2021 Market Reports
Witney Corn Exchange - 18th December
Guildford Guildhall - 17th/18th/19th December
Lymington Masonic Hall - 17th December (Fri)
Salisbury Guildhall - 12th December (Sun)
An excellent way to end the year in Salisbury
Christmas in Salisbury is always magical and this year it has taken a little longer to arrive but it certainly felt festive here today. The set up was quite hectic, the added complication of usual unloading protocol being adapted for the Santas grotto and beer hall make things a little trickier and this year maybe more so than in previous festive periods. (Something we'll be looking at improving for next year) Once set up however the hall looked good. We had an excellent mix of stalls booked in and they created an exceptionally welcoming atmosphere throughout the day. Perfect for a christmas market.
Being a Sunday the high street and square start a little quiet but as soon as the floodgates open, boy do they open! We had a good constant stream of people throughout the day, we were close to enforcing queues at stages where a few short showers outside sent people dshing in. Without too much hardwork from the team an excellent footfall of 1836 was achieved.
Spending was very good overall, there was no particular standout seller but we had a lot above £600. It seemed all product types were popular for the most part and we're only aware of one stallholder below £200. Such a great way to end the year in this market. A real high for those who joined us in Salisbury on this excellent sunday!
Thame Town Hall - 11th December
A really good day in Thame, as per usual
A few spots of rain on the way into Thame made us a little weary of the day ahead but as we unloaded and started to set up this was soon no longer a worry and we were excited to get underway. The hall looked really good, an inviting mix of regulars and relative newbies made for a superb atmosphere. We were ready to sell to the people of Thame!
They came in slow initially but as the day unfolded it became busier around town and we pushed them in. Although the footfall is never massive here the hall seemed to have a good atmosphere through the day, even in the closing hours while we worked in the rain to push customers inside. We saw 646 through the door but it felt busier. The reason it felt busier was because customers spent longer in the hall. And of course the reason they spent longer in the hall was because they were spending!
Overall people did well, from art to woodwork and knitted items to Jewellery people sold well. We had a good handful of stallholders taking over £400 with a further half a dozen £300+. The majority of the rest sat between £100 and £300 so very little complaints. One new stallholder thrilled to bits that this event was her best ever. A perfect way to end the season for many.
Marlborough Town Hall - 11th December
A busy day with some good sales, but not like Christmas
It was a grey start to the day, but thankfully with little wind. There were initially plenty of potential customers on the streets and these were added to by the arrival of several tourist coaches. After a relatively slow start, customers seemed to flow in large waves into the event and it was clear that were in for a good footfall. Paul from the Mynt team worked by himself from the steps, attracting customers with his voice, whilst several other stallholders assisted him by taking it in turns to walk around the High Street. Things were really looking good until 2pm when the rain and drizzle started and the streets became empty and our footfall dropped substantially. However between 3pm and 4pm the number of customers, despite deteriorating conditions, picked up as customers made their way back to their cars at the end of their shopping. At the end of the day we attracted a good footfall of 804.
There was an excellent range of stalls today in the hall. We are now that COVID restrictions have eased, only using the ground floor hall and this really did look excellent today with a really good vibe to it throughout the day. Many stallholders had a really good first hour, then as numbers of customers picked up, so the sales seemed to fall. Most st6allholders however stated that their best sales were in the last 2 hours of the day especially within the last 30 minutes. Customers were not into buying large Christmas presents today, but mostly topping up things they had already bought with smaller gifts and stocking fillers. The majority of stallholders made between £150 and £200 with at least 2 hitting £E300, 1 reaching £400 and 2 further stallholders including a lady selling jewellery and a lady selling fabric items exceeding £500. We are not aware of any stallholders who failed to reach around £100 and all stallholders certainly surpassed their stall and petrol fees.
It is clear this year that Christmas shopping was done earlier in the year with August and September seeing some really larger Christmas present being bought. By this time of year, most customers appear to have almost completed their shopping or to be buying online. It will be interesting to see if this pattern repeats itself in 2022.
Hungerford Town Hall - 11th December
Is Christmas over at Hungerford?
It was a grey cold day at Hungerford and the venue was recovering from the evening before which was the Hungerford Victorian Extravaganza. There were a few issues with set up including lack of heating and Christmas music which was eventually resolved. Footfall was slow and the streets seemed empty for most of day, however the Mynt team tracked up and down the high street to generate interest and managed a final footfall of 507.
Sales were disappointing and unusually low for this time of year, however 3 artists, a terrarium seller, a quality soap and candle seller and a charity knitwear stall all sold in the region of £200. A photographer who hadn’t sold much throughout the day, sold 4 pictures after 5pm which resulted in sales of around £350. A further late sale was made by the soap and candle seller proving that it’s never to late in the day to make sales. One other stallholder remarked that they had had an extremely good day as well as making some very good contacts. Unfortunately, we were aware that some stallholders did not cover their costs.
Salisbury Guildhall - 10th December (Fri)
A Good Friday event ….. but not for the Christmas season
It was a beautiful blue day with a brisk wind coming straight from the arctic. There were few potential customers in the square outside the Guildhall for most of the day, and those that were present were certainly well wrapped up for the cold conditions. At times the square seemed deserted and many potential customers were attracted into the building by advertising its warmth. We did however by working in shifts throughout the day, allowing us to recover from the temperature and biting wind, manage to attract a very good Friday footfall of 818. This is far lower than we would have expected in past years when Salisbury has run its own Christmas markets in the square, which many members of the public were still trying to locate throughout the day
Spending was strange, with the early morning and late afternoon being the best for many. Most stall holders sold between £200 and £300 with one selling in excess of £500 of jewellery. Customers seemed to be mostly after small items now, stocking fillers, to add to the products they had already bought. We know of only one stallholder who failed to cover their stall fees.
Romsey Town Hall - 4th December
Devizes Corn Exchange - 4th December
Guildford Guildhall - 3rd/4th/5th December
This was the 3rd day of our ling weekend in Guildford. It was a cold grey day with sleety drizzle at times. There were plenty of people on the streets and many wanted to come into the market before 11am. There was a steady flow of customers throughout the day until 3.30 when the streets emptied. The last hour there was only a trickle of customers but for many these were the best buyers. By the end of the day the footfall was 1104.
Salisbury Guildhall - 28th November (Sun)
Witney Corn Exchange - 27th November
Henley Town Hall - 27th November
Abingdon Guildhall - 27th November
Lymington Masonic Hall - 26th/27th November
Friday - Horrendous weather makes for a tough day in the forest
Set up was blissfully easy as usual, the hall looked really good with a handful of newbies booked in. The weather however was not looking so good. The wind picked up early on just as the customers started to venture out into town the heavens opened and we saw a torrential downpour like we havent seen for a long time. It even hailed at one stage! A few floods and what can only be described as a river flowing down the highstreet throughout the day meant that we were up against it in turns of getting customers in. The few that were actually out and about were keen to escape the horrid weather but becasue the conditions were so bad it meant footfall was low. Even when the sun tried to creep through, the stormy atmosphere had made it very difficult. Overall we managed 280 through the door, its a shame too as our Friday markets here have been such a success this year so we feel we were hard done by due to the elements. Fingers are corssed for a bright er Saturday
Saturday - A much better day even though the weather didn't improve too much
Salisbury Guildhall - 26th November (Fri)
A good market for some but not what you’d expect at Christmas
Salisbury council made the decision not to have an outside Christmas market this year so our Guildhall craft and gift market had a very different feel. We experienced strong gusty winds throughout the day and these coupled with some very heavy rain showers made very unpleasant conditions indeed for both potential customers and our staff. Thankfully there is a degree of shelter at Salisbury and our staff were able to attract people into the market in a continual stream throughout the day. The awful conditions meant that footfall was far lower than normal at Christmas and our team were very pleased with the footfall of 693.
The stalls looked really impressive today and the hall had a real spirit of Christmas. There was a positive atmosphere in the hall with all stallholders getting on well together. This is something that is becoming regular at our markets. For almost all stallholders spending was much better in the afternoon although footfall was less due to the unpleasant conditions outside. A stallholder selling vintage framed artwork managed to achieved £400+, a jeweller/scarf seller achieved £300+, 2 other artists & a lady selling breadboards sold in excess of £230. A lady selling fabric items and bags as well as a stallholder selling salt lamps and healing balm sold £200+. Unfortunately a few stallholders failed to cover their costs as this was a tough market. We hope the weather improves for this Sunday’s market.
