Summer (and early autumn) is farmers market season, and no farmers market would be complete without a lavender booth. Vending from a booth is an outstanding way for lavender farmers to connect with customers and build collaborations. It is also a lot of work, and a lot of fun! Lavender Northwest members shared their experiences and insights during the virtual quarterly meeting in August 2023, focusing on the following two questions:
1) What is your overall best-selling booth product category?
Fresh or dried lavender bundles or bouquets are at the top of the list! Other top sellers include live plants, sachets, lip balm, room sprays, and essential oils. Culinary lavender products give a strong showing with items such as jelly, jam, honey, and syrup selling consistently well. Finally, pet products are very popular, as one member commented “People will spend more on their pets than they will on themselves.” How true that is!
2) What is your best piece of advice for success as a lavender booth vendor?
Choose the markets you attend carefully. Consider your target customer, time commitment, cost, and the volume of traffic you might expect. Organizing well is key. Develop a cohesive theme for your booth set-up and keep like items together. Have clear pricing and other signage. Also, maximize space when packing and use a checklist before leaving home. To drive traffic into your booth, place items of interest along the walkway and remember “Everyone loves a sample” so hand out lavenderstems or culinary goodies if you can. Get to know the other vendors and market staff, talk with them about their booth set-up and the markets they choose, and build collaborations.
“I LOVE lavender“ is a statement made by many farmers market attendees as they approach your booth. Remember this fact and share that love of lavender by engaging with and educating your customers. Happy market season!
Contributed by
Jackie Szarka
Lake Holm Lavender
Edited & formatted by
Michael Lemmers
RavenCroft
