So you want to be a pop-up market star, then listen now to what I say
We’re in our fifth summer as vendors at Market on Chocolate, a Saturday pop-up market in our hometown, Hershey, Pa.
Operating at Chocolate and Cocoa avenues, MOC is one of the most picturesque markets we’ve participated in, in the heart of one of Pennsylvania’s major tourist towns.
And yet one constant about MOC is that customer turnout and sales can vary greatly from week to week (it runs from June through September). Participating every week as we do helps to even out the highs and lows, as trying to time Market on Chocolate is like trying to time the stock market.
Most of the other shows we participate in occur monthly or less frequently. In that regard, pitching a tent in a different town week to week feels a lot like being in the circus.
Given the impermanence and variability of being a pop-up vendor, its important for one’s mental well-being to focus on that which can be controlled. We’re not experts by any means, but with hundreds of shows under our belt since launching Stay in 2017, we definitely have a point of view about vendor best practices.
And it’s not just about individual success. We’ve had great shows and others that have left us wondering what the heck we are doing with our lives. Most shows are somewhere in between.
Regardless, it’s important to be a team player and to respect event sponsors, fellow vendors and, of course, shoppers.
So with all of that context in mind, we offer our tips for being the best pop-up vendor you can be.
Get the right equipment: Especially when starting out, it’s important to watch your spending. But we went through two imported folding carts before we recognized the need for a higher-quality option to move between our cars and show set-ups. I wish we had had a Florida-made Alumacart from Day 1.
One thing we got right was buying a rugged, branded tent. While it wasn’t inexpensive and the leg pins sometimes give us fits, it’s still serving us well in its fifth year. TentCraft, the Traverse City, Mich., manufacturer, has been more than honorable with any problems we’ve encountered.
Tent weights are more important than ever as climate change makes weather more volatile. Don’t be the vendor who has no tent weights or something as useless as one-gallon water jugs hanging from each corner. You want bags (30 pounds or more) filled with sand that wrap around each tent leg.
We bring hockey pucks with us to every show to hold down our tees when it’s windy, and it’s seemingly always windy. We collected pucks over many years, so they didn’t cost us anything specific to Stay. And they’re a good conversation piece.
A branded table cover is another great way to give your display a professional look — and for not a lot of money. And unlike a branded tent, you can use it year-round.
Have spatial awareness: At one recent show, vendors were squeezed together tightly under one big tent. We were back to back with one vendor whose setup was such that the workers had to come through our space to get behind their table. This went on across three days and 25 hours of selling time.
We’ve also been next to vendors who turned the common area between our tents into their space and parked chairs there. You’ve paid for a certain amount of space. Plan accordingly and stay within it as much as possible.
Keep it to two people: Two’s company, three’s a crowd. It’s nice to have help and companionship, and my wife, Sara, has amply assisted me at numerous shows. But three or more people looks less like a business than a hangout or yard sale.
Some vendors seem more interested in chatting with friends and family members than with potential customers. When possible, leave the kids at home or let them visit for a short period of time. They really aren’t that interested in your entrepreneurial dream.
Arrive early, stay late: I still get nervous before every show, which, as we tell anxious Little Leaguers, is a sign of caring. Having enough time to be deliberate with setup has a nice calming effect on me. And it’s vital when you realize at a show in York that, um, you left your branded table cover in Hershey and have to ask Sara to deliver it.
Unless weather is wreaking havoc with your product and/or display, don’t tear down until the show ends. We’ve even seen vendors leave mid-show, presumably because they weren’t doing well. Believe me, I’ve wanted to call it a day before the scheduled quitting time at more than one show, but stay the course. Don’t bring everyone down by diminishing the entire event with your absence.
After all, what’s the rush when so much depends on this one day each week? Besides, on multiple occasions we’ve made late sales that gave us renewed hope and momentum heading into the next show.
Stand and deliver: I brought a chair to our first outdoor show, which was our second show ever, but I don’t think I used it because of the image it projected. When you shop at a brick-and-mortar store, the salespeople typically aren’t sitting.
It’s a low-energy look to sit, and it’s off-putting to customers if you and a co-worker appear to be deep in conversation, deep in your chairs. You don’t have to smother customers, but it helps to engage them eye to eye. They appreciate the attention.
Mix up your pitch: At one show, a vendor across the way kept telling people who asked how he was doing that he was “conquering the world.” At another show, a food vendor kept bringing up the story about her business in the Boston Globe (she also was standing in front of her space like a carnival barker).
Just be mindful that other vendors are listening. Give them some new material once in a while.
Short memory, long view: The once-a-week nature of the pop-up world summons to mind football. It’s an apt analogy given that a bad show can make one feel like the place kicker who shanks the potentially game-winning field goal wide of the uprights.
Like said kicker, it’s good to have a short memory and focus on the shows ahead. It’s a long season. Keep working, keep showing up, keep improving.
Keep bringing those tent weights.