It has been a while since my sister and I had done anything together. Last weekend she texted and asked if I wanted to visit one of our favorite Indoor Craft Shows/ Vendor Markets which is down the street from my home. I said yes, that would be nice. She came and picked up me.
Even though this turned our to be a disappointing shopping trip it isn’t really about what was missing. It’s about what was supposed to be there. I’ve been on both sides of the table when it comes to vendor events.
I’ve been the person setting up as a vendor, waiting for customers to walk through the door. And I’ve hosted events where I understood very well that when you tell people an event is going to be open until a certain time, those posted hours matter.
That’s why a recent Saturday visit to a City Market left me thinking about something bigger than whether I found what I was looking for. It made me think about trust, vendors, customers, and the importance of staying open during the hours that have been advertised.
The marketplace advertises: Saturday Farmers Markets: 9 a.m.–1 p.m. It also says the market is open every Saturday, rain or shine. And this is an important part of the story because my sister and I didn’t arrive at 12:15 thinking we were showing up after the event was over.
We thought we still had about 45 minutes to shop and we was excited to see what we would find because sometimes there are new crafters waiting to be discovered or new foods to try.
Instead, when we arrived, there were only a handful of vendors left. I would say maybe four or five vendors were there, and several of those who remained were already beginning to pack up.
That put us in an awkward position. Were we supposed to shop? Were we supposed to wait while they packed? Were we getting in their way? I know what it’s like to be a vendor. I know that once one person starts packing up, another vendor sees it and thinks, Well, I guess it’s time for me to go, too.
And before you know it, an event that is technically supposed to be open until 1 p.m. can feel like it has already ended. That’s exactly what it felt like that Saturday. And that’s unfortunate because I’ve been to this market before, and I’ve seen what it can be.
There have been some amazing vendors there. I’ve found things at this market that I haven’t seen at other local events. We’ve purchased some really good food. They have even had gluten-free options, which was especially nice for my sister.
That’s the kind of thing that makes a local market worth returning to. You never quite know what you’re going to discover. Maybe it’s a homemade food item. Maybe it’s something you can’t find in a regular store. Maybe it’s a vendor you have never seen before.
Maybe you simply want to walk around on a Saturday morning, grab something to eat, visit with people and enjoy being outside. That’s part of the fun. So when we arrived at 12:15 and found people already packing up, it changed the entire experience.
And I want to be very clear about something. This isn’t a post telling you not to go. Actually, it’s quite the opposite. I would encourage people to check the market out. Because I plan on going back the next time they set up and I will be inviting my friends and family to come with me.
The venue itself is designed to be used in different kinds of weather. The marketplace says it has lighted overhead ceiling fans for the summer and propane heaters for the winter, along with covered areas where people can enjoy the fresh air. There is also a café on the property. You can learn more here: Visit City Marketplace 7206
That makes it an interesting place to visit even beyond the farmers market. And the venue is available for rentals, too. So there is plenty here that I want to explore another day and I hope you will too.
But that Saturday, my sister and I didn’t stay. And here’s the part that really made me think. We took our money somewhere else. We left and went to two other local coffee shops. We weren’t trying to make a statement. We weren’t angry. We simply didn’t feel comfortable staying when vendors were already packing up around us. So we left.
And money that might have been spent at the market was instead spent at other local businesses. That’s how quickly an early closing can affect more than one vendor. I had actually been hoping to find some cinnamon rolls to take home.
If there had been some available and I had felt comfortable shopping, I probably would have purchased them. And I was also thinking about David. If he had gotten off work in time, I could have brought him over.
They had barbecue, and Beer and I could easily picture us sitting there having something to eat and maybe even enjoying a beverage together visiting with my sister Which could have turned into one of those spontaneous Saturday outings that you remember.
Instead, we felt like we were in the way. So we left. The Vendor Side of This Is Important. Maybe that’s the biggest reason this bothered me. I’ve been the vendor. I know how much work goes into getting ready for an event.
You make your products. You load your car. You drive to the event. You unload everything. You set up your table. You spend the day hoping customers come through. And when business is slow, it’s tempting to say, Well, I’m just going to pack up and go. I understand that.
Weather can affect attendance. Life happens. Sometimes a vendor has a legitimate reason they need to leave early. But there is another side to that decision. When one vendor starts packing up, other vendors notice. And customers notice.
