you and joining them,
because that is where a lot ofmarket organizers will advertise
(06:34):
their markets when they'relooking for vendors.
And if you have a very specificor unique niche, it's a great
way to put it out there thatyou're looking for markets to
sell at and see if anybody outthere bites.
So it's a two-way street, sothat's another great way to find
markets If you're just startingout, school markets are a great
(06:57):
place to get started.
They tend to be much morelow-key.
They tend to accept peopleright in the community.
So if this is your local schooldistrict, you probably have a
(07:17):
pretty good chance of getting aspot or two, and they tend to
start looking for vendors later.
Very often, school markets arerun by the PAC for that
particular school and the PACdoesn't generally get going
until the school year starts.
So September is the time ofyear where they're out there
making their plans for theirholiday market and when they
start looking for vendors.
So the next couple of weeks iswhen you really want to start
paying attention if schoolmarkets are something that you
(07:39):
want to try and do.
I found school markets a greatway to get started.
Like I said, they tend to belower key.
It's a great way to get knownin your community.
It's a great way to figure outyour booth display, your payment
systems all those things in aless high pressure environment.
Most of the schools in thisarea will also provide the
(08:04):
chairs and tables, like yourdisplay tables, so you don't
need to have a table necessarily.
So things like that can make ita lot easier when you're
starting out and just help youbuild your confidence see what
sells, what works, that kind ofthing.
It's a great stepping stone todoing bigger markets and getting
(08:24):
known.
And what often happens is whenyou do a few of those, your
local community starts to get toknow you.
People who are organizingevents might contact you
directly.
Some businesses will do pop-upmarkets within their business
and invite local artists ormakers to take part, and that's
another great way to get known.
So doing those local type ofschool markets or local smaller
(08:46):
community markets is a great wayto get your name out there and
get known.
So doing those local type ofschool markets or local smaller
community markets is a great wayto get your name out there and
get seen.
And before we go any further, Ido just want to recommend one
episode that we did earlier,several seasons back.
It's episode 80 with my lovelyfriend Louisa Hrenikoff from
Luli Designs.
She is a jewelry designer andmaker and she is a craft show
(09:08):
veteran.
She has done the big ones andshe does the Designs.
She is a jewelry designer andmaker and she is a craft show
veteran.
She has done the big ones andshe does the little ones.
She does both, and we had areally good discussion in that
episode about finding marketsthat are a good fit for you.
Not every market is going to bea good fit.
If you have one bad market,don't let that deter you.
It might just mean it's not theright place for you, and that
(09:29):
happens.
So that is something to keep inmind.
Another thing to keep in mindwhen you're doing your research
is that some markets are juried,and by that it means that you
will have to apply and therewill be some kind of committee
or judging group that willdecide if you are a good fit for
(09:51):
them.
So not everybody takeseverybody who comes to them.
Most market organizers want tohave a good variety of vendors.
They like to bring in repeatvendors who've done well, but
they also like to bring in newvendors to mix things up a bit,
and there's always categoriesthat are very popular, so things
(10:11):
like jewelry, candles right now, crochet is hugely popular and
so very often what they'll do isthey'll only set aside a
certain number of slots forthose particular niches and they
will evaluate all the peoplewho apply and decide who are
going to get those slots,because I think it would be
entirely possible to do a marketthat is just jewelry or a
(10:34):
market that is just crochetitems if it was a first come,
first serve basis type of thing.
So that is something to keep inmind too.
That's why we talked aboutdoing things like mocking up
some products, taking somephotos and things so you can
submit those with yourapplications when you are
looking for which markets to getinvolved in.
(10:56):
So there's a few things therethat you want to keep in mind.
You want to start doing thisearly, and if you want to take
part in those big markets thisearly, and if you want to take
part in those big markets butyou don't have any market
experience behind you, startingnow with some smaller holiday
markets is a great way to kindof, like I said, build up your
confidence, but also yourexperience, and be able to put
(11:17):
that on your market applicationscome next year when those
bigger markets are calling yourname.
And if you don't get acceptedby bigger markets, don't let
that discourage you.
They can be very difficult toget into and you can be
extremely successful withsmaller local markets as well.
And, frankly, if I was to havedone something like Make it or
(11:40):
Got Craft my very first time out, I would have been a disaster.
So you want to make sure thatyou're setting yourself up for
success.
