On Sunday I attended the Ipswich Vegan Market, and it was my first market with a truly targeted audience. It definitely felt like the right audience for Wild Minder.
My last market blog post was a little… depressing, but that’s the reality of markets. There are highs and lows, and Ipswich Vegan Market was definitely a high after a run of lows.
Other stallholders mentioned that footfall was a little quieter than expected, although some said that’s just the reality of Sunday markets. I haven’t done enough markets to make that call yet. It’s still very early days for me. In fact, I think the vegan market was only my 13th market – unlucky for some, but not for me!
The day itself was great. Normally I bring a packed lunch to stop myself spending money on cakes and food, but my partner came along to this one as he has family in Ipswich, so he was put in charge of lunch.
We enjoyed pastries from Hullabaloo, which were absolutely delicious. We also grabbed coffees from The Ginger Barista, fudge from Woodlands Gourmet Fudge, and a cookie sandwich from The Iced Vegan. Everything was fantastic and thoroughly recommended. Yes, I do have a ridiculous sweet tooth.
The two new additions to my stall were the Fortune Box and live embroidery.
I was incredibly nervous about the live embroidery. I’d practised the night before, but I was still anxious about using my machine in public. I worried it would be too loud and annoy neighbouring stalls, but in reality you could barely hear it over the market noise.
Nobody purchased a live embroidery piece on the day, but it turned out to be a great conversation starter and helped demonstrate how I make my work. Going forward, I think I need clearer signage explaining the process. The sign I’d made was a bit rushed because I wasn’t sure my power bank would arrive in time, so I hadn’t originally planned on offering live embroidery at this market. Thankfully it did arrive, so I decided last minute just to give it a go.
I made a test piece for my partner after setting up, and I was shaking while stitching it – even though it was for him! I think I simply need more practice sewing in front of people. My plan is to start sewing live on Instagram more often to help build my confidence. Unfortunately, I need 1,000 followers before I can go live, so if you’d like to help me reach that milestone, I’d be very grateful.
The Fortune Box, however, was a big success. It generated a good number of sales and people really seemed to enjoy the surprise element. The phone charms were probably the most popular item, although a little bit of everything sold. I do need to restock some sticker designs, as they’re proving popular, even if making stickers isn’t my favourite task.
One exciting moment was when somebody tried on my Selkie gilet. Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether the fit wasn’t quite right or whether the price wasn’t what they were looking for. When I asked for feedback, they simply told me how much they loved it – which was lovely, but not particularly useful!
In terms of sales, I made £160 on the day.
Realistically, £160 should probably be my baseline target for markets rather than a figure I celebrate as exceptional. However, success is measured against your own journey, not somebody else’s. Given that I’ve recently attended markets where I’ve struggled to even cover my stall fee, £160 felt like a genuine success.
I think the improvements to my stall helped. I’ve already got ideas for making it even better. Improved signage is top of the list, along with replacing the pegs I currently use. They’re a little awkward for customers and I find myself apologising for them every time someone buys something. I’d also like to introduce more rummage-style display boxes because people seem to love having a browse through things themselves.
Most importantly, though, I think this was simply the right audience.
I know I’ve said it several times already, but this was my first vegan market and it genuinely felt like the right crowd for Wild Minder. The people seemed interested in the stories behind the pieces, the sustainability aspect of the business, and the symbolism behind the talismans.
As a result, I’ll definitely be looking for more targeted events in the future – vegan markets, alternative markets, and perhaps even some witchy or folklore-inspired events that align with the direction Wild Minder is growing into.
If you run or know of a market that you think would be a good fit, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.
The biggest lesson from this market wasn’t the sales figure – it was the reminder that finding the right audience matters just as much as finding more customers.