1. Inexpensive Jewellery

No matter how many jewellery stallholders there are at markets, jewellery is consistently one of the most popular selling products at markets all over Australia.
Jewellery is commonly purchased as a gift. If you try to keep your items at a reasonably low cost, these items should fly off your table.

Popular types of jewellery trending this year:

Hand woven Friendship Bracelets

Single earrings

Leather statement cuffs with fur or fringes

Chain jewellery

Collar necklaces

When deciding on colours, keep in mind this year’s colour trends in mind.

2. Practical Items

There’s a fine line between what can be categorised as practical and what isn’t but if someone can say, “I need a…..” with some conviction, then it’s probably practical. Some items that can fall into this category are:

• Hair accessories
• Hats
• Scarves
• Bags

Popular types of Hair accessories trending this year:

Flower Headbands

Flower pins

Leather embellished headbands

Gold clips

Big Ribbons & head scarfs

Popular types of Scarves trending this year:

• Long thin fabric scarves that can tucked under belts
• Prints & Patterns (animals prints, stripes, geometric)
• Pastel colours
• Floral prints

Popular types of Bags trending this year:

Bucket bags

Micro bags

Backpacks

Metallic Clutch

3. Little Take Away Items

Think fridge magnets, badges, coasters, key rings. These kinds of things are usually low cost and can be easily transported by customers. Many market shoppers are tourists looking for little gift and momentos they can easily pop into their suitcase.

4. Sewn Items

Vintage fabrics are popular right now and anything that can inspire a sense of nostalgia is often popular. Tote bags, aprons, little dolls or stuffed toys and cushion covers. Little girl skirts are also super popular, especially tutus!

5. Gifts

Thankfully, buying Handmade is becoming more and more popular every year and shoppers are increasingly seeking out hand crafted and locally made items to give as gifts.
Gifts are bought for a whole range of people, friends, family, partners, colleagues, babies, children, teenagers.

5 tips when creating gift ranges:

• Low cost ($25 – $50 is a comfortable price range for most gifts)
• Small in size
• Shows providence (Handmade in Fitzroy, Melbourne)
• Personalised (jewellery, dog bowls, wall art and baby products make the perfect platform for featuring names)
• Gift wrapping option.

Don’t forget gift cards are always popular.

6. Special Occasion Items

It’s always a great idea to add specific holiday items that reflect the season. Don’t forget Christmas, Easter, Monther’s & Father’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

Popular Season specific products:

• Christmas decorations
• Occasion specific Gift cards and gift wrap
• Hampers

7. Personalised Products

People love giving gifts that have some kind of personalisation.
The great news is that nearly everything can be personalised in some way, not just with someone’s name, but with more general titles such as, World’s Best Couch Potato or personalised with inspirational phrases. Generic titles or phrases can easily be pre-made and sold at your stall. If you are going to take personal orders, make sure you place pop up a few signs stating the fact or verbally tell interested customers.

8. Bath & Beauty Products

Everyone is becoming increasingly aware of the chemicals that are being added to all store bought bath & beauty products.
Body washes, soaps, shampoos, scrubs, lotions and candles made with natural ingredients are now becoming the hot sellers at markets. Market shoppers usually buy these kinds of items for themselves so they are usually a lot more invested in these purchases. Be prepared to supply ingredient lists and offer free samples. Shoppers are also willing to spend more money on these types of products and if they love it, will usually be returning customers.

5 tips for selling body products:

• Check your legal obligations. Visit ProductSafety.gov.au for appropriate ingredient labelling requirements as well as some other resources
• List all ingredients with their official name
• Have samples out for customers to try
• Keep colours in mind. Brightly coloured items may seem appealing, but if you’re trying to push a natural feel, these may not be appropriate
• If your product looks yum, let customers see it by keeping containers clear or translucent. Keep soaps free from any kind of wrapping

Top 5 fragrances

• Lavender
• Vanilla
• Gardenia
• Grapefruit
• Patchouli

9. Framed Photography or Artwork

People are always looking for interesting and unique ways to furnish their homes.
Photographs of the local area are always popular among locals and a great souvenir for tourists. Original artworks are becoming increasingly popular with shoppers loving the idea of having an original piece of art in their home.

10. Food

Artisan, gourmet and organic food items are all becoming super popular. Create a story behind your product telling customers where ingredients come from, where the product is made or any special process used in its production.
Always keep food safety in mind during hot weather at outdoor markets and if you can, provide some samples for customers to try. Attractive gift hampers are always pretty popular, especially around Mother’s Day or Christmas. A good idea could be to hook up with a couple of other food artisans you know and create hampers for foodie shoppers at your market. Don’t forget, you must check with the Department of Health in your state for food handling and selling regulations.

5 Popular food items:

• Coffee & Tea
• Handmade chocolates and candy
• Gourmet hampers
• Cookies and cakes
• Flavourings & Spices

Are you a market shopper? What do yo love buying when shopping at markets? Leave a comment below or checkout the Market Directory for a market near you.

Are you a stallholder? Start promoting your fabulous range in front of thousands of market goers with a TMR profile. Sign up!

Sources: Fashionising.com, Purseblog.com, Gourmet Food Gifts

Of course, everyone will be adding new items to their collections.

So what kind of materials or colours will you choose?

If you’re a stallholder, now’s the time to start planning new ideas, sourcing new materials and making those orders. If you’ll be a shopper this Spring, you’ll want to know what patterns, materials and colours are making their mark.

Here are some of the biggest and best upcoming fashion trends for Spring 2014.

Fringes & Tassels

You can put a fringe on anything! Go ahead, try it.

Gold

Bold gold pieces that make a statement.

Woven

Remember, the woven trend doesn’t stop with chairs or picnic baskets.

Statement necklaces

Gone are the heavy scarves and big jacket collars! Necklaces don’t just complete your outfit – they make it.

Punk

Channel your inner punk with a mix of diamantes, studs, spikes and leather pieces.

Micro bags

Do some Spring cleaning and de-clutter your big Winter bag. Do you really need to be carrying around 5 lipglosses that you never wear?

Nude

Keep it simple and fresh with Nude this Spring.

Neck scarves

A simple silk scarf, tied haphazardly around the neck. A great alternative to the statement necklace.

Geometry

Finally, a practical use for Geometry! Join this season’s print craze: grids, triangles, concentric circles and more!

Pattern

Remember, patterns don’t have to match. Have fun!

Patterns that will rock Spring 2014

• Artistic Portraits
• Bold Stripes
• Brush Marks
• Creative Plaids
• Furnishing Styles
• Geological Textures
• Geometric Tessellation
• Jungle Tropics
• Ombré & Blurred
• Optical Monochrome
• Ornamental Opulence
• Super Scale Florals
• Trailing Blossoms
• Tribal Hybrid
• Typographical Slogans

Spring 2014 colour trends?

Checkout the Market Directory for a market near you.

Are you a stallholder? Start promoting your Spring range in front of thousands of market goers with a TMR profile. Register for free!

We all know that nothing is ‘old’ anymore – it’s vintage. And we LOVE it!

I remember when my Grandma used to offer me things from her wardrobe – ‘no thanks,’ I’d say. How times have changed. Now I go rummaging through her old stuff but alas, the well has run dry.

Luckily, our fave vintage markets listed below keep us all well stocked in our beloved timeless classic clothing and accessories.

Melbourne Frock Swap sells second hand and vintage women’s clothing and accessories; and they compliment these stalls with pamper stalls, food vans and anything else that could make it the perfect girls day out! With heaps of change rooms to try stuff on, plus everything is indoors! So it’s comfortable; rain, hail or shine!

Held on the Mornington Peninsula, the Red Hill Vintage & Antique Fair is held in conjunction with Red Hill Farmers Market. Be greeted by the Mornington Peninsulas’ fresh produce at your fingertips. Set in the lovely hinterland, make a day out for yourself.

Hello Sailor Vintage Fair is a monthly market running since 2008, specialising in vintage wares from 1950s – 1990s. Still running strong, the event is now located at Yah Yah’s, which every second month is combined with Crate Diggers Record Fair.

