Congrats on reaching the finish line! Our 2021 Market Season has officially concluded!
It was a banner year by all measures, even with reduced vendor capacity, and Holiday Market in particular was exceptional. Our previous best Holiday Market was in 2019, where vendors posted combined sales of $491k; this year, that amount jumped to $772k – completely amazing. We are so fortunate to have a strong community who loves the Market, and terrific vendors who create great artisan products.
Watching the leaderboard this Holiday Market season was fun – winning top honors (by a thin margin of $611) goes to Mike and Eddie with Rosemary Knoll Eatable Delights; our favorite grumpy old men killed it, and set records along the way.
Our Top 10 Leaders
- Rosemary Knoll Eatable Delights
- Federal Bake Shop
- Real Cajun Market
- KB Artisans and Forge
- TKell Knives
- Sowing Seeds Farm
- One Mission Mercantile
- Suga’s Enterprises, LLC
- Green Skull Home and Design
- Classy Chick Remade
A few other stats you might find enjoyable:
- 11 vendors sold more than $10k during the series
- 51 vendors sold more than $5k during the series
- 98 vendors sold more than $3k during the series
On a more somber note, not every vendor dropped sales reports nightly. We’ll begin our audit process after the break, but vendors who failed to drop (and who do not notify us between now and then) will be suspended/dropped from future markets. It’s a simple requirement, but a fundamental aspect of our partnership.
For the year, Market sales broke $5 million for the first time ever – $5,047,485.98 to be precise. I don’t know if these levels are sustainable indefinitely, but we do have multiple vendors who have developed their businesses with us to very ideal levels – customers who are loyal to their products, and support their efforts weekly. Congrats to everyone!
A few housekeeping items:
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Our offices are CLOSED for Winter Break. We will not be responding to messages very quickly, but you can continue to email the Help Desk and we’ll find/respond periodically.
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Information about next season will be posted mid-February. We look forward to the return of more themed events, increased vendor capacities and hopefully the resumption of the Erlanger Market.
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Contrary to the market rumor mill, there are no radical changes to scheduling, pricing or market direction in the works – if you worked with us in 2021, you will be very familiar and prepared for the 2022 process. People love to make stuff up, and it amuses me greatly.
Finally, we will be holding a Job Fair in February for Stadium, Market and CFC seasonal opportunities. We’ve hired a number of market vendors/kids in the past, and it’s worked out very well – if you know someone looking for seasonal work next year, keep us in mind. More details TBA
Happy Holidays to all, and thanks for being a part of the Great Market Recovery of 2021!