Mead market stall trader

First Experience as a Market Stall Trader

Last week I brought Wheatleys of Yorkshire to the Cottingham Thursday Market to trial the world of market stall trading and see if it is something that could benefit the business. This was the first time I have ever been a market trader, the closest thing prior to this would be selling old junk for 50p at car boot sales.

Initial stresses were the look of the table, how were we going to make it look presentable. This was Mother Wheatley’s task, something she thoroughly enjoyed leading up to the day; shopping for nice materials and baskets etc. I also had the problem of how were we going to provide mulled mead, something I had promised the event organisers weeks before. I managed to get hold of a gas-powered urn and fixed it up, with the help of father Wheatley, until it looked brand new.

The day started very slowly and I think we all started to question whether anyone in the village would be interested in mead, especially on a weekday. Then it all kicked off, people were trying our samples, sipping hot mulled mead, tagging us in Instagram posts and taking bottles away with them. I even had to recruit the help of my uncle to drive us back to the meadery for more bottles. It turned out to be an excellent day, much better than previously hoped. We even had our first running with a sample snatcher! Lurking around the table for 20 minutes requesting sample after sample until we eventually, and politely, moved him on to the next stall 😊

It’s been a great boost for the business. Looking forward I would like to bring Wheatleys of Yorkshire to many more markets and fairs in the region. It is just a shame that at the moment very few are running!

Final note, mulled mead is exquisite.  

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