How To Create A Great Farmer's Market Booth

Renting space at a farmer's market is an excellent way to boost your farm's income and reach local people who will become loyal customers. Attracting people to your farmer's market booth is an incredibly important factor when it comes to maximizing revenue from your farm. We have 7 farmers market booth ideas that will make your stand catch people's attention and make them want to to choose you and your farm as the source of their local goods.

1. Put Yourself in the Shoppers' Shoes

Before you begin planning your booth, do your research. Go to local farmers markets and walk around, carefully observing the booths. The following are examples of questions that you can ask yourself while walking around:

• What makes the most popular booths attractive and why?
• Is there signage that makes the farm, its goods and the prices identifiable?
• Are the products displayed in an enticing and accessible manner?
• Does the booth's layout make it easy to move around and reach the products?

Viewing a farmers market from a consumer's perspective will provide you with the insight to design a booth that engages customers and leads to more sales.

2. Showcase Your Name and Logo

To entice people to visit your booth, they first need to know who you are and what you are selling. Display your farm's name and logo (yes, your farm should have a logo!) on a a canopy tent and  custom tablecloth or a cheaper custom table runner so shoppers can identify you right away. Use colors that stand out, are visually appealing (probably not brown) and have enough contrast to make the text and logo easy to identify. Try a f

A frame chalkboard signs are another great tool for highlighting your stand to passersby. Placing a message about a featured product or special on a frame sign in front of your stand can spark people's interest and make them want to learn more. You can also put your business's social media accounts, prices, slogan or anything else that makes your farm special on one of these signs.

3. Pay Attention to the Sun

Check to see where the sun is facing in relation to your booth. If you have merchandise that needs to be in the shade, adjust your booth so that it is not in the direct path of the sun's rays, if possible. A canopy tent provides plenty of shade for your items and customers as well. You can even get a  tent that comes with walls, so your produce and other goods are protected throughout the day as the sun moves. In the event that you cannot fit all your products in the shade, prioritize the items that need shade the most.

4. Label the Merchandise

Large signs with your business's name are essential, but so are smaller signs with each product's information. You do not want to leave your customers wondering what they are buying, so place a sign with the item's name and price next to every pile, crate or basket. For items that come in individual jars or bags, you can print the information on adhesive labels and stick them to the packaging. If there is extra room on the sign, consider listing a couple of the product's special features that will further entice people to make a purchase. If you are offering organic goods, try an organic flag to bring them over from a distance. 

5. Create a Captivating Display

The way your products are displayed is very effective at bringing customers to your booth. First and foremost, your display should be organized and accessible to the customers. This will allow you to manage your booth without having to constantly stop to locate or reach items for them. Check out this setup from  Neversink Farm:

Besides being easy to navigate, a display that is tall will fascinate shoppers. Overflowing baskets and plentiful stacks on tables signal to customers that you have a lot to offer, and they will naturally want to discover what those piles contain. If you do not have an abundance of products, there are two simple tricks you can use to make your display look larger than it really is. You can place burlap sacks at the bottoms of baskets to add some padding and height, or you can use different sizes of boxes to make a tiered table, which will give the illusion of bigger stacks of goods.

6. Ensure There Is Enough Room

The last thing you want is for people to walk away from your booth because they cannot see or reach your products. Have a designated checkout point and make sure the line does not block other people from entering, exiting and shopping. Place any extra boxes and products in the back of your booth behind the table and register so customers do not trip over them.

7. Have a Place for Mailing List Registration

Designate a spot, such as by the cash register or at a small table near the entrance, for a notebook where people can write their names and email addresses down for your business's mailing list. You can use this station to engage customers, and if people see a line forming to sign-up for something, they will come over to see what it is and become interested in your merchandise.

Grow Your Farm's Revenue Streams

Lastly, be sure that you accept cards, there are plenty of POS options these days for merchant son the go. Take a look at Square if you need somewhere to start. You have your products, so now the only thing to do is finalize your booth. With the help of these tips, you can expand your customer base, increase your profits and become a staple at your local farmers market and easily move into the CSA space.