A customer who arrives at 12:15 and sees tables being taken down doesn’t think, Oh, I still have 45 minutes to shop. They think, I guess everything is closing. That’s especially true when there are only a few vendors left. And suddenly the event feels finished even though the advertised closing time hasn’t arrived. That’s not just about one vendor losing a sale. It can affect the entire market.
As customers, we plan our days around posted hours. Maybe someone has church in the morning. Maybe they have a child’s sporting event. Maybe they work Saturday mornings. Maybe they’re visiting family. Maybe they simply don’t like getting up early. They see 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and think, I can make it there around noon. That’s exactly what we did.
And there is nothing unreasonable about arriving at 12:15 for a market advertised as being open until 1 p.m. The customer shouldn’t have to wonder whether the posted closing time is actually the closing time. That’s where trust comes in.
If a business or event says it is open until 1 p.m., customers should be able to reasonably expect that vendors will still be available during those posted hours. And if weather, low attendance or another circumstance causes the event to close early, then communicating that change becomes important, too. Because people may be driving across town specifically to attend.
I don’t know why there were so few vendors that particular Saturday. Maybe the weather forecast kept vendors away. Maybe there simply weren’t enough vendors scheduled. Maybe some vendors had already had a long day. Maybe there was another event happening somewhere else.
I don’t know. And I’m not going to pretend that I do. It was actually a beautiful day when we went. All I know is what we experienced as customers. We arrived at approximately 12:15. The advertised market hours were 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There were only a handful of vendors remaining, and several were already packing up. And instead of shopping, we left. That’s the story.
I think there is a lesson here for anyone who participates in craft fairs, farmers markets, vendor shows, flea markets or community events. If the event is advertised until 1 p.m., try to be prepared for customers until 1 p.m. Because you don’t know who is going to walk through the gate at 12:15.
That person might be ready to spend $10. Or $50. Or $100. They might tell three friends about your booth. They might become a regular customer. They might be looking for the exact thing you brought to sell. And sometimes the customer who comes in during the final 30 or 45 minutes is the customer who makes your day.
Not only have I been that customer I’ve been the person hoping that customer would show up. That’s why posted hours matter. Despite this experience, I don’t want anyone reading this to think I’m telling them to skip City Market. I’m not. In fact, I want to go back.
I’d like to explore the marketplace when there is more going on. I’d like to try the café. I’d like to look at the different food options. I’d like to take David over one day when his schedule allows it. And I’d like to see the marketplace on a Saturday when there are more vendors set up and customers walking around.
Because local places like this are worth supporting. They give small vendors a place to sell. They give shoppers an opportunity to find things they won’t necessarily find in a big-box store. And they give us another reason to get out of the house on a Saturday.
Sometimes we need those places. We just also need them to be what they tell us they are going to be. So maybe this wasn’t really a bad review. Maybe it was a reminder. Posted hours matter.
They matter to customers who plan their day around them. They matter to vendors who are still trying to make a sale. They matter to the business or organization hosting the event. And they matter to the reputation of the entire marketplace.
Because when a customer arrives during the advertised hours and sees everyone packing up, the customer doesn’t necessarily blame the individual vendor. They simply think the event is over. And then they leave.
That’s what happened to us. We left. We spent our money at another local coffee shop. And I couldn’t help thinking about the cinnamon rolls I might have bought. The barbecue we might have eaten. The possibility of bringing David along. The vendors I might have discovered. The money that might have stayed right there in the local marketplace.
Instead, we turned around and went somewhere else. That’s the lesson I took home with me. If you advertise that you’re open until 1 p.m., be ready for the customer who walks through the door at 12:15. You never know what that customer might buy.
And you never know what relationship might begin with that one last customer of the day. For me, this wasn’t about writing a bad review. It was about remembering what it feels like to be on both sides of the table.
As a vendor, you want people to come. As a customer, you want the vendors to still be there when you arrive. And somewhere in the middle is something every local business needs: trust.
So I’m not crossing this marketplace off my list. I’ll be back. But next time, I’m going earlier. And hopefully, there will be a whole lot more vendors waiting for us when we get there.
Have you ever arrived at a craft fair, farmers market or vendor event during the advertised hours only to find vendors already packing up? Did you stay and shop, or did you do what we did and leave?
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates