Does anyone sell at the local farmer's market? I have a fairly large garden, and a few chickens, and I bake bread...but I never thought about selling at the market..I always thought that was for ..you know..."real farmers". Well, a friend of mine told me she has started selling her eggs, vegetables, and bread, pies, etc and made over $300.00! Just in the morning! Between 8-noon! I was just wondering if anyone on this board did this or is thinking about it. Thanks!

No but I sure do shop there.

At our farmers market, you can sell yard sell items too. I have seen everything from clothes, to furniture to fruits and vegetables & plants. And the space is only $4 a space for a day.

I would give it a try!

That is awesome!! You should give it a try and let us know how youmake out!

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if our garden comes in I am going yo try it too.

Never mind I found the info on another thread.

I've been tempted to. It's within walking distance to where I live but I haven't found anything to sell yet.

I think it's worth a try though and see how it goes.

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I make cloth diapers and am going to be selling them at the farmer's market in the next couple of weeks. I think it will go well since there are a lot of people interested in it but not a lot know much about it here. I'm pretty excited. Oh and here at our farmer's market as long as it's handmade or grown on your own then you can sell it. If it isn't then it's not allowed.

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She didn't make $300 just in 4 hours. Don't forget the time it took her to bake the bread pies, pick the veggies, package the eggs, set up her booth at the farm market, pack up her booth at the farm market, etc. It's A LOT of work and not easy money. Just a reminder. It's more than just the time spent at the market.

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I've thought of this a lot the past couple months. The most difficult thing for me would be having someone to watch my 3 year old while I do it. I'd love to make my grandma's bread (white, cinnamon raisin swirl), cinnamon rolls, my mom's pies. If my aunt was smart, she'd ship me a bunch of jams and jellies (she has her own biz) and I could sell them here.

My sister and I are going to have a pie sale in the fall, (making my mom's famous pies) giving the profits to my parents (they were in a near fatal car accident two years ago that left my dad wheelchair bound and unable to work his contracting business to provide for the family). My uncle has apple orchards, so we'll get apples at a nice discount, and will make quite a profit on them. My sister could probably do something like that weekly for the local farmer's market and do well up there.

Next year, I have big plans of having a huge garden out back. Berries, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, beans, lettuce, corn, cauliflower... I'd love to harvest some and have a stand at the farmer's market. It'd be extra money and some time to myself every week. I think it'd be relaxing for me and would fit right into our schedule.

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here's good links with some great tips!
Some thoughts on selling at farmers markets
Farmermarkets-farmers

A little more information:
How Growers Can Get Started
Growers of just about any size can benefit from participating in a farmer’s market, and will find it relatively easy to get involved. The steps to selling your produce in a farmer’s market environment include getting a business license (if you don’t already have one), finding a suitable market near you, researching that market’s rules and guidelines, and pulling together the equipment you’ll need to actually sell your goods.

“At our market, prospective members must apply and be accepted at least one week before being allowed to sell at market,” says Ed Lopata, market manager for the Brattleboro Area Farmers Market in Brattleboro, Vermont. “Each member is encouraged to actively participate in the organization. Members are also asked to attend the annual meeting and also to contribute two to four hours of additional work to the market.”

According to Lyons, it’s important to investigate a number of markets before you actually commit to one. “Before you plant a lot in anticipation of selling at a market, talk to individual market organizers first and know you have a place to sell,” he says. “Just because the market is there doesn’t mean you can automatically sell at it. Make sure they have space. And markets are diverse, so do plenty of research.”

Once you have chosen a market you think will work best for you, start thinking about equipment. The exact items you’ll need to set up shop at a farmer’s market depends on the produce you are selling. However, all vendors need a table and a canopy. Attend the market a few times beforehand to get a sense of the signage and other materials that your fellow vendors are using.

Tips for Selling Your Goods
Once you have made arrangements to sell at a farmer’s market, prepare to bring your best produce. “Offer only your best stuff,” says Lopata. “And offer something that is a little bit different.”

Lyons points out that it might take some time to get the feel for which produce will do best at a particular market.

“When you are just getting started, don’t think too big,” he says. “Experiment. Find out what you are good at and bring that to market. Don’t think you are going to make a killing right off the bat. People have to get used to you, and you have to get used to what you are doing. When getting started, it’s important to realize that big volume markets might not be best for you.”

Once you have your stand set up and are greeting potential buyers, keep customer service in mind. “Sell, but don’t hawk your produce,” says Lyons. “Interact with people. Don’t just sit on your stool without making eye contact and expect the produce to fly off your stand. Put your personality into it. If your farm is a family business, send someone to the market that can interact with people.”

To keep other farmers in your good graces, be sure to keep your produce prices in line with that of the other sellers. “Remember, this is a business,” says Lyons. “Market organizers sometimes get distressed by hobby farmers because they don’t always treat farmer’s markets as a business. Vendors are trying to make a living. Don’t come in thinking that you don’t need the money and then sell stuff really low to get rid of it. The other farmers will hate you!”

Lyons points out that farmer’s markets are a great way for small growers to make a profit selling what they love to produce.

“Farmer’s markets are incubators for business,” he says. “Use them that way. These markets are there to help businesses grow and help you get on your feet as a farmer.”

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