Lyndhurst Community Centre - 21st November (Sunday)
Trowbridge Town Hall - 20th November
Guidlford Guildhall - 20th November
Godalming Borough Hall - 20th November
A good footfall but tough day
A really good mix of stalls booked in here today, perfect for customers to come and spend some money. The team worked tirelessly to achieve the biggest footfall of the year here. the highstreets seemed deserted unfortunately but somehow, through our very proactive marketing on the day, we managed 522 through the door.
Spending wasnt as good as usual despite and increased footfall which is a little bit of shame as this venue is often very good for sales. No real rhyme or reason to the lower spending today.
Abingdon Guildhall - 19th November (Fri)
Salisbury Guildhall - 19th November (Fri)
Now 'Christmas has started' at Salisbury we cant wait for the remainder of event shere this year.
Devizes Corn Exchange - 13th November
Lymington Masonic Hall - 13th November
Hungerford Town Hall - 13th November
Thame Town Hall - 6th November
Marlborough Town Hall - 6th November
Salisbury Guildhall - 6th November
Godalming Borough Hall - 30th October
Guildford Guidhall - 30th October
Is Guildford on its way back to the top?
Guildford was fully booked today and with some very experienced stallholders mixed with some who were new to us, the halls looked tremendous.
Trowbridge Town Hall - 30th October
Lyndhurst Community Centre - 24th October (Sunday)
Marlborough Town Hall - 23rd October
Henley Town Hall - 16th October
Witney Corn Exchange - 16th October
Romsey Town Hall - 16th October
Abingdon Guildhall - 9th October
Lymington Masonic Hall - 9th October
Guildford Guildhall - 2nd October
Rain doesn’t stop some good spending.
It rained, just as predicted. Grey leaden skies throughout the day with rain starting just 15 minutes after the market started and continuing to increase in intensity throughout the day. The streets were obviously very quiet at times. Our 2 Mynt workers worked incredibly hard in appalling conditions and we have already had a voice mail from a stall holder expressing their praise and delight for the tremendous efforts our 2 workers made. They were soaked to the skin at the end of the day, but continued to create as good a footfall as was possible. The morning was predictably slow, as is now the case with Guildford, but numbers rallied in the afternoon with a good footfall in the terrible conditions of 490.
We had several cancellations at Guildford today for a variety of reasons, enabling all of our stall holders to have a little additional space. Jewellery seems to have sold particularly well today with one jeweller achieving sales of over £400 and others over £100. Art was particularly in demand though today with our disabled artist selling in excess of £600 and another artist in excess of £400. Another artist who was with us for the 1st time sold £150+ and was very happy with her first market.Our stall holders selling products made from bullets also had a good day with sales of £450+ . Most stall holders reported having a good day with some saying that they only sold an average amount, but in the conditions, this was far more than they had expected. We are only aware of one stall holder who failed to cover their costs.
Guildford is certainly returning to its pre-covid glory, though the recovery is slow. It is certainly atill a market for those who are good at selling and anre experienced, as it is these stall holders who continue to do well at this venue. We look forward to dryer days and the footfall continuing to grow.
Thame Town Hall - 2nd October
Godalming Borough Hall - 2nd October
Lymington Masonic Hall - 25th September
Salisbury Guildhall - 25th September
Hungerford Corn Exchange - 25th September
Witney Corn Exchange - 18th September
Romsey Town Hall - 18th September
Trowbridge Town Hall - 18th September
Henley Town Hall - 11th September
Marlborough Town Hall - 11th September
Lymington Masonic Hall - 11th September
Lyndhurst Community Centre - 5th September (Sunday)
Super sunday in September
This is only our second event in Lyndhusrt but the first on a Sunday. We weren't entirely sure what to expect but we certainly were far from disappotinted. The set up here is probably the easiest of any venue we use, the private parking at the rear of the building makes life incredibly simple. The hall looked fantastic once set up, we've got such a brilliant selection of stallholders at our markets and this was no different at all.
Despite the forecast earlier in the week, the weather was perfect for this event. We anticipated getting soaked but instead enjoyed beautiful sunshine in the heart of the New Forest. The flow of customers started early, being a Sunday there was a possibility of a quiet first hour but this didn't really happen. Once we were rolling we had a good constant flor throughout and managed 696 through the door, only around 40 shy of the Saturday market we ran here a few weeks ago.
Spending was pretty good all round, we did have one stall holder who didnt take a penny but it seems this was down to card reader issues. Over the pandemic we're seeing cash spent less frequently and card readers are becoming far more important to clinching those sales. We had a couple of stallholders taking £500+ but most seemed to take around £200 which is superb for a Sunday. We cant wait to see how Christmas goes this year at such a great venue!
Witney Corn Exchange - 4th September
Good Oxfordshire market
Witney has previously been a great market and we've been looking forward to the build up to Christmas all year. Now we're into September and the schools starting to back it was an almost normal feeling day. Set up was smooth and the hall looked fantastic with a great mix of existing and new stallholders. One thing that we really liked to see was a handful of younger stallholders making an appearance here. Its great to have traders with a completely fresh look at craft and gift markets and is inspiraing to see young people with such entrepenuerial spirit.
Footfall ebbed and flowed throughout the day, the high street varied from busy to quiet and we had to work hard to keep them coming in. It felt fairly busy inside which is always good with a total of 644 through the door.
Spending was mixed, it seems people were keen to buy Christmas presents today so those that were a little more 'gifty' tended to sell best. Several stallhoders took £300+ which is always good for this time of the year.
Guildford Guildhall - 4th September
Guildford continues its slow recovery
Our Guildford market has been perhaps the slowest to regain its position as a very good performer. Whilst other venues such as Lymington, Salisbury and Witney are almost back to their pre-pandemic sales and levels, Guildford has struggled to regain momentum. Guildford is traditionally slow to start, and on this cloudy early autumn day, this was certainly the case with only 250 customers within the first half of the market. Thankfully however, footfall increased in the afternoon due to the continued and determined effort on of the Mynt Image team. An organised march and the presence of buskers directly opposite the venue did not help the Mynt Image staff. However by the end of the day a satisfactory footfall of 614 had been achieved, very similar to our August footfall.
Guildford has certainly become a market for the more experienced and practiced seller, and it was these who have been with us for a while or are used to selling, who distinctly did better than others today. A couple selling fashion and fashion jewellery sold in excess of £500 and an artist almost £300. A couple selling honey based products also did very well as did one of our regular jewellery and clothing stands. This was also one of those days where stall holders upstairs seemed to do better than those downstairs, which is contrary to the way the market used to operate. Several stall holders described their day as ‘average’ whilst we are also aware that several stall holders made very few sales at all during the day.
Unfortunately a few inexperienced stallholders also brought products to the event which they had not declared on their application forms. This caused there to be an over-representation of some products such as candles, which was disappointing. It is important for all parties that stall holders correctly describe their products when they apply to events.
There is money to be made at this market, and this event is continuing to slowly improve. There does still seem to be a reluctance for the citizens of Guildford to enter shops still, far more than at other locations. We are optimistic that as we all become used to living in this new world that COVID has created, that sales will continue to improve and footfalls continue to increase, allowing better sales even for those who are more inexperienced.
Lymington Masonic Hall - 4th September
A very good footfall leads to good sales for some
We knew right from the start that there was going to be a good footfall at this event. The town of Lymington was teeming with people, mostly tourists who were looking for somewhere to spend their day in what were rather grey early Autumn conditions. The families of last week, enjoying the end of their holidays, were replaced with more mature groups of tourists enjoying slightly cheaper holidays off-season. These already good numbers were added to by several coach loads of tourists and several large group of tourists on excursions from the Isle of Wight. At times there were so many customers wanting to come into the event that we had queues and had to stop people going into the event until it was safe to, something most in the queues were quite happy to do. By 1pm we had a footfall in excess of 600 customers. However in the afternoon, footfall did slow down, and is often the case, spending improved as the customers had plenty of time at each stall. By the end of the day we had achieved a footfall of 1028 customers, only slightly lower than bank holiday weekend.
