byMaraca is all about bold yet sophisticated jewellery made by me, Mareike, in my home studio in Liverpool, UK. Established early 2020, I decided to take things properly into my hands when the first lockdown hit. After a 10-week course with Make it With Kim, I got to work with my very own byMaraca pieces, with the idea of selling them firmly in my head already.
How did I go about it? Well, I had a slight advantage, namely that before starting byMaraca, I had a small printing business with which I gained a bit of experience selling my etchings and lino prints online and from 2017 at local markets, arts trails and the like. Knowing how markets work, what to pack and how to get into them was a huge task already out of the way when in-person markets finally started happening again in the autumn of 2020.
Kernowcraft have kindly ask me to give some insights into this part of my jewellery business in their Day In The Life Of A Jeweller vlog, and I thought alongside the tips I give in the videos which follow me around market prep, setting up and post-market thoughts, a packing list for a jeweller’s very first (or second, or 100th) market would be a great resource.
Every jewellery display is different, every market is different, and you and your stall will evolve with time and should. What seems like a good idea at home might not work ‘out there’, what makes sense to you might confuse customers. Mix all jewellery? Divide by collections? By type of jewellery? By material? Try it out and see what resonates. See what questions you get asked and take it from there. And – may I add – never ever apologise for your prices.
This varies from maker to maker, and how many different products/designs you offer. I try to bring two to five of each item, but most importantly, don’t burn yourself out on the way there when making them. If you can fill your display to a satisfying extent, you’re good. That extent depends on the aesthetics you go for.
A byMaraca stall is full to the brim with about 100 different products. Others have 10 carefully selected pieces and look just as stunning. There’s no right or wrong: See what you can manage and what you want to and can achieve. See markets also as networking opportunities: People might want to think about buying a piece of jewellery, make sure your contact details are obvious (poster) and portable (business cards).
With all this in mind and with this packing list at the ready, there’s only one last thing for me to say: Have a wonderful market, enjoy your time, and know you have many customers (and cheerleaders) out there that will be SO happy you’ve decided to sell at their favourite market!
If you’d like to let me know how you get on, please feel free to message me or tag me in any posts on Instagram @bymarca, or visit my website and contact me there www.bymaracajewellery.com, or email me at {~104|109|101|110|63|97|120|108|96|113|96|98|96|105|100|118|100|107|107|100|113|120|45|98|110|108~}