Market Reports

Here you will find the market reports for all of our events over the last few months, including footfalls and spending tendencies. Overall positives and even negatives about each market are documented for all you stallholders wanting to make an informed decision about any bookings you make. We like to ensure these reports are as honest as possible, we'd much rather adopt this method than sugar coat everything and falsely advertise how incredible a market was if for whatever reason it wasn't. We endeavour to provide the best service possible and these reports should help show how each venue differs whether its easier to unload or the spending is better per customer walking in.

Salisbury Guildhall - 6th July

Tourists are out and buying in Salisbury

Summer months in Salisbury are usually busy and today was going to be no exception and although it was sunny and dry to start there was a strong wind blowing across the Guildhall Square which continued for most of the day.  We actually had several people wanting to access the market before 10am and although it started slowly once we had opened, we had 141 adults through the door in the first hour.  The big change today was that the outdoor market had been moved along slightly and was no longer right outside the Guildhall steps leaving more room for unloading and reloading at the start and end of the day going forward.  This did mean that Karl and Ade took regular trips into the outdoor market to let people know we had a Mynt Image craft fair in progress and this worked as by midday we had 378 into the hall helped by a quick rain shower. We also had quite a few German and American tourists around today as well as a scattering of Australians proving once again that Salisbury can be a great destination for tourists during the summer months.  Just before 1pm we had a very heavy shower which seemed to send scores of people through our doors giving us 620 through the doors by 1pm.  Early afternoon seemed to slow down a bit and we found out that the outdoor market was finishing at 3pm today because of the England Euros football match. Footfall picked up again helped by more tourists and although the market did indeed pack up early, we hit a final total of 1048 adults through the doors by 4pm and had mostly happy stallholders with 3 achieving approx. £300 and 7 people taking between £200 and £260 with several others taking between £100 and £150.  Unfortunately, we had 3 people who didn’t cover table costs today but they are still upbeat and appreciate that everyone had bad days as well as good. 

Devizes Corn Exchange - 29th June

Lewes Town Hall - 6th July

Not a bad day with everything stacked against us

With Georges first foray down to Lewes since we first looked at the venue, we were excited to see what today would bring. The heavy rain on the way down wasn’t ideal but the promise of sun was welcomed tremendously. The hall had a great mix of stalls and certainly something inside for everyone, so all was left to do was draw the punters in. The team worked hard on the steep highstreet and started to gain some momentum. The rain late morning faltered numbers slightly but the afternoon was a much better flow. The town itself was relatively quiet overall, the plethora of sport on tv didn’t help and the bipolar weather probably led to potential customers favouring to watch the Brits who were playing tennis at Wimbledon this afternoon. At 3pm the footfall notable dropped off and it couldn’t be obvious as to why, England playing in the quarter finals of the Euros at 5 saw customers leaving town and the few left on the streets headed towards the pubs! Another point of note is the ‘Love Supreme' festival on just a few miles down the road. We saw a lot of glitter clad festival goers hoarding towards the train/bus station so that didn’t help either. Overall though a good 485 customers through the door was a pleasing result. The spending was pretty good too, a couple of stallholders noted the slightly more cultured approach of the customers too which makes selling the higher ticket items a little easier. We saw one stall taking around £400 with a handful more taking £250+. Most cleared 3 figures with only 2 that we are aware of not managing to cover cost. There was a really good positive vibe for stall holders at the end of the day and many are looking forward to returning in August.

Devizes Corn Exchange - 29th June

Event spoiled by incident outside our control

This was an unusual event for us, having to deal with an incident outside our control which greatly affected the footfall. For those who are not aware, at 12:30pm yesterday there was a stabbing in the centre of Devizes which resulted in all roads in and out of Devizes to be closed and parking to be suspended. Pedestrian access between areas of the town was also limited. This greatly reduced the number of people who could access the area around the hall. We were very grateful to just over 350 customers into the event. The day started well with some great sales at the start of the day. It was a beautiful sunny day with alight breeze, perfect conditions. One stallholder also reported having a great last 5 minutes of the day, classic for one of our Devizes event. We believe we did the best we could in these adverse conditions. One artist sold over £400, cork bags also exceeded £200 as did a resin artist and a paper jeweller & fabric artist. Most stallholders made £100+ despite conditions.

Lyndhurst Community Centre - 29th/30th June

Saturday - A pleasant Saturday at Lyndhurst

Saturday in Lyndhurst was a lovely sunny day and although the car park didn’t appear to fill up quickly at first we did have a slow and steady stream of people through the doors in the first couple of hours and as we approached midday we had nearly 300 adults through the doors.  Karl, Adam and August worked hard throughout the morning taking turns at the entrance to the carpark and outside the Community Centre as well as the occasional wander around the car park to drum up some business.  We did see a lot of visitors throughout the day and I had a lovely chat with a lady from Kent celebrating her 90^th birthday.  The afternoon was very busy and we had a steady stream of people through the doors with an occasional bit of congestion within the hall which is always good to see. By the end of the day we had seen 761 adults into the market as well as many family groups along with many dogs of all shapes and sizes.  Sales were fairly mixed today with 3 people taking in excess of £300 as well as 9 people taking between £120 and £240. Glass, art and jewellery sold particularly well today as did cheese as usual.  Unfortunately, we had 3 people who didn’t cover their table costs but were optimistic that today may have been just an off day for them.

Sunday - Quieter highstreet but slightly better sales

As always, the set up on a Sunday in Lyndhurst is bliss. With it being such an easy venue anyway, the fact half of the stalls are set up from the day before makes it the easiest morning imagineable. From the very start of the day the atmosphere was perfect, very friendly and welcoming and the customers that began to flow were of decent quality. The team worked hard outside, the highstreet was slightly quiet for a Sunday but that didn’t affect the numbers much at all. We had a similar stream of customers to the Saturday, perhaps busier at points before it slowed down around 3pm. It would appear that many potential customers were making their way home to watch the England game so the last hour wasn’t as busy as previous Sundays, not that this really affected the sales overall. We managed a total of 747 through the doors today.

We had 3 clearing £300 and many over £200 mark also. It seemed the rest took £80-120 with only one we are aware of struggling to cover costs. 2 stallholders took over £600 across both days and many others who attended all weekend seemed to benefit very nicely. The Sundays are always good here, even when major sports events are on. Roll on next month.

Wallingford Town Hall - 22nd June

2^nd event here and again some good sales

Being the second ever event here we were keen to see how the day unfolded. The weather last time round had quite an impact on the day so with it looking much brighter today we had high hopes. Set up was nice and smooth, being upstairs many of the stallholders really appreciated the help of the Mynt team getting unloaded and before long we had a gorgeous little display on our hands. 

Annoyingly, just before opening up there was an un-forecast downpour which potentially stumped the start of the day with quite a quiet first hour. We knew that late morning things would pick and they surely did, a slow but steady trickle was pretty constant from then on until the end of the day. The only slight exceptions to this flow was a slight lull around lunchtime and more importantly a little rush at the end of the day. The gorgeous weather in the afternoon made it tougher to draw a crowd though as it would have appeared those in and around the town had ventured over towards the river rather than the highstreet. Overall though, a total footfall of 435 through the door wasn’t a bad score at all.

Sales were pretty good for the most part, majority of stalls clearing 3 figures with at least half a dozen around £250. Top sales just about cleared £300 and unfortunately at the other end we did have 3 not covering costs. There was no real pattern as to what sold best however jewellery was popular and so was our author. Fabrics sold well too and the highlight for us was a stall holder managed to make their very first handmade guitar sale. It was commented at how lovely the people of Wallingford are and many took cards so we’re pleased overall.

Witney Corn Exchange - 22nd June

A lovely sunny day in Witney promises well for the year ahead

We drove through the remnants of rain to Witney but were greeted with a glorious day when we arrived. Set up wasn’t as easy as usual, it is important that stallholder read parking and other instructions given to them. There were plenty of people on the streets when we arrived and there was a lovely atmosphere in the sun. Unfortunately there was a conflicting event classed as a food market but selling mostly arts and crafts at the opposite end of the high street and this seemed to have a detrimental effect on footfall and sales. There was a good steady footfall throughout the day with little lunchtime lull which is unusual. By the end of the day the 3 person Mynt team had attracted 595 adult customers into the event with at least 95% going to the upstairs gallery.

The upstairs gallery looked tremendous today with lots of bright and colourful artworks. It was no wonder that the best selling stallholder was upstairs today with sales of over £300. The upstairs room at Witney gets the sun and is a delight for displaying art as it also provides more room for stallholders. Overall spending was not as good as expected with experienced sellers having to work hard to create good sales. We have already had lots of good comment from stallholders including several new ones about how much they enjoyed the event. Many stallholders today sold between £100- £200 and were happy with the day.

Lymington Masonic Hall - 22nd June

Tourists are in town for the summer leading to the best footfall so far this year at this venue

It was a fine day at Lymington yesterday although not the sunny day expected, but still warm and dry. The morning, as often is the case at Lymington produced most of the footfall however spending  per person in the afternoon tends to be better. 650 entered the event by 1pm with an end of day total of 1030 customers.

The morning was very busy with lots of holiday makers but by the afternoon they disappeared, and we were left with the locals. Everyone on Lymington seemed in a happy mood enjoying the summer at last. As with many events this year the numbers coming to the fairs wasn't reflected in the takings whilst we had 1 at £350, 1 at £300, 7 at £150 - £200, and 6 at £100 - £150, 7 unfortunately didn't take their stall fees despite the huge footfall. 

Newbury Methodist Church - 15th June

A wet and windy start to the day led to a quiet High Street but some reasonable sales

The day started off wet and windy with Paul braving all conditions from the safety of his wheelchair. The High Street was impacted greatly with not many shoppers in the morning. The Mynt team worked well throughout the day and still managed to drum up a total of 318 adult customers by the end of the day. With the lower than expected footfall we expected this to impact sales but were very pleased to hear that by the end of the day one stall had achieved £350+ and 2 others around the £200 mark. One chocolate seller made good sales before the event even opened.

What was particularly nice about this event was the comradery and atmosphere between the stallholders. Newbury Methodist church is a character building with a delightful ambience. We had several new stallholders with us and the way they were welcomed and encouraged but more experienced stallholders was a delight to see. We do nor know of anyone who did not enjoy the day and have already received several new bookings from stallholders delighted with the experience.

Hungerford Corn Exchange - 15th June

Unseasonable weather but still some good sales

We both had some heavy showers on the drive to Hungerford and the forecast wasn’t great for the morning but brighter things had been promised for the afternoon so we were hopeful to say the least. Set up was quick as the caretaker had done an excellent job in setting the hall up and was present on our arrival to ensure we were happy with everything he had done. It stayed dry for everyone unloading their cars and then moving quickly across to the nearby car park but the promised rain soon arrived and we had one particularly heavy shower which wasn’t very nice. As a result footfall was low throughout the morning and we had only achieved 106 adults into the hall by midday but with the promised better weather in the afternoon we ensured we took turns walking up and down the high street with the occasional walk to the nearby Tesco. The better weather duly arrived and we had a bit of a rush over lunchtime and we were up to 275 adults by 2pm so things were starting to look up. It remained dry throughout the afternoon and we had a few family groups who were visiting the area and this along with a few sunny spells pushed our final figure to 412 adults into the market by closing time.

Sales were mixed for many people and unfortunately, we had 6 people who didn’t cover their table costs. We did have 2 jewellers who achieved sales of £300+, another jeweller who took £200 and a cheese maker who took around £230. We had several stall holders achieve sales between £100 and £150 on the day. Most were philosophical and were grateful that we had managed to get people into the hall despite the mixed weather throughout the day.

Henley-on-Thames Town Hall - 15th June

Not bad sales despite everything against us today.

We had a little bit of a hectic start to this morning with access to the hall later than usual. That said however, it did not seem to impact us too much as the set up itself was actually very smooth. The hall very quickly transformed into quite the display, we had a good selection of stall today and many customers commented on this throughout the day.

At 10, we opened the doors and instead of the usual flurry first thing we had a much slower start. The rain was promised to have stopped by the time the event started but unfortunately this was not the case. The Mynt team had to pull out the waterproofs and still managed to get soaked during the first couple of hours or so. The morning is often the quietest part of the day here so when it picked up a little after 11 it was quite reassuring despite the lack of people on the highstreets. When the weather eventually brightened up around 1230 the atmosphere in town lifted and looked as though we’d be in for a good afternoon. Annoyingly, when the wedding in the other hall arrived it was a little more disruptive than anticipated. Normally we’d see a few photos on the front steps which might have a very minor effect on the footfall (sometimes its beneficial as the hubbub around the hall is a good draw) so on this occasion to have had a double decker bus parked across the entrance to the hall impeding the view of the event entirely for an hour made it tough to reel the customers in. By the time the bus had transported the wedding goers onwards the town itself was much quieter again. We worked hard to pick the numbers back up but with the wind well and truly knocked out of our sails we struggled to generate a good buzz. The final half an hour saw a decent enough influx however, with many reporting that being the best part of the day by quite a margin. 

Overall, 505 customers through the door here is not terrible but we’d have hoped much higher given that Henley is usually thronging with people on a sunny summer’s day. We hate to blame the weather for poor numbers, but it seemed to hamper momentum right from the off and we never quite managed to bring it back up.

Sales were still quite good for the most part. The vast majority of stall holders cleared £100, half a dozen of which took around £250+ so there was certainly money to be made. We’re aware of a couple of stalls who struggled to cover costs. Interestingly, one of the more successful traders noted that it was clear who would or wouldn’t sell based purely on body language highlighting quite how important it is to engage. Sitting on your phone and not interacting with customers simply will not generate sales. 

In conclusion, it was a good day, especially for those who really made the most of it. There is also good opportunity from after-market sales and commissions from today’s event so we look forward to hearing from our stallholders. Also, in a very exciting addition to the day, we had a Hollywood A lister grace our event with their mother and they even bought from one of our stalls, very exciting!

Cranleigh Village Hall - 8th June

Our smallest event of the year but still some good sales

We don’t often run events this small, but with 7 cancellations for a variety of reasons in the weeks running up to the event including 2 in the evening before, we were left with 14 stallholders to enjoy and benefit from the footfall we created. With some creative ideas we managed to create an in inventive stall layout which still filled the room and looked very welcoming and attractive for customers Thanks to those stallholders who helped us set up the event due to Paul now being wheelchair bound

The weather was cool and breezy, not like the beginning of June at all and we even experienced some rain in the morning. These factors worked together to keep the streets quiet throughout the day. Many of our usual mature lady demographic were not to be seen which was disappointing when these are often our best buyers. However Paul worked hard all day from his wheelchair assisted by Sue and they managed to create a creditable Cranleigh footfall of 353

The customers of Cranleigh always buy well and today was no exception. With a smaller number of stalls to purchase from the money was well spread out and some decent money made by some of the stallholders. At least 3 stallholders reported sales of £200+ and the author present reported being on his feet and selling all day. The ladies of Cranleigh bought some classic jewellery and the glass art on sale was very much desired.

Romsey Town Hall - 8th June

A good event for how quiet the town was

The morning unfolded nicely, set up was smooth and the Mynt team assisted as much as possible so the stairs up to the hall were no real issue. We have a nice rhythm here for unloading at the start of the day and then re loading at the end so despite the restricted area at the front of the hall the whole process runs like fine clockwork. The town looked as though it could be busy initially, the early risers were out in force until around 930 when we saw some rain that wasn’t in the forecast. Annoyingly the timing of which meant those that were out and about had fled the square by the time we opened up at 10am. The team of course worked hard from the off to get the ball rolling however and although it took a little longer than we had first hoped the momentum started to build.

A few spots of rain late morning didn’t help but the numbers flowing into the hall were pretty good considering how quiet the town remained. In fact, a few stallholders commented on how good the footfall was considering the lack of traffic in the square and surrounding streets. Perhaps we were up against it with many D-day events in the local vicinity or maybe the weather just wasn’t quite right. Either way, with the lack of people to work with outside the Mynt team are very happy to have still achieved a total of 560 adults through the door.

Spending wasn’t bad overall, certainly not exceptional for anyone but with many browsers through the day the overall figures are more than adequate. Jewellery was one of the most popular crafts today, most achieving £120+ with one close to the £200 mark. We saw most in the £100-150 bracket but have also noted a couple of stall holders not covering costs. That said however at least one of which has some potential for aftermarket sales and commission work so the day can still be written down as successful. A couple of stall holders mentioned that they had given away a lot more cards than usual, some customers even taken them unprompted, a very promising sign whether that leads to online sales or repeat business at future events we’re confident that it will pay dividends with plenty more income off the back of the day. We do enjoy our events at Romsey and look forward to August.

Salisbury Guidlhall - 1st June

Tourists arrive in Salisbury

Summer months in Salisbury can be really busy and today lived up to expectations.  The weather started dull and cloudy with a strong breeze blowing through the market place which made it seem colder than it actually was and this continued throughout the day with some warmer sunny spells in the later afternoon. This really proved to be an advantage for our market today and we actually had people coming in from about 9:45am and as we were all set up we allowed them to come through the doors and we had seen 224 adults in the first hour. This trend continued throughout the whole day and with a steady flow of locals as well as the many visitors to the city including 2 coach loads of German tourists from a cruise ship in Southampton we had seen nearly 500 into the Guildhall by midday. 

Karl and Steve worked hard throughout the day and took turns walking and talking to people in the market square and the nearby streets to ensure we attracted as many people into the Guildhall as we could.  We saw a party of Spanish visitors in the afternoon and we could hear a few American accents later on.  We had lots of great comments today from customers who were very impressed with the set up of the market and how well the Guildhall looked.  By 4pm we had attracted 1152 adults into the market and had lots of happy stallholders who did well throughout the day.

A glassmaker did especially well today making £300+, a jeweller made almost £300 as did a gentleman selling artworks.  We had 13 people who took between £100 and £200. 

Chichester Assembly Rooms - 1st June

A cooler day than expected

Chichester is one of our most popular markets and already sold out for 2024. Despite slightly disappointing sales for some Chichester continues to be an extremely active bustling event. Chichester yesterday was sunny but with the wind blowing right down the road at times cold. The final footfall was a vey creditable 963 but because of the weather not being as good as forecast it was a bit down on what we had hoped. Keith and Duncan worked hard to achieve this good footfall number. A rather bizarre situation arose with the stallholders inside saying that outside traders had a n unfair advantage and outside traders saying that people were missing them and going straight upstairs – it may be difficult for Mynt Image to win here.

Spending was quite good, 2 stallholders made £400, 2 at £300, 4 at £200, then 6 at £100 - £150. This is the first time we’ve had a cafe at this event, something we aim to keep. The stallholders and customers seemed to enjoy the variety of food especially in the afternoon.

Witney Corn Exchange - 1st June

A grey day at the start of flaming June

This was our best footfall at Witney this year despite the grey windy conditions. Adam, Sue & Paul from his wheelchair pulled people in all day and a footfall of 747 adults was achieved with over 700 going upstairs. The stalls looked fantastic today with lots of art and bright colours and this was commented on by our customers who all seemed to enjoy the event. There was a constant flow of customers throughout the day including returning customers to stallholders they had visited before. Witney seemed quiet, the UK economic situation seems to be troubling Witney at the moment. Although an affluent town it still seems to be feeling the crunch. There were still some good sales with an upstairs stall selling South African style goods doing particularly well at  £350+. A regular downstairs candle seller sold £430 including some to returning clients. Many stalls made  £100- £150 and there was a lovely positive buzz between stallholders.  2 new stallholders have already written to us letting us know how much they had enjoyed the day.

Lyndhurst Community Centre - 25th/26th/27th May

Saturday - Sunny Saturdays in Lyndhurst are full of promise but may not deliver

Lyndhurst streets were full of caravans and campervans today but they were heading for the coast on the only sunny day promised for the May half term. The car park was very quiet all day despite the amount of traffic on the roads so inevitably the footfall was lower than expected. Sundays do tend to be better once people have settled into their campsites and are looking for something to do…. breakfast and coffee in Lyndhurst go down very well. Keith and Karl worked very hard throughout the day to draw people in using every technique possible and this resulted in a footfall of 472 adult customers lower than we’d hoped.

There was a lovely atmosphere as usual but just a pity it wasn’t busier. Due to the lower Saturday footfall unfortunately, stallholder did not do as well as expected with the top sales being just over £250. Most stalls took between £50 & £150 with just 5 stalls not meeting their costs which is always unfortunate. We look forward to a better Sunday.

Sunday - What a different day Sunday was!

Well what can I say , no 2 days could be more different, Saturday 472 punters today 1005 punters. The whole atmosphere today both inside and outside the hall was just lively , cheerful and hectic at times. Weather was sunny, cloudy at times but warm and dry. Takings reflected the good feeling with our cheese seller and one of our authors both taking £500. Another stall selling homewares sold £450 and at least one artist sold £300. 5 other stallholders sold between £200 - £260. Only 3 people did not take their stall fee but 2 were very close.

A much better day and everyone left happy and smiling. The cafe did well particularly when a coach load of Welsh tourists turned up and practically ate all her cake.

The Mynt team worked well throughout the day and interchanged to ensure we always had 2 people outside both in the high street and outside the hall, hopefully this contributed to the great numbers and the success of this great Sunday event.

Mondays - Mondays can be so good at Lyndhurst compared to Saturday

Day 3 of our bank holiday weekend in Lyndhurst and we increased our numbers again. Set up was nice and easy again as approximately half of our stallholders were here for all 3 days. We started slowly to a day of promised sunny spells and the possibility of thundery showers in the afternoon which thankfully didn’t materialise and we only had two very short spells of drizzle.

We had 145 adults through the doors in the first hour and this climbed steadily throughout the morning and by 12:30pm, just like Sunday, we had again beaten Saturday’s total footfall for the day. Lunchtime proved busy and by 2pm we had persuaded 742 adults into our market including a coach load of visitors from Germany with many posing for a photo with King Charles! Just after 2pm we had an unusual visitor when a couple on a week’s holiday from Scotland brought their pet Barn Owl into the Community Centre and they stayed with us for nearly an hour and were more than happy to pose the owl for photos with stallholders and many of our visitors. This proved to be a great ‘selling point’ to attract people in as children and adults were very interested to see the own inside the hall. Footfall remained steady throughout the afternoon and we still had people coming through the doors past our 4pm finishing time. Today we achieved a final adult footfall of 1086 into our market which was nearly 80 more than yesterday. Sales were mixed today and although most stallholders were happy with their results we did have 3 who didn’t cover their table costs.

An artist sold a very large original for over £1000. Cheese sold well £500 and a homeware stall took £400+. Plenty sold around the £200 mark. This was a very good day of spending for most.

Thame Town Hall - 25th May

A busy day in Thame 

It was a beautiful sunny day in Thame with red Kites circling the market town throughout the day. The Thame food festival was on in town drawing many local residents and visitors into this attractive historical town. They were met with not only the delights of the food festival but also the Mynt Image market. The hall looked really good today with a mix of talented crafters and their colourful products. We had a good mix of new stallholders as well as many experienced Thame crafters who have been with us for several years and recognise just how good this Thame event can be. Customers started to come into the event before 10 and there was a steady flow with waves throughout the day. Paul worked tirelessly from his wheelchair supported by his wife to push customers in. By the end of the day a footfall of 609 adult customers had been recorded.

Spending at Thame, as usual was better in the afternoon though many stallholders with such a good footfall also had a good morning. The people at Thame always spend well loving a quality craft and gift market. Two stallholders managed sales £500+ and many others achieved £200+. There was an excellent, friendly, and welcoming atmosphere between stallholders all day making this a lovely event to attend. We look forward to our next event in Thame in July.

Newbury Methodist Church - 25th May

An event which proves that you don’t need a huge footfall to get some spending

Where would you go on a beautiful sunny Saturday at the start on the late spring holidays? We like most would not have gone shopping in Newbury but would have headed for the coast or countryside. This proved to be the case and Newbury was quiet. We had to pull in last minute relief staffing due to George’s partner having a baby the day before and Steve & Richard should be proud of the event they created. We’ve already had some lovely comments about how well this was organised and how hard they worked throughout the day. There was a lovely friendly atmosphere between stallholders and those who interacted with customers did well. It’s such a lovely venue with a unique atmosphere. Footfall was only 300+ but this was not reflected in spending.

We were delighted to hear that many stallholders had done better than expected due to the poor footfall. We’ve already received emails from people who sold £250+ and thoroughly enjoyed the day. Sales were better in the last hour as is often the case at many of our events, it’s sad that some stallholders gave up early and didn’t benefit from this. Thank you to stallholders that attended this event and have already reacted positively and commented on the efforts made.

Devizes Corn Exchange - 18th May

Our 1^st event in Devizes in 2024 brings success for many

Devizes is such a warm welcoming events and perfect for those with disabilities being on flat level ground. This made it perfect for Paul, working out of a wheelchair for the 1^st time, but still able to use his powerful voice to attract customers. The day was mostly bright and sunny, and we only had a few interruptions form brief passing showers. There were plenty of people on the streets, many being drawn to the small outside market as well as to our larger Corn Exchange event. With over 120 customers in the first hour we knew we were all going to have a good day. The event was fully booked, but a few last-minute cancellations gave most stallholders a little additional room in this really very spacious hall. The hall really did look inviting, and we had a huge range of different stalls which made it appealing to a large range of different customers. At the end of the day we were very happy with a final footfall of 733. 

Although the afternoon was a lot slower than the morning, the best sales at Devizes are always in the afternoon and today was once again an example of this. Devizes seems to attract browsers in the morning and buyers/spenders in the afternoon. Interestingly this was also a day for dogs with a host of dog owners visiting the event. Spending was well spread out throughout the stallholders with no outstanding sales but many stallholders selling over £200 and many more between £100 and £200. We are only aware of 2 stallholders not making their stall fees. We had several new stallholders with us and have already received several notes from stallholders saying how much they felt welcomed and how they saw the difference between our events and others they had attended

This was a really good start for our 2024 Devizes events

Lymington Masonic Hall - 18th May

A delightful summer event in Lymington

The weather started warm and sunny in Lymington, but the forecast was not good for the whole day, we were to expect showers and the odd rumble of thunder but fortunately the weather forecast is not always right. The weather stayed warm and sunny for most of the with just a threatening shower mid-morning which helped get a few extra people through the doors promising them that it was lovely and dry inside the Masonic Hall.

The outdoor market was down the street nearly as far as our hall which is always a good sign and with lots of early shoppers, we had people coming through the doors before opening time and we welcomed 192 adults in the first hour. Numbers remained steady throughout the morning, and we had achieved 561 by lunchtime. Footfall tailed off a little over lunchtime but increased again throughout the afternoon and by the end of day we had welcomed 974 adults into our market with lots of family groups and many dogs of all shapes and sizes. We saw a few visitors in Lymington today and the arrival of a German coach party from a cruise ship in Southampton was very welcomed by some of our stallholders. 

Takings were mostly good with 2 stallholders taking between £350 and £450 and 6 taking over £200. We had 7 stallholders taking between £120 and £180 but unfortunately 2 stallholders didn’t cover their table cost.

Henley-on-Thames Town Hall - 18th May

Lots of positives from today even with slightly lower sales

With an early forecast promising rain, we were delighted to realise that the morning was unfolding much more positively. A warm start to the day filled us with optimism as Henley is such a wonderful town in the sun. The team set up and assisted stallholder like a well-oiled machine, the hall transformed into a cornucopia of beautiful gifts ready to be enjoyed by the locals and tourists that adorned the high street throughout the day. 

We got off to slow start, despite the forecast having improved dramatically we still had a few spots of rain towards 11am which didn’t help us build the momentum at all. With around 50 people in the first hour, we were a tiny bit disappointed but never disheartened as we know late morning early afternoon is the time to really get the punters flowing. The footfall picked up nicely around 1130 and was pretty consistent until it tailed off slightly around 2. The lunchtime lull seemed later than usual and for some unknown reason did not quite lift again. The last couple of hours were steady and by no means quiet but somewhat subdued comparatively to the middle of the day. Perhaps the sunshine had taken people down to the river for the afternoon? Who knows, either way we were pleased to achieve 725 through the door.

Spending was okay for most, good for a handful and poor for one or two. Half a dozen stallholders cleared £300, candles and jewellery being amongst the better performers for the day. Art received a mixed response with some selling well and some struggling, although there has been a lot of conversation regarding commissions which will of course transform even the worst day into a good one. A couple of the stallholders who had tougher days commented on having learnt something, sales are important, but knowledge and experience is invaluable so were keen to see how that develops! Lots of window shopping today so we’re confident that returning stallholders will be getting some of those customers coming back later in the year for a present or two.  All in all, quite a positive day even though we’d have liked more from a sales perspective.

Romsey Town Hall - 11th May

Tough day in the heat

Romsey can be a great location for Mynt Image Craft Markets but unfortunately today was not to be one of those days. Setting up was easy and is immensely easy today with the use of the small room by the front door. People were able to unload into that room, depart to move their cars and then return to take everything upstairs to the main hall.