The event looked excellent today and was vibrant with colour. There was also a good deal of height to many of the stalls which further added to their appeal. We had a lot of good experienced stall holders with us today, with just a few who had only recently started working in the business. Spending on the whole was not what you would have expected from such a good footfall, though notably our stallholder selling fabric bags, mostly dog walking bags, sold in excess of £500. Another lady selling cushions and table runners almost ran out of stock and had one of her best ever days. However this was not the general theme and most stall holders sold between £100 and £200 including several jewellers, a photographer and an artists. Most sales were of small itmes, being bought by the tourists as mementos, though we were glad to note the sale of a large piece of quality ceramic at our ceramic stall and a large wildlife print.
This was a satisfactory market for most and the customers seemed especially hard to please or engage with today. We are aware of two stall holders not making their stall fees and several who would have liked to have done better considering the very good footfall.
Devizes Corn Exchange - 28th August
Lymington Masonic Hall - 27th/28th August
Friday - A really good Friday Summer event
This was only our 2nd Friday event in Lymington, but after the success of our 1st Friday event earlier in August we knew that there was a great deal of potential for this market. The set up at Lymington is always easy as there is parking adjacent to the hall and almost level access into the hall itself. By 9.05 all of the stall holders had arrived and most were already almost ready to start selling.
Lymington is our classic Summer location and with dull, cool, cloudy weather we expected Lymington to be packed with tourists shopping. It was clear from the start of the day that this was not going to be a ‘beach day’ and that the town would be crowded with tourists staying in the New Forest. The roads were busy from the start of the day and soon after we had started the market, we knew that there was going to be a good footfall. Large groups of tourists were abundant and our active marketing techniques attracted over 730 into the event by the end of the day. With such a good footfall, there were bound to be some good sales.
The key to Summer events is to have products that tourists are looking for, some small souvenir or something a little bit different or quirky. Our best seller today was our stall holder selling products made from gun cases who sold over £400. He was closely followed by a photographer, a jeweller, a card seller and an artist who sold in excess of £300. These are figures we would expect from a Saturday event and were partly due to the good footfall and partly due to the good sales technique displayed by these stall holders. Several other stall holders sold between £100 and £200 and it was good to see several new stall holders to our events do so well. We had requests from 2 stall holders who attended, in the afternoon, for places for our Saturday event and by chance we had 2 spaces still available. The 2 stall holders were delighted to be given another opportunity the following day. There was an excellent atmosphere in the hall at all times and we are only aware of 2 stall holders who failed to cover their table costs.
It was also satisfying to have one new stall holder praise us for our hard work in getting people into the event, having never experienced the active marketing methods that we use before. She stated that she would be booking with us again as she saw the difference and now understood clearly why some of our events are slightly more expensive than other organisers.
Saturday - A very busy pre lockdown type market
Set up this morning was even easier than usual, half the hall still ready to go from the previous day meant we could really focus on helping the new arrivals in with ease. We had such a vibrant mix of stalls booked into this event the atmosphere was perfect.
The weather couldnt have been much better throughout the day, sunny spells but not too hot that people disappeared off to the beach. The high street was buzzing which made a welcome change to recent events where there's still be an air of caution throughout. Flocks of tourists filled the streets and started to flood the market early on with no real encouragement from the Mynt team. It was great to see that although the streets were so busy, the vast majority of customers continued to wear masks and sanitise on entry ot the hall, something we're really pleased to see. We had a good continuous flow over the course of the day in terms of footfall, there were even the odd occasion were we had to hold back customers as despite restrictions being lifted we want to keep our stallholders and customers safe. By the close of play we achieved a record footfall since the start of the pandemic, numbers exceeding many event in previous too. A total of 1125 came through the door to enjoy a stunning display.
Spending was a little mixed, many stallholders taking £200+. Interstingly, those booked into both days seemed to do well on each but actually slightly better on the Friday. We think the fridays attracted more locals and the saturday more tourists which may have influenced what sold on each day. The most popular of stallholders today however were the 2 selling different types of teddy bear which was great to see.
Hungerford Corn Exhcange - 21st August
Salisbury Guildhall - 21st August
Romsey Town Hall - 14th August
Plenty of customers but only average sales
It was a perfect day for one of our markets, no rain, warm but cloudy skies for most of the day. There were plenty of people on the streets in the early morning and by 11 O’clock the streets were full of potential customers. There were plenty of tourists visiting this historic town and many Romsey locals enjoying a day out in their town, many spending several hours at many of the cafes overlooking the square where the Town Hall is located. As usual, the town quietened down at lunchtime, but strangely didn’t pick up again in the afternoon, making the last hour or so of the market tough to find many new customers. It was good to see several customers come back to the hall in the afternoon after their morning visits. At the end of the day we had achieved a good footfall of 493 customers.
For most stall holders, spending was better in the morning with some good sales of larger items such as lamps and large photos. The afternoon was more typical of many summert markets with larger quantities of smaller items being sold. As far as we are aware, every stall holder achieved their table fee. There were no sales over £300, but 2l stall holders achieved £200+. Most stall holders seemed to have achieved between £100 and £150 with all 3 specialist jewellers doing well today.
All of our markets at Romsey, now social distancing has ended, will only be upstairs. Most customers seemed very happy to ascend the stairs or use the recently installed lift. Only 10-20 customers turned away once they knew there were no stalls downstairs. All of our Pre-covid markets at Romsey used to be upstairs and at that time, there was no lift in the building. The newly installed lift proved to be a godsend and made both setting up and loading so much easier for stall holders.
Godalming Borough Hall - 14th August
Thame Town Hall - 7th August
Guidlford Guildhall - 7th August
Slow start into a much better afternoon
The day started off in probably the worst conditions we've seen for a while, torrential rain bounced off of the cobbled high street as we unloaded andthe team got pretty wet helping everyone in. The biggest downside to the rain this morning was several incidents on the main roads into Guildford meaning we saw a few stallholders caught up in traffic and arriving late (none involved in said incidents fortunately). This caused a slightly hectic opening of the event but once up and running both halls and lobby looked good. The upstairs room looked particularly good with such a warm inviting atmosphere. It was also good to see the lobby return to its full splendour with the removal of one way system.
Footfall is always slow to begin with in Guildford, perhaps more so this time due to horrendous conditions early on. The first hour tends to be older shoppers getting in and out of town ahead of day trippers and younger families out shopping for the day. We started to get a few through the door but a couple of heavy showers around 11 held us back a little. The team worked relentlessly to draw a crowd and even battled with protesters for a couple fo hours during the middle of the day, we worked well but it was still tough. After around 2ish momentum built a little and the day picked up. We had to work hard to get customers that we did and somehow managed 517 when the earlier hours of the market implied it couldve been quieter.
Spending wasnt bad thankfully, the afternoon saw the biggest improvement in sales and several stallholders took £300+ with most achieving target. Still not quite back to what we'd consider usual guildford spending but looking good for the appraoch to Christmas.
Lymington Masonic Hall - 6th August (Fri)
Our First Ever Friday Market is a Success
Lymington seemed very quiet at the beginning of the day but we had been told by residents that the streets had been busy all week. There were strong winds throughout the day meaning that despite the sun a day on the beach wasn’t the best option for holidaymakers. The streets livened up at 11am when a sudden influx of tourists started some good spending. The good footfall continued throughout the day and by the end of the day we had achieved a good footfall of 625.
We had some late cancellations and slightly less stallholders than would have normally booked so we were able to offer all stallholders some additional room. One stallholder must be congratulated for driving all the way from South Wales to Lymington for their first ever market.
Spending was good for a Friday with 2 jewellers achieving £300+ , several other stallholders also achieved around £200 including an artist, a lady selling fabric bags, a lady selling homewares and a gentleman selling soaps and candles.
Unfortunately 2 stallholders did not cover their stall costs which was unfortunate with such a good footfall. WE look forward to our next Friday market at Lymington on the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Trowbridge Town Hall - 31st July
Trowbridge continues to deliver!
This was our 2nd ever market at Trowbridge Town Hall and proved to be even better than the first one had been. Thankfully this time we were knowledgeable regarding the set up and familiar with the hall and the set up ran smoothly. However once again this highlighted the major problem with the town of Trowbridge ….the one way system is awful and really does need rethinking! We had to guide several stall holders into the Town hall despite Sat Navs and maps. However once all the stall holders were in position, the market looked really good with some superb displays. We already have a group of regular Trowbridge stall holders and these were joined by several stall holders brand new to our markets and some who had never traded before or for many years (20 years?) All were made to feel very welcome by the staff from the hall and the Mynt Image staff. There were so many customers who came out of the hall telling us how wonderful the market was and how good the quality of products was, it was a true delight to talk to leaving customers. Despite the forecast of wet weather arriving in the afternoon, it stayed bright and infact sunny for a lot of the day and this brought the shoppers onto the streets. We would have expected a lower than average footfall due to this being Summer holidays and Trowbridge not really being known as a holiday destination, but we were proved wrong. By the end of the day we had a attracted a footfall of 607 customers into the event of which 470-500 visited both the downstairs and upstairs hall.
