Makers Market 2017 Information for Makers

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

What is a cooperative event?

If a maker sees something to be done, the maker should volunteer to do it!

How can I help promote the Makers Market?

This question is now answered in more detail at Maker Marketing.

What does a booth look like?

It's a table.

Details are on the Registration page.

How you transform that table into your booth is up to you!

While Makers Market 2017 is being held at a new location, you can still get a general idea of the look and feel of the Makers Marekt by checking out the photos from last year's event.

How do I price my creations?

Some options are …

2 to 4 times your materials cost — multiplier should reflect the time need to produce the product (that is, your labor).

Check Etsy or similar resources to see how similar products are priced.

Determine how long it takes you to create each item, decide how much you want to be paid per hour and then do the math.

What sort of products are sold at the Makers Market?

We discover what the other Makers are selling when they post their Maker Booth previews. If you haven't posted yours yet, please do so ASAP.

You can also check out the 2016 Maker Booth previews. However, we have no way of knowing if Makers who participated last year will sell the same thing this year until they post their Maker Booth previews. If you haven't posted yours yet, please do so ASAP.

How many shoppers do you expect to get?

That depends on you — how hard are you willing to work to help spread the word and bring in your friends, family, and neighbors to shop?

This is the second year for the Makers Market and our first year in this location, so the organizers don't have a sense of how many shoppers will come to shop.

As an all-volunteer cooperative event, every maker there is depending on every other maker to do their part to help market the Makers Market.

What should I do if I sell out of products before the Makers Market ends?

The organizers' recommendation is that you have a plan for taking orders for future deliveries and/or make handouts about your creations that will allow people to contact you to order additional items after the Makers Market.

Will there be a central cash register?

No. Each maker is responsible for their own sales.

You should be prepared to make change — including breaking lots of twenties.

You might want to set up to accept payments via Square or PayPal Here on your smartphone.

You can pick up a Square Reader for $10 at Target, Apple Store, Staples, Best Buy, Walmart, Walgreens, Sprint or Verizon and be set up to accept payments 20 minutes later.
Square will reimburse you for the cost the Square Reader, so it is free in the end.
There are no set-up or subscription fees — instead Square or PayPal Here will claim about 3% of each transaction.

Is WiFi available?

Yes. A passcode may be required.

What is cell phone reception like in the basement gymnasium?

We are told that the signal is fine.

Are there lunch plans?

Lunch plans are a great idea, but someone will need to volunteer to coordinate them.

One block to the east, at the corner of Nicollet Ave & 46th St, you'll find a number of restaurants:

Bruegger's Bagels: Cafe/bakery chain preparing small-batch, New York-style bagels, plus breakfast & lunch sandwiches.
Caribou Coffee: Eco-conscious coffee chain offering java drinks, smoothies & teas alongside light fare & pastries
Corner Table: Petite, casually elegant eatery offering a locally sourced, rotating menu of American fare.
Fresh Wok: Compact strip-mall eatery with a menu of Chinese-American comfort classics for eat-in or takeout.
Subway: Casual counter-serve chain for build-your-own sandwiches & salads.
Sun Street Breads: Cheery bakery/cafe offering new takes on traditional breads & pastries, plus sandwiches & breakfast.

Restaurant descriptions are from Google.

We will be using every table for the Makers Market booths, so any meal plans, whether individual or group, need to take that into account.

Why isn't there an image besides the logo in the marketing materials?

The all-volunteer organizing team wants the Makers Market to be welcoming of all the tremendous variety of local homeschool student makers and felt that adding an image would skew the makers who signed up towards whatever the image represented.

It is assumed that each booth will be making their own marketing materials that will highlight their own products.

Makers may use the Makers Market logo in their own marketing materials.

Will the organizers be providing name badges?

No. The organizers are assuming that you will want a name badge that reflects your booth.

Will the organizers be providing booth signs?

No. The organizers are assuming that you will want signage that reflects your booth.

What supplies should I bring?

Each maker is responsible for determining what their booth needs to succeed. Things to consider bringing include …

name badges
booth signage
price tags or pricing signage
cash for making change — and breaking lots of twenties
a cash box or other secure storage system for your cash
a table cloth if desired
a receipt system is desired
on-the-go finger-food type snacks
a water bottle
your products!
you!

What supplies are the organizers bringing for the Makers Market?

The organizers will supply …

two yard signs
door signs
restroom arrow signs
a roll of paper towels
a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner for table top cleanup.

Which table is assigned to my booth and what size table will I have?

The organizers emailed the map below on Thursday, November 30, with the subject line “Makers Market 2017 Maker Booth assignments”.

Please note that assignments are still subject to change.

The organizers will bring printed copies of the map to the Makers Market.

Do I need to bring a chair?

Solomon's Porch has 60 chairs. If your booth needs to seat more than 2 people, you might wish to bring a chair.

What sort of help am I expected to provide for set up?

Pre-booth set up: Tables and chairs must be set up, other furniture or accessories may need to be set up, rearranged or relocated, event-related signage needs be hung up or otherwise placed, trash and recycling should be checked and emptied into the appropriate outdoor collection containers and re-lined with fresh trash bags if needed, bathrooms should be checked and wiped down and replenished as necessary.

The organizers ask that no booth set-up start until pre-booth set up is complete as it slows down the pre-booth set up process.

What time should I show up?

9:30am.

All makers should plan to arrive by 9:30am in order to have plenty of time to unload your wares and supplies, move your car, set up your booth table, visit the bathrooms and otherwise be prepared for our market to open on time.

Depending upon the clean-up quality of the last event, you may need to wipe down your own table top before you begin your booth set up.

Please plan to be early to avoid being late due to inadequate maps, confusing road signs, road construction, heavy traffic, parking difficulties, inclement weather or uncooperative children.

Where should I park?

We want to encourage shoppers, so please unload at the door and then move your car elsewhere.

What sort of help am I expected to provide for clean up?

All makers (and their families) are expected to stay and help clean up the space until the work is done or they are dismissed.

Table tops should be wiped down, any and all event-related signage needs be collected, trash and recycling should be emptied into the appropriate outdoor collection containers and re-lined with fresh trash bags, bathrooms should be checked and wiped down and replenished as necessary, floors need to be swept and carpets vacuumed, tables must be put away and/or returned to their usual locations, chairs must also put away or returned to their usual locations, any and all other relocated furniture or accessories need to be returned to their usual locations, and the lights and fans should be turned off and the door locked behind us.

Can I leave before the Makers Market ends?

Please be aware that both the process of packing up and the presence of empty booths may negatively impact the other makers.

If you do choose to leave early, please be respectful of the others makers and take a great deal of care to minimize both noise and visual distraction and to stay out of the way of shoppers at other booths.

Since you will not be around to assist with clean-up at the end of the event, please also take care to ensure that your table top and the space around your booth, including the floor underneath and around your table, is sparkling clean.

Shouldn't there be an apostrophe?

No. Makers is used as an attributive noun or adjective not as a possessive. Makers describe the kind of market it is rather than telling you whose market it is.