Winchester Guildhall - 19th December 2018

Despite the rain, a tremendous success

When events like this happen, it is sad to reflect that we won’t be using this location in 2019 due to the lack of stall uptake making this venue unviable. The weather conditions were horrible all day with rain until 2pm. However this was the Christmas Lights turning on event in Chippenham and the weather was not going to stop people shopping or going to watch the lights being switched on in Chippenham. The event can only be described as hectic, especially the afternoon when the streets were packed. At one stage the Mynt Image staff had to deter customers from entering the building due to the queues that were forming. By the end of the day a footfall of 1504 had been created and they had spent well.

It is a pity that only 18 stall holders chose to turn up for the event, but their spaces were taken up well by the stall holders present. The spending was good and we estimate an average sales figure of £350 - £450. Most stall holders did very well and the atmosphere in the event was excellent. Jewellery and art sold well as did Mexican products and shabby chic products. It is a great pity that we won’t be running this venue in 2019, but we do still have spaces for our December market … which with these tremendous sales is quite honestly surprising.

A good footfall leads to some good sales for many

It was a gorgeous sunny day, for a change on a Saturday. The light winds throughout and the warm sunshine meant that the streets of Thame were crowded with shoppers in the morning many looking for Christmas gifts. There was the usual lull at lunchtime at Thame followed by a very profitable end to the afternoon, a classic feature of Thame markets. By the end of the day the Mynt team had attracted 694 customers into the market. Due to 7 stall holders cancelling for various reasons or not attending, we were able to give all stall holders some additional space, and some, additional table space.

The start of the day proved extremely lucrative for many stalls with most stall holders breaking even before 11am. By the end of the day, several stall holders had done extremely well, with many achieving i98n excess of £200, including a jeweller, a stall selling Eastern products, and a food stall. Many other stalls achieved £100, which for a £30 stall fee is good. We are only aware of one stall holder who did not achieve their stall fee.

This was a good Christmas market in Thame and we expect our December market to perform just aswell.

Godalming lives up to its promise and excels

After 4 years of working at Godalming, this was by far the best market we have ever had at this venue. The residents of Godalming finally seem to have accepted the market and we now have several regular customers who look out for the market. The day was warm for November and sunny at times, There were plenty of shoppers at Waitrose opposite the venue as well as further up the High street. By splitting ourselves, the Mynt team managed to attract a staggering 758 customers into the venue with a steady flow throughout the day.

The stalls looked extremely colourful and well presented with a real Christmas feel to them. Christmas had certainly arrived already at Godalming and there were not only people planning out their Christmas presents, but also a good number actually buying them. For most stall holders, the afternoon was better than the morning, though the reverse was true for a minority. We are only aware of 2 stall holders who failed to recoup their table money, with the majority selling around the £100 mark. However at least ½ the stall holders sold nearer to the £200 mark with at least 3 exceeding £300. Candles, jewellery and Mexican products sold especially well with art and jewellery also doing very well indeed. Several stall holders were after future leads and commented that if all of the leads they had achieved actually came off, then they would have had a fantastic day.

We look forward to the December Godalming Craft and Gift market …. Though this footfall will be hard to beat!!

Thame Town Hall - 13th October

A good steady market leading to some good sales

The drive to Thame was in light rain and when the Mynt team got to Thame it decided to rain, just as it had the previous weekend. However at almost exactly 10am the rain stopped and the sun came out leading to an almost cloudless and extremely warm day for Mid October (24 degrees). There were plenty of people on the streets, possibly more at the town hall end of town than usual due to the fun fair which occupied the other car park in Thame and forced people down towards our area of the town. There were also a lot of tourists in Thame, in small groups and these we were readily able to encourage into the market. By working hard we managed a footfall of 530, a good footfall for Thame.

The market was supposed to be fully booked. However 3 stall holders decided not to attend and we were left with gaps which were filled by those around the spare tables, very gratefully. There was a mixture of very loyal stall holders who have worked with us for several years and several stall holders who had never done a market anywhere before … Thame is perfect for newbies. The hall looked full, brightly coloured and vibrant and throughout the day there was an excellent atmosphere. Skin care products sold the best today with one stall holder achieving £300+ and other products selling beauty products also hitting £150. We are aware of 3 other stall holders who achieved £200, with the average sales certainly being between £100 and £150. Usborne books had a really good day too, selling almost 1/3 of the stock they had brought with them. Only one stall holder we are aware of failed to cover their table costs. This was a good Thame market and we look forward to out markets here as Christmas approaches.

