Monday, 7 June 2010
dire saturday at Edinburgh
The sun was shining, it was the first of the month, it should have been absolutely heaving. You simply cannot sell produce to people who are not there, and people simply will not come if they are not reminded an event is taking place. Advertising, advertising advertising PLEASE!!!
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Poor Markets this Weekend!!
Well Hawick FM was a total non-event on Friday. 7 stalls, 1 was empty. People were walking towards the market, having a look and turning away. No meat, no fish, no veggies, no jams. The organisers are trying very hard to make the market work and have even reduced the stall fees again, but nothing seems to be working, and to top it all, the market is in a bad position.
On to QP FM on Saturday. Same huge number of meat stalls as before, about 15 in total I think, including wholesalers. A producer of top quality pork products was heard to say that 8 stalls were selling bacon. Visitors were not buying much and seem to be more interested in the hot food than the actual produce. This market is needing a big re-think and an injection of new producers selling different produce, not just duplicating what is already there.
Sunday and it was Bothwell, The Cricklewood, FM. What can I say. No one knew the market was on, not even the hotel where it was taking place!! No advertising had been done. About 30 customers came through the gate, most just because they were walking by and saw the stalls. Some of the 6 stallholders left early. Full stall fees were taken. Poor show!!
On to QP FM on Saturday. Same huge number of meat stalls as before, about 15 in total I think, including wholesalers. A producer of top quality pork products was heard to say that 8 stalls were selling bacon. Visitors were not buying much and seem to be more interested in the hot food than the actual produce. This market is needing a big re-think and an injection of new producers selling different produce, not just duplicating what is already there.
Sunday and it was Bothwell, The Cricklewood, FM. What can I say. No one knew the market was on, not even the hotel where it was taking place!! No advertising had been done. About 30 customers came through the gate, most just because they were walking by and saw the stalls. Some of the 6 stallholders left early. Full stall fees were taken. Poor show!!
Friday, 16 April 2010
Busy Weekend Ahead
I've been making up new stock all week and it's going to be a very busy weekend for Jude's Jewels.
Nick and I are going to Hawick Farmers Market today, Friday, then on Saturday I am taking a stall to QP Farmers market in Glasgow, while Nick and Jen go to the Craft Fair at Ocean Terminal in Leith.
On Sunday Nick and I go back to the Craft Fair at Ocean Terminal, while Jen goes to The Cricklewood Farmers market at Bothwell. Just hope the sun shines!!
March and April have been quite slow in the sales department, with some markets being hardly worth doing, while others buck the trend and come up trumps time and time again.
Just keeping going, in the hope that in the next few weeks the public will gain confidance and start really buying again.
Hope all the other producers do well at whatever Farmers Markets theay attend this weeked.
Jude.
Nick and I are going to Hawick Farmers Market today, Friday, then on Saturday I am taking a stall to QP Farmers market in Glasgow, while Nick and Jen go to the Craft Fair at Ocean Terminal in Leith.
On Sunday Nick and I go back to the Craft Fair at Ocean Terminal, while Jen goes to The Cricklewood Farmers market at Bothwell. Just hope the sun shines!!
March and April have been quite slow in the sales department, with some markets being hardly worth doing, while others buck the trend and come up trumps time and time again.
Just keeping going, in the hope that in the next few weeks the public will gain confidance and start really buying again.
Hope all the other producers do well at whatever Farmers Markets theay attend this weeked.
Jude.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Simple Simon's Busy Weekend!
Working hard this weekend so come out and see us! You'll find us at farmers' markets in Kelso and Linlithgow on Saturday as well as doing a tasting at Blairmains Farm shop. Then it's off to Drumlanrig on Sunday for their first farmers' of the year - look out for our delicious Easter pies and fingers crossed for some sunshine!
Monday, 15 March 2010
Livingston Farmers Market
Well we gave Livingston FM one last go yesterday. It's been a poor market for us from the start. You would think that a market outside a huge shopping centre with thousands of people going through would be a sure fire hit.....but you would be wrong.
The market is in a wee square at the Debenhams entrance to the centre. Tucked away so no one passing on the road can see it and no one in the shopping centre can see it. Only the people coming out of car park 1 walk past us. These is a market banner at a road crossing but it's no where near the actual market. And it seems that the market organisers cannot advertise inside the centre.
Seemingly the organisers did do some advertising last week, but not one of the customers who did come to our stall had seen it.
So there we were yesterday: veg & soup, cheese, pies, home baking, assorted meats, crisp hut and me, Jude's Jewels. 6 stalls and a trailer. One customer even asked 'is this the farmers market?' What do you say.
The market is in a wee square at the Debenhams entrance to the centre. Tucked away so no one passing on the road can see it and no one in the shopping centre can see it. Only the people coming out of car park 1 walk past us. These is a market banner at a road crossing but it's no where near the actual market. And it seems that the market organisers cannot advertise inside the centre.
Seemingly the organisers did do some advertising last week, but not one of the customers who did come to our stall had seen it.
So there we were yesterday: veg & soup, cheese, pies, home baking, assorted meats, crisp hut and me, Jude's Jewels. 6 stalls and a trailer. One customer even asked 'is this the farmers market?' What do you say.
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Hard work this Website thing
I've been working hard all day making new jewellery for the stall but also to list on my website.
I've got the website linked to Twitter, and Twitter interlinked with Facebook. Everytime I update the website I can choose to update to Twitter as well and this then links to Facebook. All clever stuff and free advertising. It's amazing how many fans I have on my Facebook page. It's really starting to mushroom. The more people that see my pages, the more their friends see, and so it goes on.
I'm in the process of adding links to my site and having other sites add a link back to my website. This is all to keep me up there on page 1 of Google.
I realise that I work from home and have time to spend fiddling with the computer, whereas many SAFM producers are probably hard at work in other areas, and can't spend the same time on the PC.
However, if you have a website and some free time, it really is worth while giving the whole social networking thing a go. You never know who is out there looking for produce.
Jude.
I've got the website linked to Twitter, and Twitter interlinked with Facebook. Everytime I update the website I can choose to update to Twitter as well and this then links to Facebook. All clever stuff and free advertising. It's amazing how many fans I have on my Facebook page. It's really starting to mushroom. The more people that see my pages, the more their friends see, and so it goes on.
I'm in the process of adding links to my site and having other sites add a link back to my website. This is all to keep me up there on page 1 of Google.
I realise that I work from home and have time to spend fiddling with the computer, whereas many SAFM producers are probably hard at work in other areas, and can't spend the same time on the PC.
However, if you have a website and some free time, it really is worth while giving the whole social networking thing a go. You never know who is out there looking for produce.
Jude.
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