Not strictly a vintage market but you’ll find virtually all conceivable products sold at Camberwell Sunday Market. The Market does not have specific areas for different product categories, so a stroll around the whole market is encouraged to see the broad range of products sold here. Tip? Get there early!

Round She Goes is run by sisters Anne and Emma Morris. They love vintage clothes, designer bargains, op shop treasures and getting crafty.

If you love designer clothes, but not the price tags, this market is a real treat! Since 2007 Take 2 Markets has been one of the best places to get your hands on pre-loved fashion bargains!

Here are some great posts you might also be interested in..

10 things you need to know when shopping at markets

You know you’re a crafter when..

The Best Melbourne Baby & Children’s Markets

10 reasons to visit your local market

The best Winter markets in Melbourne

To find more markets, visit the Market Directory.

Are you a stallholder? Put your product in front of thousands of market goers with a TMR profile. Register for free!

Congrats to Zoe and Ashlee – our two lucky winners of For Me By Dee’s greeting cards and Zebra artwork.

Zoe can look forward to receiving her gorgeous Zebra print in the mail soon. Ashlee will be receiving a lovely set of 4 greeting cards.

Congrats again ladies and a big thank you to everyone who entered.

Extra special thanks to talented Dee for her donating her work.

Keep a look out for our upcoming giveaway.

If you’re a bit over the Lindt bunny and Cadbury allsorts box, we’ve got a few Easter gift ideas that are pretty eggcellent.

Yummy homemade cupcakes by CakedayAU. Contact CakedayAU for enquiries.

Cupcakes are priced at:
$4.00 each
2 for $7.00
4 for $12.00

Handmade glass egg beads, individually wrapped. Guaranteed 100% fat and sugar free! By Bloomfields by Di-Zyn

Shortbread biscuits with milk choc coating. Toppings include: honeycomb, Cherry Ripe, peppermint choc, white choc, Maltesers, licorice bullets and more!

Beautiful scented felted olive oil soap in an Easter egg like shape. Scented with Lemongrass Essential Oil. Felt comes in assorted colours.

Happy Easter everyone! Please contact individual stallholders via their TMR profiles, if you’d like to purchase any of their lovely things this week.

I think it’s safe to say that most of the world LOVES giraffes, zebras, flamingos and budgies. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and also say that most of the world loves them in THAT order. No? Ok, maybe it’s just me.

Either way, you’re going to definitely love this give away. And to make things even more exciting, there are 2 prizes with 2 chances to win!

For Me by Be is inspired by these beautiful creatures. She mixes art & stationary to create the most lovely and lively greeting cards, that you’ll be dying to give away! Her drawings are also available as wall prints that you can keep for yourself.

With a BIG thank you to For Me by Dee, we’re giving 2 lucky Market Rollers the chance to win either the set of 4 greeting cards or the Zoe Zebra print.

Zoe the Zebra Print:
Quality Giclee print of Dee’s original water colour
Printed with archival pigment inks onto 300gsm, acid free, 100% cotton rag paper.
A4 size 210mm x 297mm (8.3 inches x 11.7 inches)
(Frame not included)

And of course, Zoe was featured on Channel 9’s THE BLOCK, so she’s extra special! Watch Zoe’s TV debut at the links below:
THE BLOCK Episode 58
THE BLOCK Episode 59

For your chance to win:

1. Check out For Me by Dee’s animal range on her TMR profile. Leave a comment below suggesting what animal you’d like to see her draw for her next range.
2. Click ‘Share’ on this giveaway post on our Facebook.

3. Support For Me by Dee by LIKING her Facebook page.

Good luck everyone! Entries close on April 20th. Winner announced on April 21st.

Congrats to Lauren – the winner of BOLDANDSTRIKING‘s Printed stud earrings!

Of course, if you’re not lucky Lauren, you can always buy your own gorgeous piece of BOLDANDSTRIKING jewellery. Check out her TMR profile for some lovely, lovely pieces.

A big thanks to everyone who entered! New giveaway coming soon :)