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market-farming - Re: Table and umbrella position

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  • From: "Del Williams" <delannw AT dlogue.net>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Table and umbrella position
  • Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2002 11:19:45 -0500


Steve,

In the first year or so, I had one table, E-Z Up and stacking crates for
additional produce. I could walk out among the customers more easily.

However, we had a pickpocket at the market and she got off with a large sum
of cash from one vendor who carried the cash in an apron.

I used a cash box and a police officer who often patrolled at our market
talked to me about protecting the box.

I had a set of tables designed. Fiberglass, light weight. Better than the
pressed board table I had before.

Inverted- U, the width of my E-Z Up. The 3 piece setup was on fiberglass
sawhorses.

Front Table: 8' X 2.5'
Each side table: 5' X 2.5'

The cash box/paper tape calculator was set up on a stack of crates inside
the inverted U.

The E-Z up legs sat just inside the bottom of the U to give sun/rain
protection to customers and protect the herbs from sun. I could still walk
around but hardly ever needed to until the end of the season when I also
added the old stacks of crates to hold additional produce.

In other words, instead of one long table, I held down my stall costs by
designing a display that was 3 sided. It made restocking the display much
easier out of the back of truck. And I could go from side to side of the
stand and work with customers or chat... whatever. And my cashbox was
protected. I pretty much worked the stand alone so the ease of working this
stand was a real plus.

The market manager didn't much care for my new design in the beginning of
the season because he used to really crowd the vendors together. But I paid
for the space and I insisted that I got the space around the 3-piece stand
so customers could walk around.

Vendors who used one table only didn't like my stand either. My customers
were sort of walking behind their stand. So, I moved the back of my stand
level with theirs. That way my stand also stuck out. LOL. People
naturally walked 'into' my stand.

And I also went for a boutique approach. Specialty stand. I couldn't
compete with the regular farm stands with the general array of produce. I
went for the organic/sustainable market and the unusal. What I took to
market only a couple of other vendors sold. And, I had plenty of items on
my stand, no one sold. For example. Southern Butter Beans. How odd no one
has picked up that this year. I sold a ton of them. Had standing orders.
Mainly older Black customers.

That was another market largely ignored by other vendors. The ethnic
market.

Ran into one of them at the market last week. He said, WHERE is your stand
and where are my butterbeans? Oh how sad. He was a great customer.

I'm not selling this year. But I do go to the market frequently. And I
wonder why no one else is going for that market approach. It was a good
one.

I lived for almost 8 months on Farmer in the Del profits after my Ex left.
Living pretty close to the edge but paying the bills nevertheless over the
winter. It was a profitable approach to distinguishing a very small
operation from the big acreage farms.

Good luck to you!

Del Williams
Farmer in the Del
Clifton, IL
delannw AT dlogue.net








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