We want to find the best people making cool crafts, thrifting away, and who make this place a more interesting place to live.
Market Day happens three times in 2013: on May 18, August 3, and November 29 (Black Friday). At each event we have 41 vendors and thousands of shoppers and we want to promote buying local, handmade, creative goods to the world.
Leading up to each Market Day we also share a lot of information with our vendors: educational talks on stuff like whether or not you should incorporated your business, helpful explainers for filing your sales taxes, tweets and tips about shows you can apply to, and handy guides to polishing up your portfolio photos.
If you want to work hard on your business, Market Day wants you. We want to create a flood of creative, smart, weird, and knowledgeable entrepreneurs in the midwest.
All About Vending at Market Day in 2013
Market Day hits downtown Des Moines three times in 2013: May 18, August 3, and November 29.
Event Overview
Market Day is a regular market for art, vintage, homemade, and handmade goods. We select makers and curators who have exciting, well-made stuff.
Last year we hosted over 10,000 shoppers and 100 unique vendors over seven events.
There are no commissions – you keep whatever you make!
The event is open to the public from 8:00 AM -1:00 PM. Vendors may arrive as early as 6:00 AM and must have their booths cleared by 2:00 PM.
What We're Looking For
Most of all, we want people who are really excited to sell their stuff, to grow a business, to learn more.
Each booth is to contain original, handmade projects, art, or vintage items.
This is an application-based event, and not all applicants are accepted. Not being accepted to vend at Market Day is not necessarily a reflection on the quality of your work — our event has a very unique vibe that leans towards fun, hip, and indie-minded stuff. We generally do not accept "country craft". It's just not our thing.
We take our tagline seriously: Arts. Crafts. Not arts and crafts. If you're a fine artist or an indie maker, you'll probably be a great fit at Market Day.
Items which are not acceptable: mass produced products (except for SWEET vintage finds), imported goods such as clothing, jewelry, trinkets, crafts, and home décor. If you made it from a kit or got it produced at a factory, we're probably not interested.
Applying to Market Day
Applications for the 2013 Market Day season will open on March 1st, and remain open throughout the season.
Market Day is a juried event. You will provide your contact information, information about your business, links to your online store (if applicable) and online photos of your work (use a service like Flickr, Picasa, or Facebook). We're sorry, we cannot accept photos through mail or email. After your application is submitted, it will be reviewed by our panel. Accepted vendors will receive information on how to register for Market Day events as it becomes available.
Notification of acceptance status will begin on March 15 and will continue on a rolling basis.
Booths
40-50 booths will be available at each event.
Booth prices range from $35-$95.
Vendors must provide their own tables (chairs are provided)(unless you book a mini booth, then you get tables AND chairs).
Regular booths are roughly six feet wide by five feet deep.
Corner booths are exactly what they sound like: you won't be penned in by booths on both sides. Generally these booths have better visibility and traffic.
Double booths really let you spread out.
Mini-booths bring a suitcase (or whatever) and set up at a restaurant-style booth. Prepare to face the shopping hoards with a 2.5'x4' table (provided).
Vendors who need to make use of lighting and electricity must supply their own lights, cables and cords. Access to electricity is not guaranteed.
Access to wifi is not guaranteed, but we make a good effort.
Vendors may only share booths if they are collaborators selling products together as one line. All vendors must be present for the Market Day event, and all goods sold must be made by the registered vendor. You may not send someone to man your booth in your place. You may not sell someone else's goods at your booth. Vintage vendors must curate and sell their own collections.
If you have a thrift, vintage, or boutique store that represents multiple makers and would like a presence at Market Day, please contact us about sponsorship opportunities.
Refunds are not available for Market Day.
Selling at Market Day and You
Think VERTICAL and leave the chairs at home. Build a tall, fun, engaging display, get up from behind the table, and talk to people, dang it! We like booths that feel like a fun nook at a cool book store and less like a team of Girl Scouts selling cookies from behind a folding table.
Remember to smile. Especially if you suffer from chronic bitchface, but it's just good advice for every seller.
Location
Market Day's fifth season takes place in the lobby of the Kirkwood Hotel and The Gramercy Tap at 400 Walnut Street in downtown Des Moines.
Other Policies
You are responsible for the sale of your own goods and any licenses, fees, or certifications required by your trade. Market Day is not a store, your booth is your store and you are responsible for it. You are responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax. If you need help, please contact the Iowa Department of Revenue & Finance: - Opal Current -- (515) 242-0691 -- Opal.current@idrf.state.ia.us.
Organizers reserve the right to ask vendors to remove questionable items (e.g. items that are overly commercial or too risqué) from booths. We're more likely to be tough on commercial goods. It takes a lot to be too risqué for us.
Vendors are responsible for the transportation, set up, sales and delivery of their own goods.
Not showing up at the event without letting us know will get you blacklisted for the season. That sounds strong because it is. Even if you let us know the morning of, we'll love you for it.