Although the cafes across the road and down the street were busy, we only had 70 adults through the doors in the first hour. This steadily increased throughout the morning and with several trips by Karl and Erin through the Market Place and the main street, called The Hundred, we had achieved a footfall of 216 by 1pm. The early afternoon continued with a steady stream of adults, children, and dogs into the townhall. There were a few visitors to Romsey on the day and we did see 3 French campervans which appeared to be travelling together so hopefully we can have a bust summer ahead. We continued to take turns walking around the immediate area and over towards Romsey Abbey trying to attract people. By 3pm we were up to a total of 346 but we struggled thereafter as there weren’t many people around. By the end of the day, we had a final total of 391 adults into our event at the town hall. 

Stallholders thanked both Karl and Erin for all their hard work as they could hear us through the opened windows as it was hot both inside the hall and outside in the streets. Temperatures hit 23 degrees in the shade and was very hot in direct sunlight so perhaps many people had gone to the coast or nearby parks or simply stayed in their own gardens to enjoy the lovely day. 

Despite the lower than normal footfall, good sales were reported including a jeweller and a lady selling decorative homeware. That’s not to say that other stalls didn’t do well because many did, though there were some surprising exceptions. Most took between £50 and £150

An okay day at this excellent venue which usually performs lot better.

Guildford Guildhall - 11th May

A lovely Sunny day in Guildford.

This was a classic Guildford event in late Spring. A beautiful Sunny day with a gentle warm breeze. We had a few last-minute cancellations but despite this the event looked full, colourful and inviting. The streets were busy from the start of the day with plenty of people out in the town. However, despite good numbers they were not willing to enter the event without our hard work. We must admit it was fun (albeit tough) working outside today… a real change. At times the upstairs was busier than downstairs, and this was reflected in the final results. By working hard our Mynt Team managed to entice 896 customers into the event.

Jewellery seemed to sell very well, with one seller making £700, very good at this time of year. Our 2 candle sellers also did very well, one selling out of lamps and the other selling around £400. Both of our artists also had sales around £400 which was very satisfying. There was very little pattern to the buying, some stallholders doing better in the morning and vice versa, but it was good to see many doing so well. Stallholders were all positive at the end of the day despite couple not meeting their stall fees.

We have no June event at Guildford but look forward to July.

Chichester Assembly Room - 11th May

A good start to the year in Chichester

This was our first event at Chichester in 2024 and what a stunner of a day it was. We have now slightly expanded this exceptionally popular event, creating 6 outside spaces who did well on such a gorgeous day. Chichester rapidly became a favourite in 2023 and this was another very good event to start 2024. With the choice between beach garden and shopping it was clear what many had chosen Chichester was never busy today. But despite this our wonderful team manage to attract 988 customers into the event. 

Our staff were slightly disappointed with the numbers but this was thankfully made up by the quality of the customers. One glass maker sold £400+ whilst a stall selling fabric bags achieved £300+. Several stalls achieved between £150 and £250. It is clear already that the people of Chichester and visitors to this stunning town enjoy a quality Craft and gift market.

Salisbury Guildhall - 4th/5th May

Saturday - A great start to our Summer event at Salisbury

Summer at Salisbury can be very busy with so many tourists and visitors around and this, our first event at Salisbury in decent condition demonstrated this well. It was the first warm sunny day of Summer and the first time we have been able to work without fear of getting cold and wet. With the outside market already up and working when we opened the doors, there were plenty of potential customers around and many very willing to come into our quality Craft and Gift market. In the first hour alone, we attracted 160 customers into the event and then began the steady flow of customers throughout the day with even some larger rushes at lunch time. Because of the great weather there was little slowing down of footfall right until the end of the dy and we finished the day with a great total of 1168 adult customers. Our organisers worked hard for this impressive footfall, not only advertising the event in the market Square but also venturing out into the neighbouring streets to look for additional customers.

We had a great mix of stallholders today with some wonderful quality products on offer . We had a wide range of jewellery as well as several authors and some great artists, making this a very colourful event. Our regulars were joined by several stallholders relatively new to us who were delighted with the large footfall, many having experience nothing like this before. However we are aware that a large footfall does not always result in good sales and there are always some who do not succeed so well. at lest 4 stallholders achieved sales of over £300 including an author who had one of the best ever Mynt image events, A chocolate seller, a woodworker and one of our jewellers also did very well, reporting some high sales figures.. we had 8 other stallholders achieving £200+ , it is always good to see spending being spread out. Unfortunately there are always those who didn’t do so well, we wish we had a solution but there seeme to be little rhyme or reason as to why some succeed whilst others don’t. Average sales were between £120 and £180.

Salisbury is such a good location if you are looking for a busy event. Stallholders rarely have enough time to sit down on a Saturday.

Sunday - An event which demonstrates you don’t need a huge footfall to create good results

We knew that Sunday would be a quieter day at Salisbury, but it is often the case that spending on a Friday or Sunday is far better than on a Saturday. . Sunday was a totally different day to Saturday. Our team of workers had to work very hard as well as adapting their methods to get customers into the event. The weather was cooler, there was no market outside and the sun seemed to forget to make an appearance. With spells of drizzle throughout the day, there were certainly less potential customers around to target. The monthly arts fair at the far side of the Market Square brought us a few additional customers, but our team had to work hard throughout the day to attract customers. With only 47 customers within the first hour we were a little worried, however we needn’t have been because after 11am and by using slightly different tactics our team manged to attract a lot more customers into the event. . By the end of the day a footfall of 631 was achieved, a respectable amount for a Friday, Sunday or Monday at Salisbury.

Despite having only half the number of customers, sales were actually very similar to those of the busy Saturday. Several stallholders who were there for both days reported better sales on the quieter Sunday …it’s the quality of the customers which is important. Cheese and honey products sold especially well on Sunday with the afternoon bringing the bulk of their sales, . A further 4 stallholders including 3 artists achieved sales of between £190 and £280, making this a very good day for larger art sales.. From what we were told, every stallholder covered their table costs, something which is unusual at any of our events. Fridays and Sundays can be so much more lucrative than busy Saturdays at Salisbury, the customers simply seem to be out shopping rather than browsing.

We look forward to the rest of our Summer events at Salisbury now that visitors and tourist are starting to arrive in the City. Salisbury can be so good in the Summer when tourists are looking for souvenirs of their memorable visit to the city of Salisbury

Lewes Town Hall - 4th May

A record footfall provides a great start to the year for this location

Although we have been running events at Lewes for the last 2 years, this was the first we have ever run under ‘normal conditions, no blistering heat or pouring rain, but instead a nice dry day with some blue sky,. Lewes Town Hall has such potential as a venue, it really is spacious and offers a delightful environment to work in. We had a 3 person team working the event to give it a good boost at the start of the year and this certainly worked well. There were plenty of people, both local and tourists around in this top area of the town throughout the day and many were delighted with the opportunity to visit what was in their view a quality event. With a first hour footfall of 120 adults, we knew that we were in for a good day. The customers flowed into the building in a continual stream and we finished the day with a large footfall of 707, our largest ever for this great venue.

Lewes Town Hall is such an easy hall to utilise, with an unloading and loading area to the rear and level access into the building, making this perfect for those with mobility issues. We had several of our regular stallholders from the past 2 years, but these were joined by many new stallholders working with Mynt Image for the first time. There was a really great mix of stalls from cakes to glassware and books to art and the hall ws a riot of colour and flair. Many customers who exited the building asked when the next events were being held and remarked on the sheer quality of the products on sale. Stallholders new to Mynt Image commented on the methods we use to attract people, some remarking on what a difference our active advertising makes.

Spending was poorer than you would expect for such a good footfall, which apparently was the same in 2023. Customers seem to have very closed deep pockets at present and we found that it was the more experienced sellers who seemed to do well. Selling is certainly an art and customers need to be sold to in the current climate. One artist managed sales of £300+ and several other stallholders hit the £200 mark. It was good to eee spending being well spreaqd out throughout the stalls with as far as we are aware only 20 of the 36 stalls not achieving their table fees. The people of Lewes certainly enjoy a good chat and it was no surprise that our 2 charity stalls here today, Woodlands Trust and RSPB, did very well recruiting new members

This is an event which take s lot of effort to run with the steepness and angles of the terrain, but it is well worth the effort for both stallholders and organisers.

Witney Corn Exchange - 4th May

A really tough day overall

With a foggy approach into this gorgeous Oxfordshire town we were very excited to see the mist disappear and the sun start to shine. The first decent weather of the year was incredibly well welcomed. Set up was smooth, with a 3 strong team we helped stallholders get in to the hall easily. Each of the 2 halls looked superb although very different. The downstairs here is slightly cramped and dark but certainly very colourful and loud, the upstairs is much brighter and open with a more relaxed atmosphere. 

The footfall throughout the day was odd, it ebbed and flowed so we had little pockets of business, but the steadiness was lacking. With a more irregular pattern it can be tougher to maintain atmosphere throughout the day, especially in the more open upstairs hall regardless of overall numbers. It’s a shame because the stalls here were very attractive but with the customers not behaving quite the way we like it certainly made it tougher. Bizarrely, we had both customers from upstairs and downstairs complaining that all of the customers were going to the opposite hall and not their own. There was actually truth to both of these statements as we did have a number of customers that entered either upstairs or downstairs and left before visiting the other hall, this really highlighting the quality, or rather lack of quality, in the customers we had today. Some made it only a few steps into either hall before turning around. It is also worth noting that due to the nature of each hall, 5 customers in the crowded and cramped downstairs looked a lot busier than having 5 customers in the much more open upstairs hall so regardless of numbers it certainly felt a lot quieter up there. 

Spending was odd, we had 4 stallholders who had particularly good days. The strange thing about this, was they were all next to each other. Perhaps the bubbly nature and positive spending helped to lift each other up? All 4 of which did note the difficulty in getting the sales over the line, one of which commenting they had to practically reach over into the customers pockets and take the money out for them (theoretically of course). We had a larger number of stallholders than usual struggling to cover costs but we have since had reports that there is some aftermarket activity from customers that visited during the day and this could turn the day around for them. One of our regulars here took around 30-40% of what they would usually take for this time of the year at this venue, again highlighting the lack of quality in todays customers and additionally nearly half of the days takings were from one customer at 5 minutes before we closed.