Chippenham Town Hall - 13th October

Windy wiltshire brought in the sales today

With the miserable start ot the day it was easy to be sceptical, especially as the last time out in Chippenham was so wet! A few showers to start the day were soon seen off and we got to enjoy a nice mild day other than the windy spells. Set up was smooth here which is great, the unloading can be a bit of a pain at this venue but we seem to have it down to a fine art!

The atmosphere about town was much more positive than in September and this reflected in the hall. Sales were certainly there to be had, the more proactive showing it really pays to sell yourself as well as your product. One stallholder soared past the £1000 mark with many achieving very good sales in the hundreds. A few did okay and only one or two didnt quite hit their target for the day. Overall a really good day in Chippenham and we certainly look forward to our return.

Witney Corn Exchange - 6th October

Weather effects footfall

The hall looked good once we had set up, we had slightly more room to spread out due to a couple of 'no shows' which other stallholders gladly used to display their own products.  The weather was awful today - windy and very wet.  We managed a final footfall of 471 which is low for Witney but was in line with the other events we were running at other venues today taking into account the terrible weather.  Some sales were low and a few stallholders did not cover costs but some glass, wooden knives, wooden items, clothes and glass sold reasonably well.

Lymington Masonic Hall - 6th October

A very wet and windy day leading to good sales

Set up was smooth and the hall really did look very impressive - we do have many very talented crafters! It was extremely wet and windy today which resulted in the High Street being quieter than normal with less and less people as the day went on. Considering the the weather we were quite happy with a footfall at the end on the day of 612. Almost everyone was either happy considering the conditions or very happy with sales.  There was one stallholder who noted only one sale during the course of the day but she had taken an order for a commission as well.  Some jewellery did well as did glass (selling around the £400 mark) and also lavendar products and scarves and also cards.  The majority of people on the High Street popped in or came back on their way back up (or down) the hill in the afternoon as they had promised.  Mynt staff worked very hard all day and were thanked by stallholders and had many offers of cups of tea from kind people on the street.

Guildford Guildhall - 6th October

A cold wet day in Guilford leads to low footfall

It was a wet, windy, chilly day. There were plenty of people on the High Street but they were all wrapped up in raincoats with umbrellas.  Every person was on a mission to get their shopping done and get back home quickly and were simply not in the mood for browsing. Despite sometimes terrible conditions the team worked hard throughout the day trying to entice customers into the building and at the end managed to create a footfall of 635.

The customers were not buying well in the morning, but stallholders understood the situation fully and understood the staff could not be doing more.  However, in the afternoon the customers seemed to be spending much better and sales improved for most.  Top spots were achieved by a jewellery and by a candle stallholder today, both taking £350+. Several other stallholders achieved £200+.  Unfortunately there were also stallholders who hardly made their table fees.  We had several new stallholders to us and several who had never sold at a market before.  Although these were not in the top  sellers they all said they had learnt a lot and really enjoyed the day.  It was a tough day for both Mynt Image staff and the stallholders but it was good to see that many achieved good sales.

Godalming Borough Hall - 29th September

An outstanding success for Godalming

Godalming has not always been the easiest market to run and has not always performed well.  Today was different and we have no idea why.  It was a beautiful sunny day and there were plenty of people on the streets of Godalming. However it was a slow start with only 60 people attending in the 1st hour.  But they were already spending well, which was quite surprising. The remarkable figure, for Godalming of 576 customers was achieved by the end of the day, by the Mynt Image Team working constantly hard and loudly throughout the day.

We had at least 4 new stallholders with us at this market. These stallholders were helped by the many experienced stallholders who have worked with us for quite a while and they all said that they had learnt a lot.  Our markets are very friendly, and our experienced stallholders always seem ready  to share their techniques and wisdom. Candles and lamps did particularly well today with sales of over £450. Jewellery continued to sell well with 2 jewellers managing £300+.  A variety of other stallholders achieved between £150 and £250. We are only aware of 1 stallholder who failed to make their table money and every stallholder seemed very pleased with the day.

Cranleigh Village Hall - 22nd September

A rain effected market but some very good sales

The day was cloudy, damp and grey. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, but unfortunately arrived early. By 11.30 steady rain was falling. The Mynt Image team worked through the rain, creating a footfall of  373  by 3.00pm.

We had several regular stallholders with us as well as several who were new to us, including one who had been trying to get a space with us for quite a while. There was at all times a good atmosphere in the market. 2 stallholders were in profit for the day before the market officially started at 10am, and the good news stories continued throughout the day despite the rain and low footfall. We are aware of one stall selling wood products who managed to make £300+. We also are aware of 3 other stalls who made over £150. All stallholders reported making sales and making some profit. Despite the rain, this was a successful market for most.