You don't need to apply toeverything, but try and evaluate
the ones that you think youwould be a good fit for.
And there's a lot of otherthings that can come out of
(12:01):
doing these smaller markets.
You get to meet a lot of othervendors and you can ask them
about the markets they've beenin and take notes.
They'll tell you the ones thatthey did really well in.
They'll tell you who's a greatorganizer.
They'll tell you who's a hotmess, which ones they try to
avoid.
All that kind of stuff.
It's a great tool to gathermore information and do a little
(12:22):
more research on what's outthere.
So in the coming weeks we'll bedoing more market specific
episodes.
We'll get into some things likepayment processing, boost setup
, all of that kind of thing.
So those will be in future prepfor the holiday episodes and,
like I said, if you are new tomarkets, go back and take a
listen to episode 80.
(12:43):
And take a listen to episode 80.
Louisa gave so many tips onevery aspect of participating in
maker markets and I do justwant to say, because I mentioned
, if you're a creative servicesprovider, don't run away.
Do not be afraid to apply tomarkets as a service provider.
There are lots of opportunitiesfor you out there.
I've been at lots of marketswhere creatives who do services
(13:06):
have been in attendance.
In my community, henna artiststend to be in big demand.
There's a lot of them who willattend and do henna live at
their booth.
I have also seen photographersdo take up a booth and do things
like offer like really quickand dirty headshots or they'll
(13:27):
have a lot of differentbackgrounds where you can come
and do pose and they'll just dokind of you know, really quick
five minute sessions and you geta few photos and they just
charge a flat rate kind of thing.
I have also seen photographerswho bring like a wedding
lookbook if they're a weddingphotographer and show the
weddings that they have done andjust talk to anybody who might
(13:49):
be interested in hiring them fora wedding.
Remember, as we get closer tothe holidays, people have family
and things visiting and theymight be interested in doing
family portraits.
This is a great opportunity foryou to market your services.
I will say don't necessarilyexpect to make a lot of money in
the moment at the market, butconsider it a marketing
(14:11):
opportunity.
I have a friend, kristen Rainey.
She's been on the show beforeShifting Blooms, shifting Roots.
She is a flower farmer and shedoes wedding flowers and so she
will often do markets and whileshe may not book a lot of brides
at the markets, she will veryoften book a lot of brides in
the couple of weeks after themarket, after they've had time
(14:33):
to go home, digest and thinkabout what they saw.
So think of it as a potentialmarketing opportunity for you.
So you could also join forceswith a local makeup artist and a
local hairstylist and cometogether and get a booth at some
of these events as kind of likea whole package deal.
(14:55):
Come work with us and there'llbe somebody there to do your
makeup, somebody to do your hair, and we'll do family portraits
or we'll do headshots or,whatever the case may be, glam
shots.
There's a lot of different waysthat you could do that.
I have also seen travel agentswho specialize in things like
Disney vacations for the wholefamily type of thing, who have
done holiday markets and springmarkets.
(15:17):
I've also seen a lot of bakers.
There's usually food at markets, so if you're a baker, you
could also do markets with yourgoodies.
Those always tend to go oververy well, so there's lots of
opportunities there.
If you are a service provider,just think about how you could,
how you could sort of rejig andoffer something at the market.
(15:39):
That's like a smaller versionof what you do.
So it could be like the funbackdrops.
As a photographer, it could befive minute mini makeovers.
When I when I worked incosmetics and in a pharmacy
cosmetics in a pharmacy we usedto host ladies nights and we
would do mini manicures and fiveminute mini makeovers and stuff
like that, and people loved it,and so I think there could be a
place for something like that.
(16:00):
If you're a hairstylist, youcould demonstrate how to do like
a 60 second updo or somethingor how to do the messy bun those
types of things.
There's always people who areup for that kind of thing, so
it's an opportunity to getyourself in front of your local
neighbors and let them know whatit is that you do.
(16:22):
Kind of think of it like a homeshow or something.
When you go to the home show,there's lots to see and do, but
there's not necessarilysomething that you're going to
buy right then, and there You'rekind of thinking about, like I
want to see the guy who does thenew windows, or I want to see
the landscaping company, or Ineed new blinds, but you're not
buying in that moment.
You're gathering information.
So I think that's a way thatcreative service providers can
(16:46):
definitely look to markets.
Markets may not necessarilyhave that in their heads.
