Thanks For Your Support at the Springfield Farmers Market!
Last Saturday was the final weekend of the 2022 Springfield Farmers Market and we’d be lying if we said we didn’t already miss it. For 15 weeks, each Saturday morning, we set up all of our goods alongside so many wonderful vendors and it began to feel routine. We made new friends and got to chat with old. We had a great time this summer and while it’ll be weird to not have to wake up super early in the morning to get the kids ready to go, it’ll be nice to sleep in.
Have we ever mentioned that the Farmers Market season is our favorite time of the year? If you’ve walked down that alley and shopped for yourself, you know exactly why we feel that way. It’s such a fun Saturday morning activity and also you’re supporting locals. Feeling that sense of belonging and community togetherness is powerful.
Not only was the Farmers Market a ton of fun, but it was also a learning and growing experience for us. Each week, we made it our goal to figure out one way we could improve our set up, big or small it didn’t matter. By the end of the market, we were thrilled with our displays. We even made a really cool checkout stand that solved our issues of storing all of our checkout supplies. We got three wooden crates from our local craft store and attached them in top of each other creating three little cubbies. The top of the stand is where we displayed our iPad. The top inside shelf is where our cashbox goes to make it easier and keep it out of view. The middle shelf has our packaging such as our glassine bags for our stickers and the organza bags for our earrings. The bottom shelf has a bin full of random tools and supplies like clothespins, pens, string, tape, etc just in case we need it while we’re out. We even added little hooks to the sides to hang our bags from so when people need one they’re really easy to get. It’s been a perfect addition and we’re so glad we made it! Check out our TikTok to see how we made it here.
This year we really tried to branch out and start making some new things to see how that went. During the Farmers Market this year, we sold tote bags, planters, keychains, earrings, stickers, coaster sets, multiple types of hanging decor, glass can cups, sustainable self-care products, and leftover random products that we marked down to make space for more new things. Of course some things sold better than others, but that’s totally okay! We expected things like that to happen. It just makes it even better when we do finally sell something we’ve had for a while. (We’re looking at you coaster sets, you really surprised us a few times this summer). On the other hand, some of our polymer clay earrings were hard to keep on the shelves toward the end there. We’d sell out of some of our styles after a full restock halfway through the market. We were so blown way over that and we might still be in shock so thank you all for that.
One of the things nobody really talks about too often is what we call “imposter syndrome.” Existing in the world with so many incredibly talented humans who create the same things can be intimidating. It’s hard sometimes to feel like your work is good enough when there is arguably “better” out there. I really got a sense of validation this summer seeing people fall in love with the earrings I was so nervous about sharing with the world. So many people walked by and told me how much they loved them and that felt really good. I am now more confident in my ability to create them and less nervous to keep trying. This is just a reminder that you don’t need to be good at something to do it and to not be afraid of how it may look to others. Just do what makes you happy.
We are so thankful to have had over 270 sales and in those 270+ sales, we sold 340+ stickers and 80+ pairs of polymer clay earrings. We took some time to sit down and reflect on our growth this year so far and we’re so proud. It kind of just seems surreal that an idea could have made such a difference. The number of people who told us how nice our products are and how many smiles we brought this summer was enough to have made it worth it and we we are blown away by all of the support we received overall during the Springfield Farmers Market. We can’t thank everyone enough for just coming out and being there. It was you who made the event the best it could be.
We are already looking forward to the 2023 Springfield Farmers Market and can’t wait to see what it will bring!
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