There was a good mixture of customers into the hall, with a lot of young couples as well as the more expected elder generation. It was good to have such a range of ages and this seemed to spread the spending around the stall holders more. Several groups of customers came back into the event several times to purchase items they had seen earlier. 2 stall holders, an artist and a photographer had sales exceeding £300 whilst most stall holders sold between £90 and £170. We are not aware of any stall holders who failed to cover their table costs. One glass artist did better upstairs than she had downstairs at the previous event and there was very little difference between spending downstairs and spending upstairs. It was little things that were selling especially well, with one jeweller having to remake ear rings behind her stall as they were going so quickly.
This was a good market and we look forward to seeing it continue to grow and develop during the next two years.
Marlborough Town Hall - 31st July
Quieter than hoped but certainly not a bad day in Marlborough
Marlborough is one of our favoruite venues desptie being a little tougher in recent years. The set up is pretty straight foward and going back to one hall rather than spreading across two due to covid restrictions certainly made setting up a lot easier. We had a good mix of regular stallholders and some newbies with us at this event. Its always good to welcome varying levels of experience, especially as everyone is always so friendly. The day started slow as it often does in Marlborough and this helped by the odd shower. The afternoon saw some much better activity in the high street and we had a few flurries into the hall. It was strangely busy on the roads (probably due to local road closures) but comparatively quiet in terms of pedestrians on the streets. We had to work incredibly hard to achieve 386 customers into the market.
Spending wasnt bad overall, everyone managed to cover costs and make the day worthwhile with only one standout sale. We had two differnet beverage stalls in this market, one a craft brewery who sold well but the distillery had an exceptional day. Jewellery seemed popular too which is oftern the case in Marlborough. Sales were considered fairly good considering how tough a day it was. We're looking forward to more tourist activity in this town as we come out of the school holidays and head towards Christmas.
Lyndhurst Community Centre - 24th July
What. A. Day.
Where do we begin, what a great market this was.
This was our very first time in the Lyndhurst Community Centre and to be honest we felt right at home. There is always some anticipation and potentially even some nerves when we start at a new venue as of course we pride ourselves in providing the very best markets for our stallholders. Within minutes of arriving any concerns were immediately quashed, the hall staff were excellent and everything was as we needed it to be. The set up was fantastically easy, being able to unload at the back door meant we could get stallholders into the hall in no time at all. The free parking onsite is also a huge plus.
The hall looked superb, we had a great mix of regular stallholders and a couple of new ones too. Everyone incredibly friendly we were ready for the day ahead. The only thing able to dampen spirits was the weather, several showers throughout the morning was not ideal for the Mynt time working hard to draw a crowd but didn't seem to matter at all. The Hall overlooks the main car park in Lyndhurst and even though the town wasn't necessarily busy throughout the day it seemed everyone wanted to have a look inside. The flow was constant both morning and afternoon, probably the most consistent footfall we've seen in a long time. There was always a buzz around the hall and it never got quiet. Overall we saw 733 customers through the door (one of the busiest markets Lyndhurst has seen we have heard).
Now onto spending... We beleive that the lowest taking for the day was around £200. We saw 2 stallholders take around £600 with at least 3 around the £400 mark. To be honest there wasnt really a pattern as to what did and didnt sell as it seemed everyhting did. The only way we can really add comment is to when people sold. For example our glass fuser sold incredibly well straight off the mark but our wood turner didnt seem to really start flying until the afternoon. Of course both did well overall so it didnt actsully matter when the sales were made.
Overall we couldn't have been happier with how the day went. One word that was used when packing away by a handful of stallholders was 'overwhelmed' and that really sums up with how impressed we were. This was probably one of the best markets we've run since the start of the pandemic and many likened it to a Christmas market. What a day!
Devizes Corn Exchange - 24th July
Where were all of the people?
Devizes has rapidly become one of our most popular markets with good spending from the visitors to the market and ease of access for the stall holders. Devizes is a growing and developing town and is attracting a range of new shops. Today though, the town seemed to be devoid of any inhabitants, the car parks almost empty at times and very few people on the streets. The damp grey weather suddenly descending on the South of England probably also didn’t help and this being the start of the school summer holidays many locals had started their holidays and quite simply weren’t in town. The 2 members of our team followed our tried and tested approach in Devizes of having one team member out in the town and the other close to the building welcoming in people. But despite their efforts, we had limited success in creating a good footfall with a footfall of just less than 300 being achieved.
Stall holders did note that it was very quiet in the building today, just as they noted that there was no one to attract into the building when they looked out of the front door into the market square. Thankfully those customers who did enter the building seemed to spend well at some of the stalls. One photographer selling photos of the surrounding area managed to achieve sales of around £500 whilst another artists selling a variety of small gifts managed to sell in excess of £300. However we are also aware of several stall holders who didn’t even manage to recoup their table costs. This was disappointing because Devizes has served us so well in the past . It was also especially disappointing because we had a lot of new stall holders with us, several of whom were inevitably not as happy as we would have liked. We are glad that most of our Devizes markets are so much more successful.
Romsey Town Hall - 24th July
A very good summer market for most
Romsey is one of the placers that performs very well in the Summer season, and today, for most stall holders, just proved the point. Despite drizzly conditions for some of the day and a torrential shower or two, most stall holders were very happy with the results. This was our first event at Romsey since Lockdown measures had been relaxed. We had a new range of posters to encourage customers to wear masks and to encourage hand sanitisations practices. We did keep the one way system, which although several members of the public refused to follow it, kept the majority of stall holders and customers as safe as possible.
Unfortunately Paul as part of the Mynt team was sworn at several times in his efforts to maintain the one way system. We were glad that the intense heat of the last week had given way to a cooler day today, and despite drizzly conditions there were plenty of people on the streets shopping. BY the end of the day a footfall of 506 customers had been produced.
The morning, as is often the case, was predictably slow and spending poor, but we are glad to say that it did pick up after lunch, especially in the final 2 hours of the event. Sales were still being made after 4pm. All stall holders reported covering their table costs and most did substantially better. One couple selling honey and bee products sold almost £400 as did a stall holders selling mainly fabric bags. Another stall holder selling fabric bags and other fabric items also sold in excess of £240 as did one of our jewellers selling silver jewellery. One of our candle sellers also sold almost £300 whist another jeweller sold around £200. A soap seller also reported selling nearly £150 on her 2nd ever market with Mynt Image What was lovely today was the excellent atmosphere in the halls at all times, with all stall holders saying how much they had enjoyed the day.
This really was a good Summer event and demonstrated just how good Romsey can be when the tourists are in town.
Lymington Masonic Hall - 17th July
A classic Lymington Summer market
Thame Town Hall - 17th July
The hottest day of the year stifles trade but still some good sales.
This was a really mixed market with several traders not doing well at all, whilst several others had really good days.
The really hot weather really affected this market in historic Thame. There were simply very few people on the streets shopping , many instead enjoying the hot weather at home, in the countryside by the river or travelling to the coast. Very few people choose to go shopping in 30 degree heat!!
We had a good mixture of new and established stall holders at this event, It was warm in the hall, however most soon realised just how warm it was outside when they took a break, many hastily retreating to their stalls and the relative coolness. We had difficulty in attracting customers into the building at first and looked for alternative methods. We found that if we continually walked around the Thame shopping area, locals and tourists started to notice our signs and most eventually, in their own time, paid the market a visit. Mynt Image staff walked in excess of 10 miles during the day in the heat to attract in customers. At times there were very few to entice into the building, but we persevered and by 4pm had managed to attract 296 customers into the market.
As we have already noted, although the majority of stall holders at least covers their table fees, a few sold nothing. Most stall holders did cover costs and managed to return a small profit. 2 fortunate stall holders, one artist and one lady selling ceramics sold almost £400. A man selling products made from honey sold in excess of £250 as did one of our more experienced jewellers. Considering the lower than normal footfall, most stall holders seemed to enjoy the market.
