Today was my second week at the Peoria RiverFront Market. The weather looked a bit iffy early on, and we got a few sprinkles (which the musician sang about until the rain stopped – It’s only raiiiiining, not a reason to stay inside!), but then the sun came out and things were lovely. Market traffic picked up considerably once the clouds began to clear, too.
A dear friend came to help me out at the market today, so that SciFi Man could get a bit of extra beauty sleep. Between eating farm-fresh strawberries, people watching, and interacting with vendors and shoppers, I think we both enjoyed ourselves. There were plenty of dogs (even one that had it’s own stroller to ride in!) and babies walking (well, not the babies themselves, of course) through the market, and one parrot, who seemed to be pretty popular with everyone. I definitely love being able to talk with the people who stop at my booth. Several people asked about items I don’t currently have, and that has given me some good ideas to work on for next week. I’m starting with zippered change purses. My helper gave me a few good ideas, too. I’ll keep you posted on how those shape up this week.
I am still working on how best to set up my booth. It will definitely continue to evolve as I expand my available items. I like having my tables in an L-shape, but I think perhaps shoppers would prefer if they were just flat across the front of the booth, so that they don’t have to “come in” to my tent. I don’t know. What do you think–would that make a difference to you? My booth is on the grass, between the parking lot (where all the food/produce vendors are) and the river, which makes for a lovely view for me. I’ll do my best to remember to take a photo of the river for next week.
It is a bit hard to tell from your photo but it seems as if your rack might block the flow in your booth. I don’t think people mind coming into a tent to look at your things. If it is really warm they can cool off in your shade for a bit and of course look around.
Congrats on your second week, Shannon!
I don’t mind walking into vendor’s tents. It’s kind of nice actually, like you’re literally walking into a little shop.
Looking forward to seeing what new things you come up with. : )
I like the booth set up, I wouldn’t mind walking in at all! …and I love the tent 🙂 Best of luck w/it…you have such adorable things, I’m sure it’ll be very successful!
I hope it doesn’t rain again this week!
Congratulations on all your energy and success! One idea on your booth arrangement, depending on where the sun (or rain) is. You could still use the “L” design, but put in on an outer corner so people could view items from the outside as well as the inside. The tables would meet at one of your canopy posts. You’d have plenty of room for your rack and chairs. Maybe by now you’ve already tried it…I’m a bit behind.