A few years ago, my sister suggested that we start selling our artwork at local art markets. I had done a few markets back in college with my sisters and some friends, but this felt like stepping into a completely different world. During my college years, I was still exploring my artistic style and experimenting with a variety of mediums through my classes. But now, my style has become much more defined—and with my online shop up and running, I actually have finished products to offer, like prints and stickers.

Step one: Finding Markets

As someone completely new to the world of art markets, finding the right ones was—and still is—the biggest challenge. More specifically, finding good markets: ones that genuinely support artists, actively promote their events, and attract the right audience. I started my search on Facebook, joining artist groups where people shared their market experiences and recommendations. I also turned to Instagram, where I already followed many local artists. This was incredibly helpful, as I could see which markets they participated in and take note of the ones that looked promising. I began following local businesses whose vibe I liked—especially those known for hosting events—and kept an eye on their announcements. Over time, I trained myself to notice markets happening around me, even if they’d already passed. Each one was a potential opportunity for the future. Another tough thing about markets, is you have to apply a month or more in advance! So a lot of the markets I found, the application deadline had already passed. Somehow, my sister and I booked ourselves for the first of many markets to come!

Step two: Booth Preparation

We had the products, but nothing to display them on. The initial start-up costs for vending, is very intimidating. First, paying for the market fees. Second, paying for the table, chairs, and display. It helped knowing that the second, would be a one-time purchase, an investment for the future.

First purchases included:

Foldable Table (6ft)
Two foldable chairs
Foldable Wagon to transport all the equipment to the location
Canopy Tent for any outdoor events
Wire Cube Storage Organizer, we used these to display our prints
Small containers for stickers/small products
Large baskets for prints (I just got mine from Michaels or Hobby Lobby)
A Display stand for our stickers (Not sure about this because people always want to grab them off the display stand)
Signage showing the price for each product, payment details, and social media links

Step three: Products

Luckily, I already had my trusty Epson EcoTank printer, so that was one less thing to worry about—especially since most of our products were art prints. That made the printing process much easier and more cost-effective. We also had a selection of manufactured stickers (highly recommend keeping up with sales, and then just ordering everything you need at once). So, our main purchases at this stage were print sleeves and cardboard backers for the prints, along with merchandise bags for the stickers.

My sister (@kkdripco) designed these adorable sticker packs—they turned out so cute! Each pack included one of her stickers and one of mine, and we included both of our socials on the back. For prints, we ended up printing 2-3 of each of our designs. I wasn’t sure what would sell, and figured this was better than printing too many of a print.

Market #1

Our first market was October 14th, 2023 in Blue Ridge, GA. Another quick lesson when searching for markets, CHECK THE LOCATION. We had to drive 2 hours to the market! We get there, it’s indoors. We set up. My sister grabs us some drinks nearby. And then the market. It was steadily busy, but more so on the slower side. It was a plant market, so a majority of the people came for plants. We sold one sticker, one 8.5x11 print, and one 5x7 print. For a total of $30. The vendor fee was $25. Not a great start! To be honest, I was ready to call it quits haha! I was very glad to have my sister with me, she was very encouraging, and it was very nice to have someone to talk to during that long uneventful first market.

Market #2

Okay, this one went wayyyy better. Although, I did not let myself have high hopes (unlike the first market), I went into it expecting nothing. Our second market was the next day, October 15th, 2023. It was an outdoor vintage clothes and art market. They recommended bringing our tent. We brought it, but ended up not needing it, because we were under the building’s awning. We set up, and we can already tell, the vibe for this one was very different. Which attracted different people. Luckily, our people. We hit it off immediately! We had a steady stream of customers all day, honestly just really good vibes! Another thing I realized was, even if that market is great, it might not be your target audience. So don’t worry, it’s not you, not your work, you just need to find your people who vibe with your work. For this market, we ended up making around $230, vendor fee of $40. We considered THIS MARKET as our REAL FIRST MARKET. The last one did not count. That was the warm up!