7 Tips to Succeed as a First-Time Vendor at
Denver's Community Market

7 Tips to Succeed as a First-Time Vendor at Denver’s Community Market

 (This is to the point and not in any particular order.)

1. Attendees are looking to have an actual connection with your work

We hear so often from market attendees and vendors that they meet many wonderful people at Denver’s Community Markets. This is something we aim to cultivate, hence the community aspect to our pop-up markets. For example, we inform attendees about our mission as they come in, we have nametags, and interactive elements to bring people out of their typical shopping experience. We also include elements to bring people in that don’t involve spending money! We do this because it creates a better market atmosphere, and it’s beneficial for our vendors because If a person has a connection with you, they are more likely to make a purchase, recommend you, and support your journey as a local entrepreneur. Attendees are looking to have an actual connection to your work. To put it simply, vending at a pop-up isn’t a time to be shy. 

2. The most successful clothing vendors are basically stylists for their customers

If you are a vintage or clothing vendor, the most successful vendors can help style their customers, without playing a heavyhand. This involves having a sense of fashion, inventory that connects with a target audience, a brand identity you are building, and, ultimately, a high-quality and unique product. The most successful local clothing vendors, and it doesn’t matter if it’s vintage, upcycle, or a start-up fashion brand, have this figured out. 

3. Local art vendors can build in their pricing power. 

I see brand-new vending artists not knowing how to price their original artwork and prints, and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer here, but I encourage you to find ways to communicate the value of your craft. Ideas like simply highlighting that it’s a limited-run edition for prints, having a number and an autograph will add value, and show the scarcity of your work. If it’s an original piece, give it the respect it deserves. Frame it. Help the person envision it in their life, show it in a series, print the name, bio, and inspiration, give it a life to the audience.

4. The connections made will last after the market!

At every market, an attendee reaches out and asks me for certain vendor information, local shop owners come in to find products to carry, art directors are looking for new connections, and other market organizers are in attendance, so have your contact information ready!  

5. Make friends with the other vendors! 

The vendors at Denver’s Community Market are great people and are a way to find out about other local art and pop-up markets in Denver. It’s usually okay to ask a vendor neighbor to look out for your booth, if you need to walk away briefly! 

6. The most successful vendors have social media layers to their business. 

First-time vendors are still in the beginning phases of building their outreach for this type of business, but it’s important to get it from the beginning. I’ve seen local craft vendors tap into profitable niches where they sell directly to customers they meet at pop-up markets. When it comes to a social media strategy, I recommend having a simple and clear message, focusing on email lists, and trying to incorporate the social aspect of the platform you prefer to use. 

7. Have multiple pricing levels & interactive elements

This is the most common advice, but  keep three product levels, a lower-priced product. medium, and high-priced products. Vendors have the most stock of lower-priced products and just a few high-priced products. Having simple ways to engage people, from art with hidden elements, a prize “gumball” dispenser, and vendors have even mentioned a simple rotating merchandise display for customers to turn, helped increase sales. 

If I think of any more tips for new vendors, I will add them here, and if you have any tips or advice, please reach out, and I will add your advice to the list for how to be a successful first-time vendor. 

Why should you trust these insights? I started organizing Denver’s Community Pop-up Market from the ground up 1 year ago, and these markets have quickly become a staple in the Denver creative community. I can point to the fact that the pop-up provides as affordable booth fees as one of the reasons as to why Denver’s Community Pop-up Market sees a higher attendance of new art vendors.

As I have seen how a standard booth fee stifles new local innovation, and can lead to an excess of vendors in these spaces simply flipping clothing from goodwill bins at a premium, cheap mass-produced items like 3D-printed “dragons”, or larger, more resourced businesses dominating these markets. This advice is assembled through my experience in counteracting these types of markets and building an accessible space for local creativity 

Thank you for reading, please subscribe to the Community Build-up Newsletter, and see you at Denver’s Community Pop-up Market! 

This was written by a human and not AI!