Overall, this was an incredibly tough day for all whether sales were made or not. Active selling is certainly key during these tough times and camaraderie goes a long way. 

Romsey Town Hall - 27th April

A good start to the year at Romsey

Romsey is one of our favourite events, the people of Romsey always love a quality Craft and Gift Market. The forecast for the day had been awful all week with heavy rain expected for most of the day, However the weather gods relented on Friday and a dry day was forecast leading to great relief from the Mynt Image team. Although it was cloudy it was still bright and there were plenty of people braving the cafes around the market Square, always some of our best sources for customers. The facilitation of a drop off room for products to be put into at the beginning and end of the day has made the start of the day so much easier at Romsey and there is now no rush to get all of the products up to the halls once unloaded because they are safely stored away in the downstairs room., We do advise stallholders to travel as lightly as possible to Romsey because there are stairs to negotiate and although these are tricky for some stallholders, they do actually work in our favour when it comes to customers. Customers don’t seem to be put off by the stairs at all, and once up the stairs seem to make the most of the event by staying up in the hall for a long time, many making several sweeps of the hall seeing several stalls many times and spending well.

We had a 3 person Mynt Image team today because Paul was unable to do anything physical today so spent the day sitting on the outside bench calling out for customers. This left Tony and Sue to drive the customers in from the far reaches of Romsey towards the hall, something they did very well. A final footfall of 695 was very respectable for Romsey and resulted in a steady flow of customers throughout the day, something noted by our stallholders. There was a good mix of experienced and new sellers at the event today, many of the new stallholders being complimentary regarding how the market was organised and structured. Romsey town hall is a lovely bright hall and always creates a good vibe for the markets. There was a good buzz and a positive attitude from the stallholders… It is a delight to use this hall. Spending for a cold spring day was good with one stallholder achieving £350+ and several others including a woodworker making £200+.Most stallholder achieved around £100 and were very happy with the day’s event. We’ve already had several rebookings.

We’re looking forward to how the summer progresses in Romsey.

Lymington Masonic Hall - 27th April

1st of the summer tourists make this a good event

The weather started better than expected with some warm summer sunshine in the morning but came distinctly chilly after lunch. The outside market had expanded down the high street, ready for the influx of tourists and this pushed people towards the hall making our helpers life easier. Numbers were very good in the morning with over 700 adults entering by lunchtime however numbers dropped significantly in the afternoon, possibly due to the forecast of heavy rain which only arrived later. Overall we saw 1006 through the door.

Takings for most were better in the morning though surprisingly some did much better in the afternoon. Our Marie Curie worker had a particularly good day and was very satisfied with the event as is looking forward to doing more. Our chocolate and cheese stalls did best as is often the case. At least 5 stalls took between £150 & £200. A further 5 made £100+. Unfortunately, we are aware of 3 stallholders that didn’t cover their stall costs which we wish we could remedy. An author thoroughly enjoyed the day selling several of her books. So all in all a good start to the summer season in Lymington only spoiled by rain as we left the hall and the M27 traffic being horrendous on the way home, but still we live in England so what do we expect?

Hungerford Corn Exchange - 27th April

A good result for some in Hungerford but still harder work than usual

With the wind and rain thrashing down on our way into Hungerford we were incredibly grateful when it stopped just as we started to set up. The hall soon transformed into a utopia of incredible products, this event had a particularly good range of stalls and customers often commented on how good the display was. 

As the day got underway, a little flurry of customers bang on 10am was slightly deceiving as the first hour was quiet. We expect this here, but the footfall was still lower than we’d have hoped. We don’t like to blame the weather for any outcome at an event but it felt as though the early rain and the bitterly cold breeze had deterred many from venturing out. The same event last year saw gorgeous sunshine and quite a bubbly atmosphere in the Highstreet so it was quite disappointing to be forced to wrap up with winter coats and even hat and gloves!

The Mynt team had to work hard to draw a crowd, our aim was 500 for the day and with the highstreet being as quite as it was we’re quite happy to achieve 483 customers through the door. The numbers trickle fairly steadily over the day with a noticeable increase around 3pm. 

Spending was quite a mixed bag overall. We had 4 stallholders clearing £250 and a similar number not covering costs. The majority seemed to sit 100-200 for the day so although nothing particularly special it certainly wasn’t a bad day for most. For many, one or two larger sales seemed to be the saving grace though. One jeweller for example only making one sale for the whole day is usually a negative thing but when the sales is worth £100 its not quite so bad. This happened a few times throughout the day, highlighting not only how good the spending can be here but also the importance of being persistent as you never know which single person walking through the market could make all the difference. Another thing of note here today is the large potential for aftermarket sales. We have reports of some great conversations that could be incredibly lucrative. Recently customers haven’t always parted with cash on the day itself and these sales beyond the market are becoming increasingly important so we look forward to hearing if they all come through. 

Henley-on-Thames Town Hall - 20th April

Empty streets but still a good footfall and sales

Henley seemed devoid of human life at times, the streets were far quieter that they were just 2 weeks ago. A strong cold wing was piercing and certainly was having some affect on the numbers of people in town, with potential customers rushing between shops to keep warm, especially as many of them were dressed for the Summer. After 1 hour we were slightly concerned because we had only attracted 45 customers into the event, far less than normal. The Mynt team continued to work up and down the High street and at about 11.30 customers seemed to start flowing with more ease into the hall….they could be seen walking up the hill towards the warmth and shelter of the Town hall. By the end of the day we had attracted a very creditable 857 customers into the event, which must have been most people out shopping in Henley.

The set up went really smoothly today with all stallholders attending and creating some marvellous displays. One group of ladies, seasoned craft market attenders, remarked on how wonderful the event was and the quality of the stalls and finished by saying it was one of the best craft fairs they had ever attended. Spending in the morning was sparse, possibly due to the slower footfall, but it did thankfully pick up a lot in the afternoon. At the end of the day at least 4 stallholders had sales in excess of £500 an several commented that they had had better sales today than they had with our record breaking footfall of the previous month ….a huge footfall does not always mean huge sales. Most stallholders appeared to sell between £100 and £200, though it was disappointing to find out that some of our regulars had had in their words a disastrous day. Quite why some experienced sellers did so poorly whilst others did so well is a mystery. It certainly wasn’t a jewellery day today, though crystals sold well. It was also good to see candles and diffusers sell so well today when this is not the best time of year to sell them. It was also good to see one customers walking down the High street carrying a huge piece of polished wood for a table centrepiece that he bought from a stallholder but could hardly carry ….a memorable sight.

We look forward to working at Henley in May, but just hope and pray that the weather improved a little, a bit of warmth would help a lot

Cranleigh Village Hall - 20th April

Despite a low footfall, some happy stallholders.

Cranleigh Village was deathly quiet today, there simply wer so few people out shopping or enjoying the beautiful sun. IT may have been the icy winds racing down the High Street which kept people at home, there are few other explanations. It is also interesting to know that other High Street shops including Sainsburys were almost empty at times, with staff killing the time.

Our 2 men worked really hard throughout the day and manage to achieve a footfall of 320+, a low figure event for Cranleigh where footfalls are rarely large. Cranleigh is simply one of those places where despite average footfalls, spending per customer can be very good.

Our workers worked hard and covered several miles to create the final footfall and there was simply nothing much else they could have done to create a higher footfall. This situation was incidentally the same at both Newbury and Henley today with a lack of people on the streets ….but our Mynt Image staff never give up.

Set up was simple today and there was  a really good range of different stalls and a good mix of stallholders ranging from those at their first event to those experienced sellers who have been working with us for more than 10 years. Those who could sell well di well today with one glass artist selling glass in excess of £260. At least 8 other stallholders reported sales between £150 and £200 and a further more of between £100 an £150….not bad at all considering the lower than average footfall. If only the ‘silver haired ladies’ had been out shopping in Cranleigh, sales would have been even better for everyone.

Newbury Methodist Church - 20th April

A really tough day for most

The promise of sunshine filled with us with confidence as the morning unfolded. Set was smooth, the dynamic Mynt team of 3 assisted stallholders in unloading and the hall transformed with ease into an inviting pandoras box full of unique quality products. We had something for everyone and the morning was filled with optimism. A couple of stalls outside in the newly refurbished front ‘garden’ added to the display and really helped catch customers passing by to help entice them in. Unfortunately however, there were not many people to entice today. The highstreet was notably quiet so we struggled to generate a good footfall, the demographic that seemed to be missing was the one we tend to see the most of in the hall so that made it particularly difficult. Newbury races were on in the town and this could have affected us in one of two ways. Either it would bring more people to the centre of town or it would deter them all somewhat. It was the latter unfortunately and it a couple of locals noted that even though the traffic is not an issue like it was in years gone by, the slightly older locals tend to avoid town on days like this. That said, we managed a total of 408 customers through the door. Lower than we hoped but not bad considering how tough it was. We noticed that for some reason those that were 50/50 on entering leaned towards not coming in when usually we’d be able to coax them through which we feel is good indication of how tough it was today from start to finish.

Spending wasn’t bad overall based on how hard we had to work but we did have a few stallholders struggling to cover costs. It doesn’t often happen but occasionally the sales just don’t happen and that’s a part of this industry that’s less often spoken about. Fortunately its rare to have more than a couple that don’t cover costs but with the ever increasing aftermarket sales there’s always good possibilities that these poor days turn into good days after the event has finished. That’s enough negativity though as we had some success stories today too and that should absolutely receive some recognition. One stall holder around the £300 mark with another 3 clearing £200 is not bad going at all. Cheese and honey were popular today, as was art and wooden home décor. We pretty confident that if the locals that were missing today had been attendance then we’d have seen superb sales so we have no concerns for next time. 

Abingdon Guildhall - 13th April

Good numbers but not such good spending.

