Basic Steps Towards a Successful Market

What distinguishes a successful farm market from a mediocre one? Some simple management practices can be the difference between a profitable market and a marginal one. The following "steps to success" were observed by Robert L. Bull from the University of Delaware Ag Extension in his publication "The Modern Farm Roadside Market" some sixty years ago and they still hold true today.

1. Promotion: Does your market have good signage and branding? Your market should have a logo that can, and should, be on everything from the signs outside of the market to the product pricing signs to the hats and/or T-shirts worn by the staff. If you can, have a market sign outside along the road; make sure it can be seen 1200 feet away by someone driving along the road where your market is located. This can increase your chances of someone stopping at the market by as much as 50%.
2. Paint: No matter how clean your market may be, it won't appear so to your customers if they are seeing dull or cracked and peeling paint. A fresh coat of paint is associated with "clean" and "high quality". Try to stay away from dull and dark colors for your walls and trim and lean towards lighter colors.
3. Parking: Adequate parking is often overlooked. Does your market have the right number of parking spaces to match the square footage of the market? One rule of thumb is to have five parking spaces per 1000 square feet of retail space. Also, are you meeting ADA requirements? As of 2018, for the first 100 total spots, every 25 spots must have a corresponding handicap spot. As the total spots increase, the portion required for handicap spots decreases. From 101 to 150 spots requires a fifth handicap space, and from 151 to 200 requires a sixth.
4. Price: Products should have clear price signs with good handwriting. Signs should be consistent in appearance and ideally have your logo on them. Don't forget to use "feature and benefits" in your signage. The apple industry does this well. For example, the feature could be Granny Smith apples and the benefits would be "good for baking".
5. Personality: According to Robert Null's article, markets have two kinds of personalities. One is the personality of the staff and two is the personality of the market itself. If done well, the overall appearance of the market and the knowledge and attentiveness of the staff can and will project a unique shopping experience that will keep your customers coming back. The market's personality can be measured by the things that make it unique. Effective branding, good displays, interesting layout, and cheerful staff all give the market its personality.
6. Packaging: Pay attention to how your products are offered in your market. Again, clean, well-lit displays with clean packaging will be much more enticing as well as product rotation so your produce is always fresh.
7. Pest Control: It's understood that it is a challenge to control pests such as insects in an open-air roadside stand or even a market building. However, we need to view this from our customers eyes. Also, controlling insects can help in reducing shrinkage. There are many inexpensive options if you look for them. Some markets use small containers of apple cider vinegar near their fruit displays to control fruit flies. Another example is a market that uses a dust buster attached to a tube and would regularly patrol the market sucking up yellow jackets that were attracted to their peaches.

These steps may seem basic and obvious, but can be easily overlooked. Just like in baseball, paying attention to the fundamentals just might get you to the World Series.