It may be something that youneed to pitch to the market
organizer, so keep that in mindif you are thinking about doing
that as a creative servicesprovider, I think I should call
you CSPs.
I'm one of you too, so I couldbe a CSP.
It's just easier than sayingcreative service provider over
(17:08):
and over again.
That's it for this week'sepisode of Prep for the Holidays
.
I'll be back next week withepisode nine and with a little
bit of an update.
Season six of the podcast isgoing to be premiering on
September 9th, so we are gettingreally close.
That's going to be two weeksaway and Heather Travis is going
(17:30):
to be back with me for theseason opener.
We are going to be having avery interesting conversation on
how to create your creativeprocess.
Sometimes we need to rip apartour process and start over,
particularly for certain typesof tasks in the creative journey
(17:50):
, so we had a really funrecording session during that
episode we recorded earlier thisweek.
So it's already done and I'mreally looking forward to
sharing that with you.
I'm looking forward to gettingback on the regular podcast
season.
Path and Prep for the Holidayswill still be airing throughout
the fall as we get closer tomarket season.
(18:11):
We still have a lot of tasksthat have to be done, so we are
not going anywhere with thisseries either.
That's it for this week.
Thank you all so much forlistening and for watching, if
you're over on YouTube, andwe'll be back to see you all
again next week.
Thank you so much for joiningus for the Anshi Looked Up
(18:31):
Creative Hour.
If you're looking for links orresources mentioned in this
episode, you can find detailedshow notes on our website at
AnshiLookedUpcom.
While you're there, be sure tosign up for our newsletter for
more business tips, profiles ofinspiring Canadian creative
women and so much more.
If you enjoyed this episode,please be sure to subscribe to
(18:52):
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us a review through iTunes orApple Podcasts.
Drop us a note via our websiteat andshelookedupcom, or come
say hi on Instagram atandshelookedup.
Thanks for listening and we'llsee you next week.
Welcome to the and she Looked Up podcast.
Each week, we sit down withinspiring Canadian women who
create for a living.
We talk about their creativejourneys and their best business
tips, as well as the creativeand business mindset issues all
creative entrepreneurs strugglewith.
I'm your host, melissaHartfield, and after leaving a
20-year career in corporateretail, I've been happily
(00:32):
self-employed for 12 years.
I'm a graphic designer, anillustrator and a
multi-six-figure-a-yearentrepreneur in the digital
content space.
This podcast is for the artists, the makers and the creatives
who want to find a way to make aliving doing what they love.
Hello everyone, and welcome toanother episode of the and she
(00:58):
Looked Up podcast.
As always, I am your host,melissa, and this week we're
back with another episode in ourPrep for the Holidays series.
I think we're up to task numbereight this week and we're going
to be talking about markets.
So prepping for markets,applying for markets, all the
(01:21):
early stuff that we need to doif we want to participate in
holiday markets this season.
And if you are a creativeservices provider, don't go away
, because I think that there isa space for you here as well.
I think there could even be aspace for content creators here,
but you might have to get alittle creative and find the
right market for you.
I will also say a lot ofcontent creators I know don't
(01:45):
really want to do in-personstyle markets.
They prefer very much beingonline as opposed to in-person.
So if that's you, then by allmeans carry on with your day.
But if you are thinking itmight be something you'd be
interested in, you might enjoythis episode.
So now is the time, if youhaven't already, to start
researching markets that youmight like to take part in Now,
(02:11):
if you're interested in some ofthe really big markets and there
are several across Canada.
I don't know them all, but thereis the one-of-a-kind market in
Toronto.
There's the Make it show inAlberta and BC there's Got Craft
Circle Craft, both here on theWest Coast.
Those are all fairly largemarkets and they are probably
(02:34):
already full Not probably, I'msure they are already full.
So you've probably missed theboat if you want to take part in
those.
But I do just want to say thosetypes of markets tend to fill
their vendor roster very earlyon.
They do a lot of planning, alot of prep.
I would also put the Etsymarkets.
(02:55):
The Etsy hosts markets acrossthe country as well, and they
invite some of their Etsysellers to take part in those
markets.
Those markets do fill up earlybecause the planners start
planning well in advance, and soif those are markets that
you're interested in doing inthe future, you need to start
(03:15):
researching them now and findout what their application
deadlines are and what'sinvolved in applying to those
markets.