As the sun shone down on this superb venue we excitedly set up. The unique layout here creates a wonderfully inviting, yet slightly different display for customers and it tends to work perfectly. The shape and size of the halls are very immersive and with some real history behind them it couldn’t be a better setting for such an event. Combining this with how well stall holders adapt and utilise the space here we’re always optimistic for a great day ahead.

The flow of customers started slow, as expected and then the trickle began to increase late morning. The town was quiet for the most part but the numbers remained steady through the door and mid afternoon, when most events would start to slow down, we picked up a little and had customers streaming in until the very end. Outside of the Christmas season and with no events going on in town we knew the numbers would not be huge but a total of 719 through the door is certain a figure we’re pleased with. 

The gorgeous sunshine brought really good spirits but not wallets however. There was a notably younger demographic than usual today and disposable income was lacking compared to most events here. This made it a little tougher to draw out sales so we didn’t see the massive numbers we often see here. Overall not bad, especially compared to how the rest of the easter holidays have performed thus far, with 5 stallholders comfortably clearing £200 and many more north of £100. We did however have 3 not covering costs which was disappointing, especially as there were a lot pof positive interactions throughout the day. One thing of note is that since the event finished one stallholder has reported further sales of around £100 turning what was already a good day into a great one. It really highlights the importance of the networking element of these events and how proactive selling and just simply being present can boost sales across the board. Not a bad day but some room for improvement, August here will be a good one!

ers into the event and greatly appreciated our efforts. At Mynt Image we always believe in making 100% effort and it was good to see how this was appreciated today.

Guildford Guildhall - 13th April

A difficult morning leading to a much improved afternoon

After the huge footfall in March, we were hopeful of another bumper harvest today. However right from the start, despite the warmer and sunnier weather, few people wanted to come into the event. There were plenty of people on the High street but they all seemed to be in a rush from one shop to another and ignoring our very obvious event. The customers we were managing to turn were not he best buyers and both the stallholders and ourselves were getting rather frustrated. By .1.30pm we had only managed a footfall of 450 which we were not happy with. An extremely loud busker a way down the High street did not help us or those buskers nearer to us, and a demonstration for Palestinian rights also had an effect but this being the last Saturday of the Easter holidays. Thankfully when the afternoon came, there seemed to be a totally different atmosphere in Guildford and people started to visit our event in waves, still with some quiet spells but with much improved momentum. At the end of the day we managed to achieve a footfall of 1083.

We had a good many new stallholders with us today, many bf whom had taken a lte booking due to last minute cancellations. The new stallholders seemed to mix in well with our existing Guildford traders. WE had a good range of quality stalls from fashion to honey products, ceramics to crochet and art, a host of delights for our customers. The stalls all looked professional and appealing and with books also on offer provided products for the whole family. At the end of the day some decent figures had been achieved with at least 3 stallholders selling £300+ including a jeweller. Best sales went to a craft Gin stall who had a much better afternoon than morning and ended up with sales of £500+. Most stallholder achieved between £150 and £250 and we are delighted to say that we are not aware of any who didn’t meet their stall fees. There were some lovely relationships between stallholders, making this a very friendly environment and a good day out for most stallholders.

It is interesting to note that several new stallholders commented on the energy and pro active selling of the event by the Mynt Image team. They were not used to going to events where the organisers worked to get customers into the event and greatly appreciated our efforts. At Mynt Image we always believe in making 100% effort and it was good to see how this was appreciated today.

Marlborough Town Hall - 13th April

A day of great potential which unfortunately wasn’t realised

A lovely warm sunny morning with plenty of people in town browsing the large central street market right from the start. With a very easy set-up, as is usual at Marlborough, we had great expectations for a good day.  With the excellent efforts of our Mynt Image team, customers flowed into the event throughout the day leading to a good footfall for Marlborough of 541 customers. The hall looked appealing and full of brightness and colour. We had a great mix of stalls with products ranging from jewellery to clothing, teddy bears to photography and lots in between. We had many experienced sellers too, mixing with many who were new to us at this location.

It was unfortunate however that the customers seemed to have other things on their mind today besides spending. Whether it was because it was mid-month, Grand National day or they were rushing home for the 1^st BBQ of the season, spending was not as good as we would have expected with a good footfall. It was not only the ‘newbies’; who seemed to find it  difficult, but also those who were more experienced. At the end of the day 3 stallholders had achieved sales of £300+, nothing exceptional, but still good nevertheless. It was good to see jewellery do a lot better today, jewellery has been a tough thing to sell of the last few weeks, but today was in demand. It is always unfortunate to have stalls that don’t do so well, but in these days when customers have to be ‘sold to’ rather than just buy, this is becoming a little more common. We wish we could teach everyone to sell so that every stallholder does well, but unfortunately this is something which only come by experience and which can take selling at many of our event to develop.

Hungerford Corn Exchange - 6th April

Better sales in the afternoon

There was no rain forecast for the day, but there was a strong wind whipping down the High Street  throughout the day. Hungerford is always slow to start and with the fewe people on the High Street this was again the case today with less than 70 people in the first hour ….not that unusual for Hungerford. Hungerford High Street is never busy, but there were plenty of people browsing the antique shops and visiting the town and this caused the footfall to climb with a good footfall of 583 achieved at the end of the day. You can’t force customers into Hungerford market and many of the customers had been in Hungerford for 3-4 hours before making the decision to enter the market towards the end of the day ….these were the ones who seemed to spend the best

Setting up is always easy at Hungerford due to the level ground between the unloading area and the hall itself. The hall looked wonderful and there really were some excellent displays of people’s work ranging from 2 excellent woodworkers to some glistening jewellery and amazing art. A riot of colour and charm met most customers eyes, yet still some seemingly managed to walk round in the morning without buying much. Spending in the morning was slower than expected as our 2 other events also found today,. Why customers were not buying can only be explained by Easter being so early and this being the weekend in the middle of the Ester holidays when many families were on holiday or had run out of money after Easter. Thankfully spending increased a lot in the afternoon with one customers spending over £300 on jewellery at one stall. Sales of Craft gin also massively increased with final sales of £500+. Many stallholders at the end of the event reported sales of between £150 and £250 which they were quite happy with. There was some disappointment however with 4 stalls not having a great day despite the stallholders best efforts.

As the weather becomes warmer, the tourists visit Hungerford more, increasing sales throughout the Summer months. Hungerford is always best in the Summer and we are looking forward to some blistering sales

Salisbury Guildhall - 6th April

A good footfall, but poorer spending than expected

Our Salisbury events are now in their 12^th year, this being the first venue we started working at. Spring Saturdays can be great here and the market place is usually filled with shoppers, especially when there is no rain. Although the temperature never hit the promised  highs of 20C the day remained dry with sunny spells. Set up at Salisbury is pretty simple once stallholders have negotiated the route between the unloading  area and the hall. Many stallholders were ready to start selling before 9am and enjoying an easy coffee to start the day. Customers wanted to enter the Guildhall before 10am and we thought we were in for a good day. The Mynt team managed to get a footfall of 171 by the end of the first hour and this large footfall continued throughout the day until 2.30. At around 2.30 the outside market started to clear up, something it doesn’t normally do until 4pm …clearly it hadn’t been a good day fo the outside market and they were fed up and wanting to get home. Immediately it became difficult to get people into our event, because not only were there less people passing but they were passing through the Square with difficulty due to th market vans and lorries. Havi9ng no market outside at 4pm made packing up for our stallholders much easier but did mean that fewer customers came into our event. At the end of th day our excellent team produced a footfall of 1039, very good for s Spring event at Salisbury

Spending wasn’t easy and free as we would have liked. Customers were reluctant to part with their cash despite some really excellent and appealing stalls. Even the more experienced sellers were finding it hard at times. We are responsible for getting customers into the building but unfortunately can’t make them buy. Some stallholders commented that we were getting the wrong customers into the building  ….this could have been said at all of our 3 events today as nowhere were tremendous sales achieved. However as in Hungerford, sales did seem to improve in the afternoon, despite the number of customers dropping. We are aware of 2 stallholders who achieved sales of almost £400 and further two achieving £300+. Most stallholders seemed to achieve £150+ though we are aware of 4 who did not even achieve their stall fees. Most people seemed to be happy with their day and philosophical about their sales, appreciating that we all have good days as well as bad. 

When we look back at last April, the figures for this year were similar both with the number of customers and the amount being spent. It is hard to remember that the last markets for some stallholders was Christmas where sales were obviously going to be more. Summer, when the tourists are filling the City and Christmas are always the best times in Salisbury, though the good figures achieved by many stallholders today can’t be ignored as good sales for the early Spring

Witney Corn Exchange - 6th April

A tough day overall in the middle of the easter break

The drive into Witney was quiet, hopefully not an indication of the day to come but the sun was shining so we arrived filled with optimism. The set up was good, one or two admin snags added a more interesting approach to the layout but once all of the stallholders were in, we had a warm and inviting display ready to welcome the many many customers of witney. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t quite as many customers as we had hoped, we were happy with the percentage of customers choosing to enter the market as it was definitely higher than we’d usually see. However, the streets were so quiet overall that the total numbers through the door were still pretty low. We managed 609 adults into the event but it certainly felt like less on this occasion. Perhaps the lack of atmosphere outside making it tough for the team. Thankfully the spirits were higher inside, especially in the afternoon when sales picked up a little.

Being the middle weekend of the school holidays, there was a good chance that the town would be heaving, the bank holiday weekend being the start of the holidays may have scuppered this though. It seemed that many had gone out for the day or were simply away. Its not what previous years has brought here during the same weekends but we’re struggling to think of any other reason as soon to why there were so few people in the streets.

Spending reflected the lacklustre nature of the day, a handful of stallholders sat between £200 and £300 but nothing spectacular overall. Most covered costs and at least half cleared £100 so there was certainly room for improvement but it could have certainly been worse. One major positive for this event is the conversations customers were having which we’re confident will lead to sales either online or at future events.