I am not one to moan about the heat, having craved some sun all summer, but we really do hope that the conditions in early August at Thame will be little more conducive to creating a good market.
Abingdon Guildhall - 16th July (Fri)
Our 1st ever Friday market at Abingdon proves successful for most.
This was our first ever Friday market at Abingdon. We had timed it on purpose to be on the same day as the monthly Farmers market which is located on the square right opposite the Guildhall. This was the first hot sunny day we had had for many weeks and there were certainly plenty of people on the streets, either purchasing from the Farmers Market or sitting outside the many cafes enjoying the summer sun (at last!). There were a good number of visitors to Abingdon, many enjoying the sites of the ancient market town. Besides this being a new venue for many stall holders, the set up went very smoothly and it was good to see stall holders assisting each other. There were certainly a lot of potential visitors to the market and we needed to try various methods to attract them into the hall. The Mynt Image staff tried the usual loud vocalisations and these brought good n umbers into the market with over 60 in the first hour. To reach the potential customers who were seated at the tables, a member of the team started to go around the market and outside the cafes with a sign. This brought immediate effects and we managed to create a steady stream of customerts into the hall throughout the day. At the end of the day a count of 312 had been achieved, very satisfactory for our first ever Friday event at this location.
Sales in the morning were slow for many stall holders and customers mostly seemed to be browsing and enjoying the ambience of the event. There is always a good atmosphere at this location. During the afternoon, sales did seem to greatly improve for many stall holders. It was also good to see several customers who had visited the event in the morning, returning to buy some of the products they had seen. There were some good sales at this event, and please remember that this is a Friday not at Saturday. One woodworker sold £6.00 before lunch but by the end of the afternoon had sales in excess of £250. One photographer also did well selling £200+. A lady selling fabric bags and related items sold in excess of £300 and we are aware of at least 2 other stall holders making around the £200 mark. One or two stallholders did not do so well, barely covering their tables unfortunately. Sales of Advent Calendars were again a feature for our card seller. Several stall holders were graced by a last minute customer who spent around £150 at several different stalls, thus demonstrating that it’s always good to stay selling right up to the last minute.
This was our first weekday market at Abingdon. Bearing in mind how successful it was for many, we not only look forward to the others we have booked at this location for the rest of the year, but we have also approached the hall to look into some mid-week dates for 2022.
Salisbury Guildhall - 10th July
A classic Salisbury Summer market
It was a dull, drizzly summer’s day and we had driven through some heavy rain to get to the event. Fortunately just after 10am, the rain eased and then before 11am stopped, leaving a dull overcast day. Dull Summer days are good for venues such as Salisbury as those on holiday have little to do except visit Salisbury, see the sights and do some shopping. The outside market was busy from the start of the day and this quickly spilled over into The Guild Hall. There were good numbers of tourists around and these provided a good footfall throughout the day. There were few slack times within the market and by the end of the day a very good footfall of 789 had been achieved. It was interesting to see several customers returning during the day to buy something they had seen earlier. Many of the best buyers were during the last hour with one last minute customers spending over £100 after 4pm.
Spending was typical of a Salisbury Summer market, with the nest buyers in the afternoon. We are not aware of any stall holders who did not make their stall fees back. At least 2 stall holders made in excess of £300, one selling ethnic style jewellery and another imported South African products. Several other stall holders sold £200+ including an artist, a stall selling products made from bees, a silver jeweller, a lady selling chopping boards and a young author. It was good to have several new faces with us today including an experienced crafter new to the area selling home sewn teddy bears, a young lady selling tote bags and a your couple selling woven fabric, all of whom did well. Our experienced crafters were very willing to share their knowledge and techniques with our new starters who all reported learning a lot from the market. There was a very positive feel to the market throughout.
This Summer market yet again proved that if you have the right products to sell to tourists, summer markets can be very profitable. There was also a sign that people are buying early for Christmas, just as we have seen in other markets in recent weeks.
Henley Town Hall - 10th July
Back to pre Covid standard Henley
Henley has become a favourite over the years and this event saw a glimpse of what Henley used to be like. Set up was smooth, stallholders staggered arrival meant we could assist a lot with unloading. The hall looked fantastic with a good mix of new and regular stallholders creating inviting displays.
As the day began we had a few spots of rain but we didnt let that stop us drawing a crowd. A couple food stalls in the square helped bring people into the area and we simply sent them into the hall. As the day brightened up the streets grew busier and our footfall increased accordingly, we managed to achieve a total of 728, the highest we've seen here since before COVID entirely.
Spending was mixed, we had a couple of stallholder who struggled to cover costs however many had a good day. Two of our jewellers took over £300, as did one of our artists and a photographer took around £400. We had an enameller join us too who's sales weren't incredible however the huge interest was fantastic so we look forward to seeing some aftermarket sales from this event. Christmas presents seemed to be popular today too, a month or so earlier than usual. Overall a really positive market in Henley.
Hungerford Town Hall - 3rd July
Hungerford delivers as usual
It was a grey and threatening day outside for most of the day with brief periods of short lived sunshine. At times there were periods of light drizzle, though these seemed to retreat with the threat of raincoats. Unfortunately there were also substantial roadworks happening right outside the Town Hall, with a replacement set of traffic lights causing havoc to the roads and huge tailbacks at times. The team had to make themselves seen and heard above the pneumatic road breakers and large construction lorries. The Mynt Image Team felt somewhat demoralised after the first hour with just 35 customers entering the building. We had forgotten that Hungerford however is always slow to start and we needn’t worry too much about footfall, as by the middle of the day footfall rapidly increased with the arrival of large groups of tourists with little to do arriving for a day out in Hungerford. By the end of the day we managed to achieve a very respectable Hungerford footfall of 422, very comparable to pre-covid markets.
Selling was interesting with some stall holders doing extremely well and others not even covering their stall costs (3 stall holders). One photographer did the best today selling in excess of £400, smartly followed by a lady selling scarves and richly coloured items who sold over £300. One artist also sold in excess of £300. A charity stall for a local hospice selling knitted items sold nearly £250 and a lady selling cards sold £170+. Unfortunately not everyone did as well, though there were several other stalls selling around the £100 mark. Many stall holders remarked on the excellent atmosphere in the hall throughout the day and one on the steady flow of customers, many of whom spent over an hour at the market. It should also be noted that we had 3 new stall holders elling at their first ever markets, one of whom sold in excess of £100 and another who almost deoubled their
stall cost….. agood start. All of the new stall holders said that tey had learnt a lot from the more experienced stallholders who were more than happy to share their practice and tips
Of particular note however today was the fact that Christmas items were selling very well with advent calendars making up 95% of one stalls income and another selling a good many Christmas decorations. It really does seem that Christmas buying is starting very early this year.
Guildford Guildhall - 3rd July
A strange and tough day
With a handful of last minute cancellations (it seems everyone is having to isolate over the last few weeks) the hall was spread slightly thinner than we'd usually have. Fortunately the fantastic stallholders we had booked in made the most of the oppurtunity to take up a little extra space. The two halls looked really good and the atmosphere among stallholders was lovely. The sun had even made an appearance first thing so the day was set up perfectly.
Footfall is always slow to begin with in Guildford, the first hour tends to be older shoppers getting in and out of town ahead of day trippers and younger families out shopping for the day. We started to get a few through the door but a couple of heavy showers around 11 held us back a little. After that we struggled to gain momentum, the highstreet was quiet for guildford and if it wasnt for the busker who kept us entertained all day then there would have been no atmosphere at all outside. We had to work hard to get customers that we did and somehow managed 423 when it could have easily been a much quieter day.
Spending was mixed, one stallholder didnt make a sale and another didn't quite cover costs. Although it sounds quite negative the stallholder who hadnt quite made sale on the day had a lot of positive interest with many potential postmarket sales and even a couple of oppurtunites to stock an independent outlet. Several hundred pounds were sold by each of our jewellers and Guildfords resident artist took £200+. Considering how unuusually tough it had been there were more positive results than we couldve seen based on how little people had been spending on the highstreet shops today.