I also will just mention thatsome of those markets I know
definitely the Make it Show herein Western Canada and Got Craft
and the Etsy pop-ups most ofthem also do a spring market,
(03:37):
usually somewhere aroundMother's Day, and so they are
probably starting theapplication process for those
markets towards the end of theyear.
So you might want to take alook and see if you can apply to
those.
It can be very difficult to getinto some of those bigger
markets.
Usually you have to have a bitof market selling history behind
(04:00):
you, so you may need to startat smaller markets, but I
sometimes think if you can getin at the spring market, it
gives you a better chance ofgetting accepted into the
Christmas or holiday markets.
So that's something to thinkabout, and if that is something,
a strategy that you want toemploy, you need to start
looking very soon.
However, there are loads ofother markets out there.
(04:24):
There has been an absoluteexplosion in holiday markets.
It used to be, you know,pre-pandemic.
I feel like there was maybe ahandful in each neighborhood
every year, but now it seemslike they're everywhere.
I know in my community where Ilive, every single elementary
school does a holiday craftmarket.
(04:44):
Where I live, every singleelementary school does a holiday
craft market.
There are lots of other sort ofwhat's the word I'm looking for
kind of communal markets thatare run by a larger entity, but
they'll have several marketsthroughout a certain
geographical area.
They might run six or sevenleading up to the holidays and
you can apply to be in all ofthem or just some of them.
(05:05):
So there are so many optionsout there to take part in if
that is something that you wantto do.
Like I said, some of them areprobably already full, but start
looking.
One of the ways that I foundvery effective to start finding
other markets was I got servedup an ad on Instagram for a
(05:28):
market collective here in BC.
That was advertising and I wascurious and I clicked on it, and
by clicking on it, we all knowwhat happens when we click on an
ad on Instagram or Facebook, westart getting served up ads by
similar people, companies orbrands, and that is exactly what
happened.
I started getting served up adsfor all kinds of markets
(05:50):
looking for vendors.
So that was a really fluky way,but it was.
It wound up being a goodstrategy.
So I just started clicking onall of them so that I could see
what was out there, and that'show I started to see all the
different markets that were inmy local area and found ones
that I had no idea even existed.
So that's a great way to kindof see what's out there.
(06:13):
There also tends to be a lot ofFacebook groups out there that
are specifically for vendorssearching for markets or markets
searching for vendors, and itis worth taking a look on
Facebook to see if there are anynear you and joining them,
because that is where a lot ofmarket organizers will advertise
(06:34):
their markets when they'relooking for vendors.
And if you have a very specificor unique niche, it's a great
way to put it out there thatyou're looking for markets to
sell at and see if anybody outthere bites.
So it's a two-way street, sothat's another great way to find
markets If you're just startingout, school markets are a great
(06:57):
place to get started.
They tend to be much morelow-key.
They tend to accept peopleright in the community.
So if this is your local schooldistrict, you probably have a
(07:17):
pretty good chance of getting aspot or two, and they tend to
start looking for vendors later.
Very often, school markets arerun by the PAC for that
particular school and the PACdoesn't generally get going
until the school year starts.
So September is the time ofyear where they're out there
making their plans for theirholiday market and when they
start looking for vendors.
So the next couple of weeks iswhen you really want to start
paying attention if schoolmarkets are something that you
(07:39):
want to try and do.
I found school markets a greatway to get started.
Like I said, they tend to belower key.
It's a great way to get knownin your community.
It's a great way to figure outyour booth display, your payment
systems all those things in aless high pressure environment.
Most of the schools in thisarea will also provide the
(08:04):
chairs and tables, like yourdisplay tables, so you don't
need to have a table necessarily.
So things like that can make ita lot easier when you're
starting out and just help youbuild your confidence see what
sells, what works, that kind ofthing.
It's a great stepping stone todoing bigger markets and getting
(08:24):
known.
And what often happens is whenyou do a few of those, your
local community starts to get toknow you.
People who are organizingevents might contact you
directly.
Some businesses will do pop-upmarkets within their business
and invite local artists ormakers to take part, and that's
another great way to get known.
So doing those local type ofschool markets or local smaller
(08:46):
community markets is a great wayto get your name out there and
get known.
So doing those local type ofschool markets or local smaller
community markets is a great wayto get your name out there and
get seen.
And before we go any further, Ido just want to recommend one
episode that we did earlier,several seasons back.
