When your hobby — be it block-printing stationary, crafting goat-milk soaps, or designing up-cycled lighting fixtures — shows enough promise to justify renting a stall, selling at a local flea market could be worth a shot, says Inc.com.
Most street fairs and markets have a very low barrier to entry: You’ll need transit, a table, a tent (for outdoor markets), a cash box and the ability to contribute a small booth rental fee to the market’s organizer (usually $25 to $50 for small communities and $75-$125 for urban fairs).
If your community doesn’t have a flea market, look for seasonal markets or even neighborhood street fairs.
Even if you’re already successfully hawking your wares online, making periodic appearances at craft fairs, art shows, and flea markets can give your business new insight into the market, your regional competition, and local consumers’ evolving desires.
Think of a flea market table as a pop-up retail store, says Amy Abrams, who founded flea market Artists & Fleas in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003.
“I really think people have used it as a mini storefront,” she says. “What we have found is that we were always a low barrier to entry, and though over the years we’ve grown from about 25 to 50 spaces, we never wanted to be too big, because we want every one of our vendors to do well.”
Photo by maxborgesagencyblog.