Salisbury Guildhall - 3rd July
Salisbury starts our Summer Season
This was a last minute event arranged as a replacement to our Lyndhurst market which had to be cancelled due to flooding within the building. Unfortunately many of the stall holders who had booked Lyndhurst decided that Salisbury was too far for them which left us a little short of stall holders at this replacement event. We did however by careful use of the space, manage to give all of the stallholders at this event a little additional space which most of them made good use of very readily. We must also than one of the stallholders for stepping in at the last minute to help us run this event, when one of the Mynt Image Team had to go unfortunately into self isolation. We take COVID 19 very seriously and would not want to risk any of the public or stallholders who attend our events. The replacement staff member did a great job at working with Aaron, and by the end of the day a good footfall of 613 had been achieved.
Sales were average for Salisbury, though many people had a good day. Best seller was a man selling wooden pens and other wood turned items who managed to sell in excess of £300. Jewellery also went down well with 2 jewellers selling in excess of £150. One photographer sold over £150 whist the couple selling chocolates also had a good day. One lady selling African style related wooden items in aid of charity reported having an amazing first ever day at Salisbury. There was the usual last minute flurry of customers at Salisbury, as there is at many of our markets, and this proved to bring in the best sales for several stall holders. One stall holder at her first ever event was pleased to sell several items. There was a good atmosphere in the hall throughout the event, making the event enjoyable for most stallholders
Witney Corn Exchange - 26th June
A good day for most in Witney
The day started grey and with the recent poor weather we were marginally concerned we'd get wet in Witney today. Fortunatley it brightened up throughout the day and we saw a little sun in the afternoon too. Set up was a little hectic, we had a couple of last minute no shows which is always a pain and a couple of stallholders were a little later than usual but once set up the hall was very inviting. It was good to see a mix of rrgualrs and newbies here too.
Footfall came in flurries more so than a steady flow, it was spread fairly even across the day though which meant the hall was never too quiet. The busiest spell was probably the last 15 minutes! At least 1 stall holder took over £100 in this time further proving its never worth packing up early. Overall we saw 617 through the door.
Spending overall was fairly mixed, most seemed to fall into the £100-200 bracket with at least 3 taking over £250. A couple of stallholders struggled to cover costs and there was no real standout product type. It was difficult to determine why customers bought from certain stalls as it really was that mixed. Witney has been good over the last couple of years so we're certainly not worried.
Romsey Town Hall - 19th June
What a difference the weather makes
This really was a June market at its best, and such a difference from the market we held at this venue last week. The day was grey and cloudy and although warm, was not beach or BBQ weather. For these reasons, there were plenty of people out in Romsey shopping and there were a lot of tourists looking to enjoy the historic side of Romsey. Last week, customers would not engage with stall holders; this week some spent up to an hour in the market and spoke to every stall holder. Footfall was steady throughout the day with roughly 80- customers each hour, resulting in a final footfall of 466.
It was unfortunate that 8 stallholders decided to cancel their stalls in the 2 days before the market for a variety of genuine reasons, but we must express our thanks to the stall holders who did attend and used the additional space they were given to good effect, making the upper hall, especially, look really good.
Although the footfall was only marginally higher than last week, spending was remarkably different, with some very good buyers, especially in the morning. One stall holder made a sale of over £100 within the first 5 minutes of the market being open. One couple , Romsey regulars, sold around £500 of miniatures and clocks. A photographer who had barely covered their costs last week sold almost £250 whist another photographer sold almost £300. One candle seller sold almost £300, making their long journey really worthwhile. An artist did well, though for this artist it was mostly small items that were being bought. Fabric children’s toys and fabric bags also sold well at 2 different stalls. We had several new stall holders with us, 3 of who0m had never sold at markets before, one, selling ceramics making almost £150. … a very good first ever event! We are aware of several other stall holders who sold around £100 and of only 1 stall holder who failed to cover their costs.
This was a good Romsey market and the spending was very good, as is often the case at Romsey. We look forward to our July event at this excellent location, and the promises of a newly installed lift to make the market easier for both stallholders and customers.
Salisbury Guildhall - 12th June
Tough day in the sun
Salisbury has always been one of our favourite markets and today looked like it would not disappoint. There were people out in the market sqaure early on and the sun was shining, what more could you want from Salisbury. Set up ran smoothly, we had a number of new stall holders to this venue so it was lovely to welcome them all along with the handful of regulars. We really do have a superb range of products on display at our markets and todays was particular colourful.
The day started well, we saw a good flow of customers throughout the morning. The atmosphere was certainly pleasant and on occasions we saw queues to get into the market. By around 2 o'clock we saw the footfall easily pass the 500 mark so hopes were held high for a superb day. Unfortunately that was when the flow dropped off a cliff with less than a hundred entering during the last 2 hours. Whether it was the gorgeous weather and the beckoning call of pub gardens and barbecues or the first Euro's match of the day, the market square became quiete and we lost all momentum. It was really tough to drag them in over the course of the afternoon and it seemed just as tough to get them spending. Overall footfall was a respectable 603.
Spending was mixed to say the least, at least 2 stallholders taking over £400 and 1 unfortunatley not making a sale. A brand new stall holder sold 2 pairs of her earrings so was delighted with the outcome. There was no real rhyme or reason as to who sold well and who didnt, the interest was superb and business cards were taken keenly. We're pretty confident those who perform on social media will do well with aftermarket sales
Romsey Town Hall - 12th June
An un-satisfactory Romsey Market
This market was scheduled for Lyndhurst, but relocated to Romsey due to the flooding at Lyndhurst.
It was a gorgeous warm sunny day, the start of a forecast settled spell. There were plenty of people in Romsey at the start of the day, but most were simply interested in sitting outside the cafes and enjoying the sun. By one O’clock the streets went really quiet and the outside market was packed up by 2pm. It was clear that most people wanted to enjoy the sun on the coast or in their gardens, many with the added draw of the Wales versus Switzerland Euro game. Customers who did come in during the morning seemed reluctant to make eye contact and certainly didn’t part with their money easily. Even though footfall numbers declined in the afternoon, those who did enter the building as customers purchased much better. By the end of the day, by not taking a break, the Mynt staff managed to create a footfall of 442 customers.
Despite a better afternoon for spending, many stall holders did not do well and we are aware of several who unfortunately did not cover their table costs. Even for those who did sell better, their sales were half what they usually did at Romsey. 3 stall holders achieved sales in excess of £200, including an artist and a stall selling miniatures. Jewellers possibly struggled the most today, though 3 jewellers more than covered costsand one selling silver jewellery made some good sales. Our 2 authors both reported having had good days with sales of over £100. These figures are however disappointing for Romsey and we do trust that our next market at this venue will perform better
Guildford Guildhall - 5th June
Poor start to the day with a much better ending
We have been looking forward to the return of this market since the moment the last lockdown had been announced. Guildfords tight corridors and doorways make oneway systmes and socil distancing for customers a little tougher to negotiate than some of the other halls hence the delays in getting it back up and running. Despite the long break since we last visited this stunning venue it was like we had never left when setting up, an abundance of regulars set up without hesitiation and the handful of newbies here fit in perfectly.
The day itself started really slow as it often does in Guildford and the sun was beating down on the highstreet. It was really hardwork to draw a crowd throughout the day, we kept optimistic and pushed constantly but the harsh reality was it felt like talking to a brick wall all day. Our total footfall was 582, not dissimilar to many of last years markets. The busy hightreet was almost a little teasing as it felt as though we shouldve seen more through the door but it was clear the lack of 'shoppers' meant we were always up against it.
It was a tough day for spending, especially in the morning. Usually we'd see shoppers laden with 3/4 bags in each hand whereas this time you were lucky to see one bag between 3/4 people. Sales were slow to start with but thankfully picked in the afternoon. One artist and jeweller took just under £400 with several around the £250 mark. It was really good to see a lote of interest though with many cards taken so it looks as though the online/aftermarket sales will be really profitable. Roll on July.
Lymington Masonic Hall - 5th June
A very good footfall leads to some good sales.
We were looking forward to working at Lymington today due to the fgact that it was going to be a warm sunny day which we knew would bring the tourists onto the streets of Lymington. And we were right, because before the market even opened we had been visited by several customers looking for an early purchase. The streets were thronging with customers for most of the day, all enjoying the bright sunshine, but many with a mission to get to the beach or to a BBQ. By the end of the day we had attracted a very good footfall of 848 customers into the Masonic Hall, demonstrating once more, just how good this venue can be in the Summer. The footfall was especially high in the late morning, tailing off towards the end of the afternoon. At peak periods we had to ask customers to queue outside the hall so as to allow a maximum COVID safe number into the building.
