Just a few more days and the Netherlands will turn orange again because of King's Day. Willem-Alexander will then celebrate his 56th birthday and his first decade as King of the Netherlands. This title has been passed on in the House of Orange-Nassau from father to daughter and from mother to son since 1813, and since 1885 we have celebrated an annual party in honor of our royal family. You can read exactly how this works in the blog I wrote about this in 2018 :)
Back to now
At home we probably spend the morning in front of the TV, watching the Oranjes and with a ditto tompouce. Hopefully the weather will be good, we can enjoy a drink with bitterballen in the sun and stroll through the flea market in search of treasures.
I have also been to the flea market during King's Day, but among the wholesalers and second-hand items my products looked a bit out of place, so it was just that one time. Fortunately, there are plenty of markets that better suit my cards, mugs and calendars.
Are you also thinking about participating in a (creative) market with your (homemade) items? Then try to visit the market first to see if you fit in. It would be a shame if, after hours of preparation and countless walks back and forth to the car, you discovered that your target group, for example, was only present sparingly.
Have you chosen a market? Below I have listed some tips to make your participation a success.
- Show who you are; make sure that your brand name and any logo are clearly visible. For example, hang a banner at the back of your stall and place (business) cards in your stand. Visitors can then take these with them for later and you can give them away when people have purchased something. This way everyone knows who you are and, when people are back at home with a cup of tea at the dining table, you can be found online again.
- Make sure you are well prepared and take extensive 'equipment' with you to prepare the stall for sale. Think of tablecloths, rope, tape, thumbtacks, hooks, scissors (at least 2, one is always missing), chargers and possibly an extension cord. It is useful to have two people when lugging, setting up and dismantling. Also make sure you have paper bags and bags in which you can put your products if you have sold something, and a chair for quiet moments is also nice.
- Try to provide all your products with a price, so that people can see at a glance what something costs and so someone can easily see your stall if you have to go to the toilet, for example. If you have a rack of postcards, you do not have to price all the individual cards individually, a sign on the mill is enough. In addition, make sure that you have sufficient change and, if necessary, a mobile PIN device. You can organize the latter, for example, via Zettle.
- It helps enormously if your stall looks inviting and well-organized. Don't put too many things in there, otherwise it might look busy and people won't know where to look. But you don't want to have too little ;) . If you sell small things, such as jewelry, provide some decoration and an appropriate presentation. You can create some playful height differences with baskets, crates and wooden blocks. Also try to create some atmosphere with lights, flags and fresh flowers, for example.
- Smile at everyone who comes to your stall, say a friendly hello and try to remain friendly. Even though the day is sometimes long and people sometimes say (unintentionally) unkind things about the things you have worked so hard on. Laughter keeps it fun :)
Finally: sometimes a market day is indeed long, there are not as many people as you had hoped or expected, the rain is pouring down and it seems to your neighbors as if they are giving away their stuff for free, no matter how busy it is there. That will all happen one day (believe me, I know all about it). And if so, try to have confidence in your own abilities and think of the people who smiled when they saw your stuff. In the evening when you get back home, eat a bowl of ice cream and go for it again next time.
Because I have dragged my stuff across half the country time and time again, in the end it is really nice to talk to customers and see their reactions to my work :)
Good luck in advance!
And for now, have a very happy King's Day!