2025 market wrap up ~
let's look at some STATS!
market time! ~
you know, as much as i LOVE a market, it feels like a pure treat to be wrapped up for the year. don't get me know ~ the prep, the set-up, the event itself, all of it is such a labour of love thast i wouldn't give it up for anything! but knowing your limits and when is the right time to say 'i'm good and proud of what i've accomplished for the year' is a feeling i'm truly grateful to have and recognise within myself.
it's been a very eventful year, and my first consecutive year running RODEO embroidery as a small business ~ i was able to release 3 full collections, 2 half collections, and attend 8 markets between april - novemeber of this year. this includes x3 repeated markets, x1 interstate, x2 2-day weekend markets, x4 first-timers, and x1 market reattendance from 2024.
i want to take a second to really acknowledge the Meanjin creative scene because to have had that many opportunities this year to celebrate and share my creative work is actually insane and that's a HUGE testament to the community that surrounds us here and i want to thank the hard working teams who consistently put together these events for us ~ thank you!!!
let's talk STATS ~
NOW for the meat and bones of this article: statistics :)))). I <3 numbers and data, it's just good to see what worked, what didn't and what to expand on for future collections in cold hard facts. i'll break this down into a few areas: product categories, top sellers and units sold and this data is from market stalls alone, so this isn't including numbers from online sales and consignment/wholesale.
apparel (including embroidered t-shirts): 105 units stationery (including vinyl stickers, sticker sheets and washi tape): 757 units
keychains (including acrylic and handmade): 92 units
homewares (including coasters, mug rugs and bookmarks): 27 units
patches (including mini sets and iron-on patches): 100 units
757?!?! okay i know stickers are so cute and so fun and i personally love buying them when i'm at a local art market, but seeing that as a total is CRAZY!
top selling items - per category
apparel: fellow pansies oversized shirt (65 units) stationery: fool 4 u (88 units)
keychains: charm deluxe trinket keychain (18 units - sold out)
homewares: stars on stars coaster (14 units)
patches: office teddy patch set (17 units)
fun fact: i actually started learning machine embroidery because i wanted to make apparel, and this year has been a HUGE year of learning anf growth! tbh i don't think it would've been as successful if it wasn't for the fellow pansies oversized shirt ~ 62% of my apparel sales are from that one shirt!
units sold - per market (more market info here)
TGAM ~ april'25: 228 units momo art market ~ may'25: 157 units
TGAM ~ june'25: 206 units TMLM ~ july'25: 60 units
joy & whimsy ~ august'25: 49 units
TGAM ~ october'25: 193 units
QUEERSLICE ~ october'25: 109 units
SMLM ~ november'25: 79 units
you know i think this just shows how important it is to choose your markets. because at the end of the day, my branding and my products were the all same, nothing that i had control over had changed, so choosing what markets are catered to your target audience and product range is SO important for a small art business to be viable.
market advice ~
while these aren't 'be all and end all, must do' tips, it's just a few things i think about when prepping for markets and something i'd like to share with you :))
- make it yours ~ firstly i want to say, make your setup yours. some of my favourite things at a market is seeing how people make their tables unique to them. as creative people i think it's so much fun to be playful and imaginative with our setups but also it gives a little insight to the mind behind the work and also to stand out in a crowd.
- price tags ~ people are nervous! so having clear and easy to navigate price tags will set expectations when people approach your stall. sometimes they might not feel comfortable asking questions or picking things up ~ and that's okay! by having this information laid out, it gives the customer a level of autonomy to navigate through your goods without hesitation.
- signage ~ if you do need to have prices on bottoms or have product that people can interact with, don't be afraid to have fun with your signage. write silly things, say 'please hold me', tell people to take things (i mean free things only..) but what it does is create a level of comfortability in nonverbal communication.
- product variety ~ having product range is important as people can afford different things. not only does it make your work more accessible by having cheaper options, but it also allows you to expand your ideas and skills into new creations. as you can see, some of my cheaper things have boomed though in numbers, while my handmade goods have stayed rather consistent ~ which is great! handmaking things is much more costly so i need to price them appropriately, while ordering stock, like stickers and washi tape, is something affordable for me to do and can charge a lower price for but still be able to share my work.
- price your work accordingly ~ okay now this one is easier said then done, but your time is worth it! while charging higher rates my make products harder to sell, what you need to remember is that people are buying not only the product, but your time and craftsmanship. in order for a business to me viable, you need to make sure your time is being paid for otherwise you physically won't be able to keep up with the demand. how it works for me: i use a formula to calculate how to charge for my time (with an hourly rate), then add the cost of materials to set a baseline for the cost of a product. from there i consider the profit margin i want from the cost, as well as how it compares to my other products and their price points.
final feelings ~
love, kaleb <3