Customers were keen to come into the hall, though spending was not the best at the beginning of the day. At peak times, selling seemed to be at its weakest with most sales being or a low value nature. There were plenty of tourists in Lymington and they certainly wanted to buy memories of their New Forest holidays. In the afternoon, the average sale value rose considerably with some larger items being sold. One jeweller sold in excess of £400. We are aware of several other stall holders selling between £250 and £300 including an artist, a liquorice seller, a lady selling pictures made from shells and stones and a couple selling miniatures. Other stall holders also had a good day including a couple selling chocolate, another artist, our apron seller and a lady selling fabric items. There will unfortunately always be those who don’t seem to do so well and we are aware of 2 stall holders who failed to meet their costs.
Overall this was a good market and demonstrated the potential of Lymington during the Summer months. Summer markets at the right venues can be excellent and in 2020, some summer sales exceeded those made during the Christmas season.
Witney Corn Exchange - 29th May
Our first market in 2021 at this venue is a great success
It was so good to be back working at Witney. Witney is one of our favourite locations and becoming increasingly popular with stall holders. On warm dry days like today, there are always good numbers of people on the streets in Witney and today was no exception. Potential customers are still slightly reluctant to enter markets due to the concerns of COVID and this does always have an adverse affect on footfall. Witney is always a pleasant market to run and we know just how well customers spend when they are at the stalls. With strict COVID measures in place, we have a maximum number of customers we are allowed inside the Corn Exchange and we did end up with some queues at times. It’s no wonder we have few spaces left for stall holders for the rest of the year at Witney . BY the end of the day we had attracted 553 customers into the Corn Exchange.
Spending was good for many stall holders, though a few reported not having such a good day. One jeweller had sales in excess of £440 and an artist also sold nearly £400. A couple with a doiuble table selling South African products sold in excess of £300. One lady selling clothing only sold a few products but ended up with almost £300 of sales from her first ever market. Wooden pens were also in demand with sales of over £150 A few stall holders reported having an average day though we are only aware of 2 stall holders who didn’t cover costs. There was a good feeling in the Corn Exchange throughout the day with a good number of customers spending a substantial time in the venue.
This was our first market at this venue sice Lockdown was eased. We look forward to both footfall and sales increasing as the year progresses
Lymington Masonic Hall - 29th May
A storming morning with a mediocre afternoon
It was the perfect weather for a market in the beautiful town of Lymington. Some gorgeous sunshine with a light breeze to stop us sizzling in what felt like the first nice day in forever. Set was easier than ever, we had more double tables than usual so slighter few stalls but with bigger set ups. It meant it was a doddle to unload and fopr the most part we were ready to go well before opening time. We had a nice mix of regulars, some stallholders we hadnt seen since pre covid and even a couple of newbies. All round a perfect mix.
The nice weather meant we saw a lot of footfall early on, the first 3 hours nearly saw 500 and the final 3 saw just less than half of that totalling 692 through the door. The day started with some good quality customers and shifted into the kind of tourists that were escaping to the new forest for an inexpensive mini break before quietening down in the afternoon where everyone seemed to be enjoyingthe sun by the marina. The more typical Lymington/Nautical kind of customer seemed to be the earlier birds and the ones spending. The holidaymakers were more inclined to just enjoying the day out and bank holiday from work so didnt spend quite so well.
Each stallholder seemed to have a completely different day, most took relatively well with a few selling larger items tipping them into the particularly good bracket. Overall a good day but with just a few more customers in the afternoon we couldve had an excellent one.
Marlborough Town Hall - 29th May
The first warm, dry Saturday for many weeks
At last some sun to bring out the tourists to Marlborough on a bank holiday weekend, and they were there in force in the morning. The streets were already busy when we started the market at 10am and they remained busy throughout the morning. There were spells when we had a small queue at the door waiting to enter the market. Unfortunately the afternoon was quieter and customers came in surges. By the end of the day we had a chieved a very satisfactory footfall of 470 customers, a good improvement on our April figure.
With a good footfall in the morning, we would have expected sales to have been better in the morning, bust as is often the case, some stall holders found sales better during the last hour of the market when it was quieter. Sales were generally good with at least 3 stall holders achieving sales of around £300 and one substantially more. Best sales of the day went to a jeweller who had her stall upstairs. An artist also did very well today with her range of products all to her own designs. It was also good to see our stall selling wire sculptures doping extremely well. Downstairs our charity based stall selling knitted and crocheted goods also achieved just short of £300, her knitted toys selling exceptionally well. Many stall holders had sales of between £100 and £200 and we are aware of only one stallholder who failed to recoup their costs.
We had several new stall holders with us at this market and they fitted in really well with our more experienced sellers who are always more than happy to share advice and give tips. There is always a good atmosphere at our Marlborough market and today was no different. All of our stallholders remarked on how safe they felt within the building, where our COVID measures were strictly enforced throughout the day.
Romsey Town Hall - 22nd May
A hard working day but pre lockdown numbers
The historic market town of Romsey is becoming a Mynt favourite and for the most part this event did not disappoint. Set up ran as smoothly as it could've with the lift reparations taking a little longer than anticipated. The Mynt team ran tirelessly up and down the stairs to help as many stallholders set up as possible so the lack of lift wasn't entirely the end of the world but when it is again operational it'll be an absolute luxury.
The town was quiet initially but soon sprang to life half hour or so into the event and the customers started to flow, many of which seemed to spend a long time in the hall so they certainly showed some good interest. Unusually for Romsey we had a lull through lunch time and it was tough to regain momentum after that. The few people milling around were moe interested in grabbing a coffee than shopping so the team had to work exceptionally hard to draw a crowd. We managed 511 over the course of the day, a number we're used to seeing pre COVID so it was good to have plenty of customers. The weather varied during the day, the odd shower made life a little more difficult than we'd have hope and the lack of sunshine wasnt ideal, especially when a warmer afternoon may have seen a greater footfall.
Spending was anything but straight foward, some stall holders had a good morning, some a a good afternoon and some even had both but with a quieter spell in the middle. There was no real pattern in terms of spending but the overall feel was smaller items were more popular than the larger ones. It was a strange day spending wise but certainly not a bad one overall. In short, when the weather improves slighlty we think we'll have some incredible events here. Roll on June.
Henley Town Hall - 15th May
Wet and windy start but a much better ending
Henley has always been a staple market for us, always popular with stallholders and this is simply due to the spending. Today we had the weather against us but some good sales were still to be had. We set up mostly in the dry with dark clouds looming over the town. The hall had a really good mix inside, we welcomed a number of new stall holders and some regulars who collectively made for an inviting experience.
As the day got underway it was good to see a return to the sqaure in front of the hall being utilised by the local cafes and restaurants to provide outside seating and in turn helping to create a good atmosphere. The first few hours of the day however were slightly quieter here due to the occasional shower but good old british resilience came through and we were relatively busy as the sun began to shine through. The last half an hour or so saw a bit of a rush, we're pretty confident the footfall couldve exceed 500 if it was sunnier sooner and perhaps even 600/700 if we had a full day of sun as we'd have expected in May. Overall however, the showers held us to a respectable 489 through the door.
Spending was mixed, most took £100+ with at least 5 stall holders over the £200 mark. There wasnt really a product of choice but quality is always well recieved in Henley. Lots of interest too and a buzz fromn social media means we'll likley see some aftermarket sales from this event making it an even better day, perfect.
Trowbridge Town Hall - 15th May
A successful first market at this impressive new venue.
This is the first time that we have held a market at this venue and as usual had concerns. Running a new market is never easy and there are always teething problems, it is never possible to know all of the ins and outs of what will be needed. Thankfully we have had good communication with the trust who run the old Town Hall and they worked with us throughout the day to make sure that all customers and stall holders had a good experience. One other organiser utilises this venue, though as customers noted, the quality of the goods on sale at our market were totally different. The trust had also arranged a one way system throughout the building and this worked really well, with most customers visiting the 1st floor as well as the ground floor stalls
The weather was showery throughout the day and there was at times a strong breeze. There were plenty of people on the streets and our active marketing and arrow spinning attracted 530 customers into the market during the day. This was a good first market figure and the fact that there was a heavy period of rain in the afternoon clearly deterred people from shopping. Stallholders remarked on a steady flow of customers throughout the day, one stallholder noting that she never stopped right from the start of the day.
