Cheers Flan.
I did put a couple of the massive wineracks in to galleries etc but it didn’t really work out due to the weight and awkwardness of the slate. I also wholesaled to shops but that was a lot of work for very little return as they want to buy at approx half of retail price. They will also say that they will buy loads off you every month but this never materialises. Are you prepared to sell your clocks at 50%?
Saying that if you have 100+shops it will be worthwhile. But getting to 100+ shops is the hard work – lots of trade shows all over the country. A guy on the markets used to provide his product to over 650 shops including the big department stores, and was employing 17 people. His turnover was huge but he lost a contract and decided to pack in wholesaling and just does the markets. Now he has no stress, no employees to worry about, does not need to pander the needs of shops and more importly earns more now than he did at his busiest.
If you do decide to go down the markets route you need much more range (there are a couple of stalls around that sell clocks)and you could do something similar to my range but whether it’s cost effective is another matter. Don’t worry about social media, I have never done it.
Regarding this year’s markets there is more chance that you will get on in Cardiff than Bath and if you do a market in one of those wooden sheds be sure to bring your display to the front of the shed. All the newbies usually set up with a couple of tables inside the stall. This does not work as the public do not walk into the stall, as they don’t want to feel under pressure to buy. So take your display to them and they can clearly see your products from the pavement.
