Farmer's Market Stand

Hello all!

My spouse and I are continuing our business journey, and have discovered many of the joys and pitfalls of business ownership. We run a farmer's market stand in the wealthier town nearby, and do occasional weekend events as well to boost the income stream. We love it. It's more about making a living than making an income.

So far, our sales have focused on one thing primarily: jams. Everyone loves the little shits and I love making them. Top seller is banana jam, mainly because no one has heard of it and is willing to throw me a fiver to try it. Bananas are .39/lb around me, so it's pretty easy to make a buck on it. I also offer strawberry, blueberry, strawberry-banana, and triple berry (raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry).

We sell soaps/detergents, which move more slowly than jams. However, we have more repeat customers.

The sewn items don't sell very well, but they make our stand very cute. I make bags and dishcloths.

Right now, I have some veggie starts that are moving as well. $3 each of 2/$5.

Another part of the business is our rabbit sales, which do not happen at the farmer's market, but via craigslist. I've been getting $65 a rabbit for purebred American Chinchillas. People are willing to pay because I'm the friendliest Am Chin breeder with the friendliest rabbits in the area. I go out of state to get them, and the other local breeders are mean people with mean rabbits. If we have enough extra meat to sell, they will go to market, but it just hasn't happened yet. You make more money selling breeders than you do meat.

This is my full time gig right now. Self employment suits me so well that my spouse asked me to stop looking for a job, huzzah!

Forgot the pic!

I'm so glad its going well for you!  I think a lot of us dream about having a small business be sustaining and even successful.  My small business endeavours are our "side hustle" right now, they provide extra money for us.

Riona Abhainn wrote:I'm so glad its going well for you!  I think a lot of us dream about having a small business be sustaining and even successful.  My small business endeavours are our "side hustle" right now, they provide extra money for us.

I would say I make side hustle money, but live on the financial fringe. Wouldn't be able to live off the jam business if I needed to make enough money to live a middle class lifestyle. I only need to make ~700 a month, and I make about $100 a day. It works, and with my spouses part time income, we are comfortable. My spouse is responsible for more income generation, but not really that much more. Sometimes it's half and half, sometimes I make more and sometimes it's them. We're good savers.

Carmen Cullen wrote:It's more about making a living than making an income.

I am going to steal this Carmen - true words indeed!

This is my full time gig right now. Self employment suits me so well that my spouse asked me to stop looking for a job, huzzah!

Yea! I'm glad things are going well for you. I love a good farmers' market! It's a combination of having the right product for you and the market goers. I keep saying 'when I get my new kitchen' (the current one would never pass a hygiene inspection) I'd like to make jams and cordials for sale. I have a glut of soft fruit now in summer (yummy!), so I'd just need suitable jars and sugar.
I'd like to have returns on the empty jars (maybe a discount?)- you can buy the lids separately. What might work here as well are catering portions of jam. We have a lot of B&Bs as a tourist area and it would be nice for them to have better offerings than the plastic wrapped offerings you can buy in.

Carmen Cullen wrote:Hello all!

Another part of the business is our rabbit sales, which do not happen at the farmer's market, but via craigslist. I've been getting $65 a rabbit for purebred American Chinchillas. People are willing to pay because I'm the friendliest Am Chin breeder with the friendliest rabbits in the area. I go out of state to get them, and the other local breeders are mean people with mean rabbits. If we have enough extra meat to sell, they will go to market, but it just hasn't happened yet. You make more money selling breeders than you do meat.

This is my full time gig right now. Self employment suits me so well that my spouse asked me to stop looking for a job, huzzah!

This has been my experience with rabbits as well. I sell breeders and mine are friendly and so am I - also good at vomiting information on folks. lol
Life is too short for mean rabbits.
Excellent price - price is very location dependent I have found. I was told I couldn't get $50/rabbit for mine as there are people who sell
on the roadside for $10 or $15. I just say, Okay, if you want roadside rabbits that's fine. That is not my rabbits.
I think there is a good farmers market where we are moving and I can't wait!