Spending was good, with many customers delightedly showing staff the excellent products they had bought at the markets. We were asked many times when our next event was on at this location. One artist sold in excess of £300, an excellent figure on such a poor day. 2 other stall holders sold around £250 including a soap and wax melt seller and a photographer. We are aware of at least 2 other stall holders selling in excess of £200 and most selling around the £100 mark. A charity stall managed to sign up 6 new customers during the day, well above expectations. All stall holders covered their stall fees and with 2 stall holders being new to the business and never having traded before, this was really good news.
This venue has great potential and we look forward to working here throughout the year. We do still have spaces at this venue due to it being a new untested location, but we believe that after the success of this market, these spaces should start to be filled.
Devizes Corn Exchange - 8th May
Relief from all, that expected heavy rain didn’t materialise
The forecast had been promising heavy rain on Saturday since the beginning of the week. It was expected to start in the night and last almost all day with little respite. We were not looking forward to working in heavy rain all day, which despite being well prepared for it, is never fun. Stall holders too had been watching the forecast with trepidation and were not expecting to do well, with several admitting to thinking of not showing up. Although we drove through floods and heavy rain to get to Devizes, by the time we actually arrived at 7.50am it was starting to ease off and by 9am had totally stopped. We never needed to put on our rain gear all day . The forecast had obviously put many Devizes residents off from shopping and the streets were very quiet all day. Those who ventured out into the grey stormy day were well wrapped up to face the horrible weather. The lovely thing about running markets on these atrocious days, is that when you do get customers into the market , they stay for a good while and spend. The Mynt team worked hard all day, and by the end of the day had managed to entice a very creditable 629 customers into the Corn Exchange, which seriously must have been a good percentage of the total number of people out shopping or visiting Devizes!
Spending was good, though stall holders had to work hard to sell at times. Customers were also fussy in what they bought and interior decorations did not sell well, fabric cushions and lampshades not being in demand today. However some stalls did very well with at least 2 stalls reaching around the £300 mark including a lady selling fashion items and fragrances as well as a couple selling wire sculptures. Wooden pens and turned items also sold well with one seller achieving in excess of £250. One artist had her best day this year at a Mynt Image market, selling in excess of £250. Chocolates, photography, and ‘salt lamps’ also sold well, with the afternoon, as is often the case being better than the morning. Although jewellery did sell, sales were not much above £150 for two sellers. We are also aware of at least two stall holders who did not make their money and cover their costs.
There was however an excellent positive atmosphere in the building at all times. The hall itself is so spacious and light and creates an excellent venue in these times of COVID 19. Customers on the whole though, did seem to be getting more used to life after lockdown and more willing to come into the market. Considering the poor number of people in Devizes today and the, at times, empty streets, both ourselves and stallholders were happy with the results of this event.
Salisbury Guidlhall - 1st May
The best footfall of the year so far with only a few disappointed stall holders.
We have always enjoyed working at Salisbury Guildhall. With the street market outside now extended into the area outside of the GuildHall this really makes us feel like more of the regular Saturday market and brings many of the right kind of buyers closer to the Guildhall. There were certainly plenty of people on the streets of Salisbury in the morning, with, surprisingly a large number of foreign tourists visiting the UK despite still being in Lockdown. Footfalls have been relatively low at our venues until this week, but potential customers certainly seemed a lot more ready and willing to come inside the building today. Unfortunately we had two periods of heavy rain that swept across the market square and without these, our footfall would have been much higher. Despite the rain we still managed a footfall of 731, our best at any venue so far this year.
Whenever we entered the building to talk to stall holders we noticed that customers were spending money at many of the stalls. We had one stall holder come out several times to tell us how well they were doing. At the end of the day at least 3 stall holders achieved in excess of £300 and a further two in excess of £200. These included a jeweller, a photographer and several artists. It was unfortunate however to find that 3 stall holders had not broken even financially despite their best efforts. Most stall holders had made between £90 and £150, with one stall holder making more today than they had at any previous of our events. We had several new stall holders with us today, joining the regulars, one of these displaying his jewellery for the first time and doing really well.
Salisbury is always a place you can rely on to produce a good footfall and with such a good footfall it is inevitable that most stall holders will do well, just as most did today. This was a good start for our year at Salisbury and as restrictions continue to be lifted, we continue to have high expectations for this venue.
Thame Town Hall - 24th April
Quiet day in Thame
We always look forward to our markets here in the heart of Oxfordshire, never the highest footfall but always good spending! Thame is a real advocate for the quality over quantity mantra. Set up ran smoothly, a great mix of old and new stall holders, a lot of which new to Thame itself. This hall is one of the smaller set ups so the cosy atmosphere lends nicely to creating a good atmosphere for customers.
The glorious sunshine combined with a slight tentativeness from shoppers made hard work for drawing a crowd, it really was perfect bbq weather and it seems a lot of people aren’t quite fully confident just yet. We managed to get a slow but steady flow throughout the day and despite best efforts only achieved 166 through the door.
Focusing again on quality of customers it was superb to see at least 3 stall holders take around £300. Many achieved circa £100 sales and one or two struggled to cover costs! Certainly not a washout but maybe a little room for improvement, we’re confident in this stepping stone forwards towards some excellent events this year.
Lymington Masonic Hall - 17th April
Though sales weren't much to be desired, it was excellent to be out again.
Lockdown has seemed to drag on forever, especially over recent weeks with such poor weather. So what better way to hit the ground running with this years season (albeit slightly delayed) than in the glorious siunshione at Lymington. We had a full house and it judging by how early stallholders were arriving to set up it was clear they were keen to continue trading again. Set up ran smoothly as it always does in Lymington and the buzz was superb. Many conversations of reuninting friends was a pleasure to witness, plus of course a handful of new stallholders to really complete the set up. The eagerness to get going was lovely to be part of, a few stallholders who trade online had seen drops since Christmas, the lack of contact time with customers face to face was cleary the fault here, so this event was hopefully a bnig turning point.
The day ran well, the sun always brings crowds of people to the New Forest in their thousands so we had plenty of oppurtunity to draw a crowd. Initially numbers were good, it wasnt quite as easy to coax people in as this was the first Saturday since before last Christmas people were allowed out properly so the agenda wasnt neccessarily shopping. It quitened down in the afternoon, perhaps due to the Duke of Edinburghs funeral being broadcast at 3pm so the footfall slowed down somewhat. This was anticipated though and we observed a minutes silence in honour of the late Prince. By close of play we managed a total of 542 customers through the door.
Spending was an entirely mixed bag here today, no real pattern as to what sold well and didnt. Top traders were'nt incredibly high but then most of the people in Lymington didnt seem to have any real purpose or direction. As a stepping stone this event has really excited as us with what will follow, events can only get busier from and spending will start toi increase to levels we saw and maybe even higher than last year.
Marlborough Town Hall - 17th April
A frustrating start to our new season
This was a replacement event put on to replace another market that was not able to occur. The market had only been released 6 weeks before this event and was , as is usual for our markets, fully booked. We were glad to be able to start the new season at last after months of being in lockdown and really looking forward to working at Marlborough which has been one of our most reliable venues. Most stall holders too expressed great joy at being able to run their stalls once more and to be involved in a degree of ‘normality’. We were hoping for great things from this event due to shops having just opened and customers clearly having a lot of money to spend.
However there were a lot of factors which worked against this event, one being the gorgeous sunny weather enabling potential customers to go to the coast or enjoy a Bar B Q in their gardens, especially as this was the last day of the school Easter holidays.. Secondly this was the day of the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh and this caused a shortage of people visiting Marlborough in the afternoon. It was interesting to note that almost all of our customers today were not locals, but visiting this picturesque historic town. There was also a reluctance from some members of the public to enter a larger building, there still being a risk of COVID 19 despite all of the procedures and systems that we have put in place. By the end of the day we managed a footfall of 315, half the number we would have expected.
Spending was reasonable, with the top stall holder selling £500+ worth of jewellery with another taking £240 from her fantastic art related products. This was however not the day for jewellers other than the one previously mentioned with most reporting small sales. Of note is the extraordinary numbers of the public who were signed up by the ‘Working for Wildlife’ representative, 11 new sign ups being very noteworthy with a low footfall. There was however an excellent atmosphere in the market at all times with most stallholders simply being glad to meet each other once more and to be able to sell their wonderful products.
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