Lyndhurst Community Centre - Friday 29th March to Monday 1st April

A good Easter weekend for many

This was the first time we have run a 4-day event at Lyndhurst but we are now very glad that we have. With many of our stallholders staying on for the 4 days, they were grateful to not have to move their stalls each evening and just turn up the next morning to stalls already in situ

The weather for the weekend was not looking good. With an early Easter Weekend, this was the start of the tourist season in The New Forest. With rain every day for what has seemed many months, the ground soaking wet and unpassable in places we were not optimistic. However, despite an awful forecast on most days, our staff only ended up getting a little wet in a light shower on the last day of the event in the afternoon …quite a miracle.

There were plenty of people around on the Friday and it was clear that many tourists had come down to the New Forest on the Thursday rather than Good Friday. Many it seems were staying a week in their motor homes, with Easter being that start of the school holidays rather than at the end which seems to be a lot more usual, Saturday was far quieter than we had anticipated due to the fact that it was the first dry Saturday this year and people were certainly out to make the most of it. With some reasonable temperatures and a bright sun, the costal towns were packed, leaving Lyndhurst a little quieter than expected. Easter Sunday started grey and it was clear that not many had returned to the beach. Tourists were out for afternoon teas of having a meal in one of many such establishments in Lyndhurst. Afternoon sales were good, it’s amazing how a little good food and wine helps sales. We expected Monday to be a little quieter than the rest of the weekend, but it wasn’t and there was a continual flow of customers into the event, actually bringing us the largest footfall of the weekend

Footfall

Friday March 29^th - 790

Saturday March 30^th - 855

Sunday March 31^st (Easter Day) - 786

Monday April 1^st - 865

Sales were typical of early Spring events …if Easter had been 2-3 weeks later sales would have been much better. What was interesting was that a different type of stall excelled each day and there was no outstanding stall for the weekend. 

On the Friday Cheese and Chocolates sold especially well. Bird boxes of a more expensive style were selling very well and it was interesting that many stallholders reported selling their more expensive items. Many stalls sold between £200 - £300 though as usual some struggled to sell much at all

On the Saturday, unfortunately due to excellent sunny weather, the event felt a little flat. Glass and art seemed to sell better today. However there were at least 5 stalls that failed to cover their costs. Saturdays are never as good as Sundays at Lyndhurst it seems.

On Easter Sunday most stallholders had a much better day. At least 8 stallholders reported sales of between £200 and £350 so the money was well spread out. There was a much happier atmosphere in the event because customers were at last reaching into their pockets.

Monday saw another grey day and despite our expectations for a slow start, there were plenty of customers. Today honey products and home decorations did the best. One artist and a couple selling decorated wooden trays also did well on the Monday

2 stallholders who were there for the entire 4 days sold in excess of £1200, making it a very profitable weekend. The benefit of these longer events is the lack of stress in packing and unpacking each day

Mynt Image used a team of 6 different leaders during the weekend and managed to adapt the stallholder plan to allow a minimum of movement each day despite a mix of stallholders who stayed for 4, 3, 2 or even 1 day. We have already had several appreciative comments for the efforts our staff put into the events making them run as busily and as smoothly as is possible. A thanks should also go to Alison who runs the café at Lyndhurst and did a fantastic job.

Henley-on-Thames Town Hall - 30th March

A bustling Henley does not disappoint

It was a cold brisk start to the day, the early hours of the morning had a real chill but this soon disappeared as we arrived in Henley and started to set up. The sun broke through and warmed us up nicely as we helped stallholders unload into this stunning venue. Everyone seemed to arrive perfectly staggered so most stall holders received plenty of assistance on the way up to the hall and so it soon transformed into quite welcoming and immersive market place. The mix of stalls was superb and the bright colours in some of the displays played part in delivering a positive bubbly atmosphere.

When the Mynt team ventured outside to draw a crowd, we were greeted with a very quiet town square and some sleepy passers by so the first half hour was slow. Not at all phased by this we attacked the day and worked tirelessly to build the momentum and before long the little trickle of customers became a steady stream. (Its worth noting that the town was never incredibly busy, we've certainly seen more people in the highstreet and achieved much lower footfalls than today.) Even over lunchtime the stream stayed constant and before long we saw some impressive numbers through the door and this continued right until the end. Overall a massive 1185 adults entered the building to explore the market today, a number higher than every event in Henley last year so we're very happy. If we were to include those that snuck in to the market after 4pm and the all of the children into that number then we think it would've been close to 1300.

Sales reflected this footfall too. The sunshine throughout the day seemed to lift peoples spirits nicely and created an excellent platform for stallholders to enjoy the interactions and sell slightly easier. We had one stallh clearing £1000, 2 over £600, another 2 over £500 and most of the rest sitting in the £150-£250 mark. We beleive that everyone covered their stall fee and on top of that had some very positive conversations which will no doubt lead to some after market sales. Despite the time of the year and the school holidays leading parents to be careful with overspending there was still an element of reluctance to part with cash so to have achieved such good figures we're incredibly pleased! This year in Henley is going to be a blinder.

Wallingford Town Hall - 23rd March

A very positive start to this new venue

The day started early with the Mynt team keen to get this much anticipated venue underway. Located right in the heart of this stunning market town the town hall lends perfectly to this type of event and we have been excited for a while to get started here. Set up was pretty smooth, the hall is slightly awkward in dimension but with a unique loop through the main hall and side hall it creates quite the immersive experience. We had a good mix of stalls inside with a handful more occupying the under croft beneath the hall so customers had a lot to really explore throughout the day.

Footfall started quite slow, the town took an hour or so to wake up but when it did the numbers flowed nicely. It felt busy throughout most of the day but never overly crowded which was ideal in creating a really bubbly fun atmosphere and helps put customers at ease while engaging. The biting wind and occasional drizzle made it a little tougher to draw huge numbers but with a sunny afternoon and tireless patter outside we drew a total of 496 customers through the door. A figure that seems low but the quality here definitely seems to have outweighed the quantity

It was great to get involved with the locals too, many of whom were incredibly supportive. The positive feedback was tremendous here today and we’ve gained a wealth of knowledge to help further improve the running of this venue from our end so albeit a good day anyway, we believe this venue can only get better!

Spending seemed pretty good for march too, a number of customers actually spent with several stalls which is always superb. We had one stall taking in excess of £400 with another handful over the £250 mark. The majority of the rest were in the £100-£200 bracket however it was certainly apparent that the possibility for after market sales and commissions would turn any good sales into great sales today. Overall the positive feedback has made us very happy with the day and even more excited to continue here. By all accounts it was quiet in town so we’re already imaging just how good it could be through the summer and even more so at Christmas!

Hungerford Corn Exchange - 23rd March

Vile weather but still some good sales for many

Set up was smooth and we had everything in place before the first stallholders started to arrive around 8:15am.. 

The morning started bright and sunny although cooler than the last couple of events and we knew that the weather was to change as the day progressed but not to the extent that it did. We, had two showers of hailstones around lunchtime which turned the cars white, and we had quite a few rain Showers in the afternoon. The wind blowing up from the railway bridge and canal direction was icy. These conditions clearly had an adverse affect on the number of people shopping in or visiting the town itself.

Footfall was slow to start as expected even in the bright sunshine at the start of the day and we finally hit 100 by 11:15am. Things picked up a little then and we were able to attract the attention of people from the coffee shops and antique stores and with several trips up and down the High Street and a couple of visits into the Tesco entrance we got a cheery remark from people that they would visit later in the day. This seemed to work as we finished the day with 445 visitors. We did find that people popped in to shelter from the rain in the afternoon so it's never easy to determine whether the showers were a hinderance of a help at the time!

Sales were mixed throughout the day with one stallholder achieving sales of £500+, four hitting £200+ and five achieving just over £100. We did however have four who just covered their table cost, with three taking no sales at all with three others achieving less than £10. Most people were philosophical and said the weather had probably let us all down. They all vowed to be back again and said they were used to having great days, good days and the occasional not very good day!

Everybody thanked us and took pity on us with the weather throughout the afternoon and a couple of people even offered to buy us coffee as they made their way to the various coffee shops across the road. 

Thame Town Hall - 23rd March

A satisfactory event considering the weather

It had been lovely warm spring like weather during the week, but what a change on this Saturday. There was a biting icy wind in Thame which was certainly more than a breeze and [penetrated right to the skin. A beautiful blue sky deteriorated rapidly into dark threatening clouds which thankfully passed over rapidly with the strong wind, though often led to heavy rain showers and even some hail. Despite this, there were plenty of potential customers on the streets of Thame, though many were scurrying between shops  rather than wanting to browse shop windows ….our venue did prove popular for getting a little warmer and getting out of the rain. By the end of the day the Mynt team had achieved a satisfactory footfall of 461, a little on the lower side than hoped for, though certainly not our of line with 2023 footfalls

Thame is not a large hall and space is limited for stallholders, though by working together, every spare part of space within the hall seemed to be used today. Stalls were very attractive with some excellent height and colour even from several stallholders new to the business. The hall looked really attractive and there was certainly a lot of quality products on display, perfect for a Thame event. It was lovely to see many new stallholders to our event at Thame and even better to see some of them doing very well, It was also good to see many being mentored and encouraged by many of our more experienced stallholders, some being determined by the end of the day toi do better at their next event, having learnt a lot of new skills. There was a good ‘buzz’ amongst most stallholders with most being very happy with the day, many having made several new contacts in the craft world.

The people of Thame usually spend well and this is one of those venues that springs to mind when we say that a large footfall is not required to produce good sales. Customers were spending today, though pockets felt a little deeper than usual and customers had to be encouraged to part with their money. It does seem to be those who stood, engaged with customers and then then sold their products who did the best with our only candle seller achieving sales of £400+. Thame is famously an events where sales are better in the last 2 hours, but this was turned on its head by our author today who did ¾ of his very good sales within the first 2 hours …very unusual for Thame. At least 3 other stallholders achieved sales around £300 including an artist and a jeweller who were joined by a stall selling crochet Easter items.

