The Downsides of Regularly Attending a Farmer's Market
After repeatedly emphasizing all the reasons you should attend a farmer’s market, I would by lying if I said there weren’t any downsides. There are definitely some negatives and I’m going to share the ones that I found as a vendor. Keep in mind that I’ll be sharing negatives that pertain to small business owners who regularly attend as that’s where I believe the most benefit can be found but also where the negatives can be a bit more intrusive on lifestyle, etc. Okay, so here we go:
Downside #1: It can be a lot of work to prepare for weekly markets. If you are making items that don’t perish, this isn’t quite as bad but if you are a baker, it can be quite time consuming to ensure you have fresh baked goods available for each market. Your life can begin to feel as if you are always preparing for a market in an endless cycle of rinse and repeat.
Downside #2: Your schedule is dictated by the market, not by you. For a lot of us, launching a small business is a way for us to be our own boss, make our own decisions, etc. Attending a farmer’s market, however, means you go when they are open, not necessarily when your own schedule is open. For me, that meant giving up every Wednesday evening (not such a big deal) plus every Sunday (a bigger deal). In fact, giving up a day (or even two) on the weekend is a real likelihood for anyone thinking about attending a farmer’s market.
Downside #3: You can lose anticipated income due to unforeseen circumstances. This is a reality, particularly if your market is outdoors. For instance, if a storm occurs, your market may have to unexpectedly close for the day. If your area is experiencing a heat wave, the visitor count may be significantly lower than anticipated. It can be tough to depend on an anticipated amount of revenue only to have that taken away.
Downside #4: Time, just simply time. When I was attending regularly, I was spending 9 hours of my week just in my booth selling items (for a 4 hour market on Wednesday and a 5 hour market on Sunday). That’s not counting the hour or so it took me to load up, the hour or so it then took me to set up, and the time it took me to break everything back down. There’s a lot of your time dedicated to the market and it is easy to start thinking about how much easier it would be to offer delivery or porch pickup, etc.
Downside #5: Space and storage at home. You need a few things to successfully run a booth at a market and those things definitely take up space in your home or garage. You might need a canopy, folding tables, tablecloths, stands for your items, etc. This could be a downfall if you are short on space at home.
Downside #6: Be prepared to be extroverted. This one might not be a downside for you but I’m an introvert so it was a challenge at times. In all honesty, I met so many wonderful people at the market that it was mostly a non-issue but I do want to bring it up for other fellow introverts. If possible, I recommend having a partner with you regardless of your personality type. It really helps when you can share all of the socializing aspects (greeting of customers, passing out of samples, etc.) with another person.
So after reading the downsides listed, do I still recommend the market life? Yes, I absolutely do. Some of the negatives listed above have solutions if we just think out of the box a little and the benefits still outweigh the negatives. But the real reason I think it’s worth it is that I strongly believe if you regularly attend a market, one of two things will happen: 1.) you will love it and attend indefinitely/long term or 2.) you will attend for a while and then you will use what you’ve learned to take your business in the direction of your choosing. Whichever reality becomes yours, it is a win-win and I can assure you that the knowledge you gain will be so valuable that you will never regret having the experience (and I speak from experience).
For more details on the benefits, make sure you read my post on “Why All Bakers, Makers, and Creators Should Attend the Farmer’s Market“.