It's episode 80 with my lovelyfriend Louisa Hrenikoff from
Luli Designs.
She is a jewelry designer andmaker and she is a craft show
(09:08):
veteran.
She has done the big ones andshe does the Designs.
She is a jewelry designer andmaker and she is a craft show
veteran.
She has done the big ones andshe does the little ones.
She does both, and we had areally good discussion in that
episode about finding marketsthat are a good fit for you.
Not every market is going to bea good fit.
If you have one bad market,don't let that deter you.
It might just mean it's not theright place for you, and that
(09:29):
happens.
So that is something to keep inmind.
Another thing to keep in mindwhen you're doing your research
is that some markets are juried,and by that it means that you
will have to apply and therewill be some kind of committee
or judging group that willdecide if you are a good fit for
(09:51):
them.
So not everybody takeseverybody who comes to them.
Most market organizers want tohave a good variety of vendors.
They like to bring in repeatvendors who've done well, but
they also like to bring in newvendors to mix things up a bit,
and there's always categoriesthat are very popular, so things
(10:11):
like jewelry, candles right now, crochet is hugely popular and
so very often what they'll do isthey'll only set aside a
certain number of slots forthose particular niches and they
will evaluate all the peoplewho apply and decide who are
going to get those slots,because I think it would be
entirely possible to do a marketthat is just jewelry or a
(10:34):
market that is just crochetitems if it was a first come,
first serve basis type of thing.
So that is something to keep inmind too.
That's why we talked aboutdoing things like mocking up
some products, taking somephotos and things so you can
submit those with yourapplications when you are
looking for which markets to getinvolved in.
(10:56):
So there's a few things therethat you want to keep in mind.
You want to start doing thisearly, and if you want to take
part in those big markets thisearly, and if you want to take
part in those big markets butyou don't have any market
experience behind you, startingnow with some smaller holiday
markets is a great way to kindof, like I said, build up your
confidence, but also yourexperience, and be able to put
(11:17):
that on your market applicationscome next year when those
bigger markets are calling yourname.
And if you don't get acceptedby bigger markets, don't let
that discourage you.
They can be very difficult toget into and you can be
extremely successful withsmaller local markets as well.
And, frankly, if I was to havedone something like Make it or
(11:40):
Got Craft my very first time out, I would have been a disaster.
So you want to make sure thatyou're setting yourself up for
success.
You don't need to apply toeverything, but try and evaluate
the ones that you think youwould be a good fit for.
And there's a lot of otherthings that can come out of
(12:01):
doing these smaller markets.
You get to meet a lot of othervendors and you can ask them
about the markets they've beenin and take notes.
They'll tell you the ones thatthey did really well in.
They'll tell you who's a greatorganizer.
They'll tell you who's a hotmess, which ones they try to
avoid.
All that kind of stuff.
It's a great tool to gathermore information and do a little
(12:22):
more research on what's outthere.
So in the coming weeks we'll bedoing more market specific
episodes.
We'll get into some things likepayment processing, boost setup
, all of that kind of thing.
So those will be in future prepfor the holiday episodes and,
like I said, if you are new tomarkets, go back and take a
listen to episode 80.
(12:43):
And take a listen to episode 80.
Louisa gave so many tips onevery aspect of participating in
maker markets and I do justwant to say, because I mentioned
, if you're a creative servicesprovider, don't run away.
Do not be afraid to apply tomarkets as a service provider.
There are lots of opportunitiesfor you out there.
I've been at lots of marketswhere creatives who do services
(13:06):
have been in attendance.
In my community, henna artiststend to be in big demand.
There's a lot of them who willattend and do henna live at
their booth.
I have also seen photographersdo take up a booth and do things
like offer like really quickand dirty headshots or they'll
(13:27):
have a lot of differentbackgrounds where you can come
and do pose and they'll just dokind of you know, really quick
five minute sessions and you geta few photos and they just
charge a flat rate kind of thing.
I have also seen photographerswho bring like a wedding
lookbook if they're a weddingphotographer and show the
weddings that they have done andjust talk to anybody who might
(13:49):
be interested in hiring them fora wedding.
Remember, as we get closer tothe holidays, people have family
and things visiting and theymight be interested in doing
family portraits.
This is a great opportunity foryou to market your services.
I will say don't necessarilyexpect to make a lot of money in
the moment at the market, butconsider it a marketing
(14:11):
opportunity.