This was a reasonable start to our 11^th year at Thame, though we would have achieved so much better if conditions had been more favourable. Our Mynt team never gave up all day, though to be honest were glad to be back in a nice warm car at the end of the day!

Guidlford Guildhall - 16th March

A huge footfall creates some very good sales for many.

The day started bright and sunny and there was little chance of any rain, though it was certainly colder than it had been lately. The M25 was closed for the first time in history and we knew that this would have n impact on the n umber of people in Guildford ….and we were correct. The first hour at Guildford is the crucial one and always the hardest one to get customers into the event as they seem to have other things on their mind. Guildford is always slow to start but we knew this and still managed to attract 100 customers into the event before 11am …and then the streets started to fill with potential customers. At times it seemed as if there were more people in Guildford in March then there were at Christmas, the High Street was bustling. It remained this way until almost 5pm when we closed, something we rarely see. It was clear that local people were avoiding the traffic chaos and staying to shop local for a change. By the end of the day we achieved a historic 1407 footfall, a high standard to set even for Guildford

We have created a more open entrance to the Guildhall, something we tried just before Christmas and this has had a good effect on footfall we can clearly state now. The entrance is less cluttered and less dark, making it more attractive to enter. We also had our cardboard cut outs of 2 famous personalities on the doors today and these provide the back drop for a large amount of photographs. We aim to keep this lighter looking entrance now because it is certainly proving popular with customers. Setting up at Guildford is thankfully never difficult, with the road not becoming pedestrianised until 9am. This allows most stallholders plenty of time to get their stalls set up without rushing. It was at the end of the day that we experienced some difficulties which marred an excellent event with the firm hired by Surrey County Council failing to open the barriers at 6am and causing gridlock within the city which affected most of the central roads and caused great frustration. This is something we aim to solve before the next event

With such a large footfall we knew that sales would be good today and we were right. At least 2 stallholders sold in excess of £550, interestingly the same figure one had achieved the previous March at Guildford. Most stallholders reported sales between £200 and £350 both upstairs and downstairs, most stallholders hitting their own targets they had set. One stallholder reported selling more today than they had just before Christmas, There was a good mix of stallholders too with several newbies to us including a tea seller doing very well and having a great first event with Mynt Image as well as being well supported by a neighbouring stallholder.  Not all sales can be exceptional and even with such a huge March footfall, one stallholder failed to meet the stall costs which was somewhat surprising.

The bar has been set for future Guildford events in 2024 and it is a high one.

Salisbury Guildhall - 16th March

Brilliant footfall to kick start the year in Salisbury

With the mildest start to the week and the promise of sunshine we felt we were in for a good day. Set up ran smoothly overall, lots of newer faces to theis exceptional venue made it a little more hectic to get going as if you're unfamiliar with the area it can be a little confusing on the on the one way system. Once stall holders arrived though we helped get them in swiftly and the marvellous guidhall transformed quickly into quite the display. Products disaplyed in various ways helped create an immersive experience for customers and once they started flowing they seemed to really engage.

The footfall started slow but gained momentum by around 1030 and dist stop for a couple of hours. The atmosphere was fantastic, lots of really interested and engaging customers made for an enjoyable day, many stallholders even commented on how quickly the event seemed to pass. The numbers stayed steady until mid afternoon where they slowly dwindled to a light trickle for the last half an hour. Overall we achieved 1127 customers through the door (plus many beautiful dogs) so could not be  happier with such a bold start to the season here.

Spending was relatively mixed, a couple of stallholders around the £300 mark were the most successful of the day and it seemed that a lot sat in the £150-£250 bracket. A handful struggled covering costs but there seemed to be the promise of either repeat business or commisions which can always turn any day into a great one. There was no real stand out stall today sales wise but the number of positive conversations gives us great hope for those that return to this venue will reap the rewards from this event. Although we'd have liked a little more cash in the pockets for our stallholders today we're pretty happy overall especially for this time of the year, and knowing the potential aftermarkets sales we certainly cant complain, Roll on April in Salisbury

Lymington Masonic Hall - 16th March

A great footfall but frustrating sales

The day started off bright and even sunny at times. Rain was forecast for the afternoon and by the amount of people on the streets of Lymington in the morning, it was clear that the public had decided to shop in the morning to miss the forecast rain. Customers started to flow into the event right from the start, with our 2 staff members working the town as no other organisations do. After 2 hours, over 500 customers had been attracted into the event with our workers having to limit entry at times to stop overcrowding. Unfortunately with the promise of rain, which never came, the streets emptied in the afternoon and it became hard to find any local members of the public to invite into the event. The final footfall was 1096, very high for March at this venue when the tourists haven’t yet arrived.

The event at Lymington offers free parking for many stallholders, making it an easy location for most stallholders to use. Few steps into the building make it easy to unload in the morning, so there are usually few problems at the beginning of the day. We unfortunately had 3 cancellations during the last week, making us slightly short of stallholders so Keith used his skill and experience to manoeuvre the stalls to still make it look full. All stallholders were nicely in place ready for the event to start at 10am

We had a really good mix of stallholders today with various typers of jewellery on offer, some wonderful art and even some food stalls. The hall looked conducive and inviting for customers. We also had a good mixture of experienced and new stallholders. It is always good to see the new stallholders being well supported by those with more experience. Selling is itself an art and a craft and selling skills were needed today to create good sales. The public, despite such large numbers, were not in the mood to spend and unfortunately this showed in the final figures achieved. It is slightly unusual to have low figures at this time of year because March can be very good indeed. We had a few stallholders achieving £200+ whilst most achieved around the £100 mark, disappointing for Lymington especially when such a good footfall had been achieved. Several stallholders really struggled despite coaching from those around them and unfortunately we are aware of 4 who didn’t meet their table costs which is very disappointing.

We look forward to the end of March when tourists start to arrive and spending inevitably increases. With footfalls like this, we are optimistic for a good year at Lymington.

Marlborough Town Hall - 9th March

An exceptional footfall sees a promising start to the year

It was a gloomy grey day and it was clear that there had been many heavy showers around Marlborough with huge puddles along the road. There was virtually no sign of the Marlborough outside market, many outside market holders having chosen not to attend. Thankfully throughout the whole day we experienced only a few spots of rain and the sun came out at times. It was a distinctly chilly day and many of our customers were keen to enter the town hall out of the cold wind.

Set up was easy, as is usual at Marlborough. With a cancellation the evening before, we were able to give many stallholders a little bit of extra room, which is always a bonus for Marlborough. We had a really good mix of stalls and stallholders today with several stallholders attending their first ever events. There was certainly a great atmosphere in the hall, it is always so lovely to see stallholders getting along with each other so well.

Customers started coming into the event long before it officially opened at 10am, there were clearly plenty of visitors to Marlborough around and plenty of people looking for Mother’s day gifts. The Mynt Image team started attracting customers into the event from 10am with a member of the team walking around the town advertising the event and another working from the steps of the Town Hall itself. It certainly is a tactic  which works and it attracts customers from the far end of the town to walk along the length of the town to find the market. With a footfall in the first hour of 117, we knew that we were in for a large footfall, which always is useful to create good sales. There was a steady stream of customers throughout the day,,  though it seemed to come in waves with large family groups and visitors  attending. There were certainly plenty of customers in the event at most times, which is surprising considering the low number of people on the streets. At the end of the day a footfall of 737 was achieved, far higher than normal at this time of year

At times the hall was filled to capacity with customers, allowing still room for them to attend the stalls, but also creating a lovely buzz. Although spending in the morning was not great, most stallholders were making profit before lunchtime came. The afternoons at Marlborough are always the best and today was no exception. 2 stallholders, an artist and a jeweller achieved sales of £300+ with at least 6 others hitting the £200 mark. Most stallholders achieved at least around the £100 mark and we are only aware of 1 stallholder not making their stall fees. Several customers came back several times, clearly coming back to buy something they had seen earlier. There were still plenty of customers in the hall at 4pm and we even had customers wanting to enter at 4.40 when most stallholders had left the hall and were on their way home.

This is a great start to our Marlborough event for 2024 and certainly demonstrates why they were all for 2024, fully booked before the end of October 2023. Marlborough High Street seems to be busy and bustling with people once more, just as we experienced when we first came here 11 years ago.

Witney Corn Exchange - 9th March

A slow start in Witney as customers seem to still be hibernating

After the long winter break it was great to back in one of our favourite venues. With the expansion of the cafe area here we were excited to utilise the additional hall upstairs to make up for the loss of space in the foyer. Its a great space and allows for some extra stalls overall which makes for an even better custoemr experience. Set up was still nice and easy with each hall looking superb.

As we opened the doors the handful of customers chomping at the bit to come in which was a slight mis-representation of the rest of the morning as the high street remained much quieter than we'd have hoped. The percentage of those out and about who came into the event was actaully very high it was just a shame that there were so few outside to draw in. One of the days potential challenges was ensuring that customers made their way around each hall and we had the perfect solution. Working tirelessly in the hallway to direct customers through each hall Julie sent the vast majority of customers through both, with only a small number not making it upstairs. We actually had a a couple of comments from downstairs stallholders that too many of the customers were going up.

The weather managed to stay quite pleasant for the most part, a few spots of rain late morning didn't help with gaining momentum but the sun throughout the afternoon was well received. Annoyingly the improved weather probably lead to the quieter highstreet as the was a noticeable  drop in footfall compared to the same events in previous years. Overall 607 through the door is not quite what we hoped but still a decent figure considering the lack of footfall through the door.

Spending was quite mixed, a few regulars were roughly 50% lower on sales compared to last March here but then a handful of stallhoders did very well. We had a couple exceeding expectations and clearing £400 with another just below the £300 mark. It was apparent that people were not impulsing buying as such but mostly buying with purpose, mothers day, birthdays etc and in some cases Christmas! This meant the more expensive jewellery and some of the largert art struggled as these often tend to be purchases for the customers themselves. It felt a tought day all round but we have certainly learned a lot from using this venue slightly differently so we're already looking forward to april.