I have a friend, kristen Rainey.
She's been on the show beforeShifting Blooms, shifting Roots.
She is a flower farmer and shedoes wedding flowers and so she
will often do markets and whileshe may not book a lot of brides
at the markets, she will veryoften book a lot of brides in
the couple of weeks after themarket, after they've had time
(14:33):
to go home, digest and thinkabout what they saw.
So think of it as a potentialmarketing opportunity for you.
So you could also join forceswith a local makeup artist and a
local hairstylist and cometogether and get a booth at some
of these events as kind of likea whole package deal.
(14:55):
Come work with us and there'llbe somebody there to do your
makeup, somebody to do your hair, and we'll do family portraits
or we'll do headshots or,whatever the case may be, glam
shots.
There's a lot of different waysthat you could do that.
I have also seen travel agentswho specialize in things like
Disney vacations for the wholefamily type of thing, who have
done holiday markets and springmarkets.
(15:17):
I've also seen a lot of bakers.
There's usually food at markets, so if you're a baker, you
could also do markets with yourgoodies.
Those always tend to go oververy well, so there's lots of
opportunities there.
If you are a service provider,just think about how you could,
how you could sort of rejig andoffer something at the market.
(15:39):
That's like a smaller versionof what you do.
So it could be like the funbackdrops.
As a photographer, it could befive minute mini makeovers.
When I when I worked incosmetics and in a pharmacy
cosmetics in a pharmacy we usedto host ladies nights and we
would do mini manicures and fiveminute mini makeovers and stuff
like that, and people loved it,and so I think there could be a
place for something like that.
(16:00):
If you're a hairstylist, youcould demonstrate how to do like
a 60 second updo or somethingor how to do the messy bun those
types of things.
There's always people who areup for that kind of thing, so
it's an opportunity to getyourself in front of your local
neighbors and let them know whatit is that you do.
(16:22):
Kind of think of it like a homeshow or something.
When you go to the home show,there's lots to see and do, but
there's not necessarilysomething that you're going to
buy right then, and there You'rekind of thinking about, like I
want to see the guy who does thenew windows, or I want to see
the landscaping company, or Ineed new blinds, but you're not
buying in that moment.
You're gathering information.
So I think that's a way thatcreative service providers can
(16:46):
definitely look to markets.
Markets may not necessarilyhave that in their heads.
It may be something that youneed to pitch to the market
organizer, so keep that in mindif you are thinking about doing
that as a creative servicesprovider, I think I should call
you CSPs.
I'm one of you too, so I couldbe a CSP.
It's just easier than sayingcreative service provider over
(17:08):
and over again.
That's it for this week'sepisode of Prep for the Holidays
.
I'll be back next week withepisode nine and with a little
bit of an update.
Season six of the podcast isgoing to be premiering on
September 9th, so we are gettingreally close.
That's going to be two weeksaway and Heather Travis is going
(17:30):
to be back with me for theseason opener.
We are going to be having avery interesting conversation on
how to create your creativeprocess.
Sometimes we need to rip apartour process and start over,
particularly for certain typesof tasks in the creative journey
(17:50):
, so we had a really funrecording session during that
episode we recorded earlier thisweek.
So it's already done and I'mreally looking forward to
sharing that with you.
I'm looking forward to gettingback on the regular podcast
season.
Path and Prep for the Holidayswill still be airing throughout
the fall as we get closer tomarket season.
(18:11):
We still have a lot of tasksthat have to be done, so we are
not going anywhere with thisseries either.
That's it for this week.
Thank you all so much forlistening and for watching, if
you're over on YouTube, andwe'll be back to see you all
again next week.
Thank you so much for joiningus for the Anshi Looked Up
(18:31):
Creative Hour.
If you're looking for links orresources mentioned in this
episode, you can find detailedshow notes on our website at
AnshiLookedUpcom.
While you're there, be sure tosign up for our newsletter for
more business tips, profiles ofinspiring Canadian creative
women and so much more.
If you enjoyed this episode,please be sure to subscribe to
(18:52):
the show via your podcast app ofchoice so you never miss an
episode.
We always love to hear from you, so we'd love it if you'd leave
us a review through iTunes orApple Podcasts.
Drop us a note via our websiteat andshelookedupcom, or come
say hi on Instagram atandshelookedup.
Thanks for listening and we'llsee you next week.
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