Thoughts? Yep. You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time. I'm so very new at this particular thing - selling cut flowers at market - but some principles hold true in all areas of life.

I see it this way: farmer's markets are for bouquets, florists are for arrangements. That's their business, and I'm not competing with them.

Just a thought, but maybe she thought she could get a floral arrangement at a bouquet price.

Kat - a few thoughts...I do bouquets in sleeves made up Friday nights for Saturday's market. I bring single stems of other flowers (sold separately), and I also bring "vase arrangements" - which are not "florist arrangements" but my version of seasonal bouquets. I do this so I can use shorter flowers that won't fit in sleeves. I also have boxes available for customers who are by themselves and need a way to keep the vase upright transporting home.

Some Saturdays I sell all the vases, other days just a few. But, I always have a $20-$25 one and others from $8-15. I offer a $1 to customers if they bring the vase back and make another purchase. Most of the vases are simple ginger jar style that fit in my vase rack. These are great for people looking for gifts. Sometimes some regular customers like the "bouquet in the vase" and buy just that and not the vase - so I usually subtract a couple of dollars and rubberband it and put it in a plastic bag w/water.

We also sell $5-$7.50 jars - not arranged per say...with raffia tied around the jar (mason jars, pickle/mayo jars, etc...) These are the shorter mini zinnias, calendula, tithonia, etc. Often those are the first to go.

My helper tried making "custom" orders at market one day and said it went fairly well. But, I would need two people at the booth to do this regularly and can't afford that just yet, so we make them Friday nights.

I think it really depends on how you can manage your booth and what your customers want.
Good luck!
Wendy

Wendy, do you have any photos of your vase arrangements? Where do you get your vases from? Do you just hit the thrift stores or do you have a supplier?

I guess I'm just surprised that people will pay for the vase - or, should I say, they will pay enough that you can cover your costs.

I like your idea of using the shorter blooms in mayo jars, etc.

Kat, I think I'm with SunnyJo on this one. I suppose if you wanted to try doing an arrangement or two, and see how they sell, and then judge if it was worth the work, transportation, time, etc., you could make your own judgement.

From my own experience at my particular market, I just don't see anybody willing to pay florist prices for this. Even though as much work went into it as the florist would do, since it's at a farmer's market they'd want it at flea market prices.

But maybe you can give one a try for yourself. If so, please let us know how it goes. It would be interesting to know.

Dee

Thanks so much for the input. I think I will try the vase idea with a few at next market but sunnyjo is absolutely right, cant please them all!! Where do you get your vases Wendy? My local Goodwill has become so expensive its not worth going in anymore. Thanks again. Kat

Dee and Kat - pictures below...I'm not a great photographer and always forget to take pictures. So, hopefully this will give you a sense...for the Mother's Day arrangements, I did charge more - got the vases at the floral supply place in Portland and the baby's breath too...since I needed filler and greens in early May!

I get a lot of my vases at Goodwill and other thrift stores, friends give them to me now, and I am always looking for them...but no more than $1.00! Unless, they're vases I re-use for my subscription customers. I use "fruit boxes" - under the table in the first picture to haul the vases around in the van - with either smaller boxes inside or metal coffee cans, three, sometimes four to a box.

Mother's Day market -
{{gwi:619798}}

Mid summer market
{{gwi:619800}}

Small jars - we started putting raffia around them later in the year! Usually sell them all! They're on the ground because they'll blow over! And, the jars are too small for the holes in the vase rack.

Hope this helps!
Wendy
{{gwi:619803}}

Wow, Wendy, just beautiful! What an attractive table!

Can I ask what your mark-up is on the vases? I buy some at the dollar store, and some at the thrift store etc. Most of the ones at the dollar store are rather small, more like bud vases. Usually my mark-up is only 50 cents to a dollar, maybe a dollar more if I paint the vases, but it's amazing how no one really wants to pay that little bit extra. They try and get the vase for the same price as vase-less bouquets. I guess everyone's looking for a bargain...

I love how you have the lilies in the smaller bouquets. I guess I've never thought of cutting them that short.

What's in with the pink coneflowers - some kind of larkspur? Beautiful combo. And gorgeous sunflowers.

Sigh... after the snow and rain yesterday, these pics make me desperate for spring! What nice pics to look at in mid-February. Thanks!

:)
Dee

Wendy, how absolutely beautiful your stall is. What market are you selling in, I would love to come and see you sometime. I really like the table that you have with the holes in for holding the vases. Did you make this yourself? Brilliant idea, mind if I use it? Dee is right, what a lovely set of pictures to have in Feb. Thanks for sharing! Kat

Hi Kat - thanks! I'm in Hood River...if you're ever up this way!

I had the "vase rack" made about 5 years ago...it folds basically flat and holds 14 vases! Pictures attached:

Flat:
{{gwi:619805}}
Side view:
{{gwi:617925}}

My market booth - from 2006:
{{gwi:619424}}

Sometimes, I rearrange the buckets of flowers, but if I don't have someone on my west side (right side of picture) I don't get much shade, so am always moving things around!
Thanks again for the positive feedback! Its nice today - when I'm already feeling way behind!
Wendy

Wendy, you have saved me from making a huge and very expensive mistake. I was just about to purchase a floral stand for 12 buckets but this table of yours is ingenious and a far better way to go for me, I shall have the overworked hubby take a look at the photos and then press him into service. Thank you, thank you, very much. The 2006 photo of your stall is just as lovely as the others. What acreage are you growing on? I realise that this thread has gone off on a tangent, oh well. I will definately come see you when I am in the Hood River area. Thanks again. Kat

Wow, Wendy, that is one cool table! I wish I was 1) handy enough to physically build it and/or 2) smart enough to even figure out how it's made, lol!

Did you design that yourself? Very impressive.

:)
Dee

Getting back to the original question, (but glad it went astray, thanks for the pics) I have always thought of bringing a couple arrangements to the market in case anyone wanted something like that, but space in my car has been the problem. I don't have a full size van so my car is always crammed full on Saturday morning. This year I may offer vases for an extra price if the customer wants one, and I do have a source to get them fairly cheap at a thrift store. I display in vases on top of my table and my bouquets really can just be plopped into another vase when the customer gets home without much if any rearranging. If I do manage to get an actual arrangement there, it would be for advertising that I do these upon request and can be picked up at the farm. I use buckets under my table and then transfer those bouquets to the vases as they sell. I need a better way to transport my flowers, perhaps pull a small trailer as well because I was selling out by 11:00 am last year. The stand is a great idea Wendy, and makes for a beautiful display.
Cheryl

Cheryl, thanks for chiming in. I like the idea of having a kind of display piece as an advertisment. I would like to be able to extend my business that way. Space is limited on my end also, I drive a pickup and it is stuffed to the rafters. I love that though, opening up the back of the truck at market and being faced with nothing but flowers. Lovely!! Kat

Kat, I know this off subject, but where do you get those floral buckets that you have bouquets in? I too love your display and if I could find the time I'd love to build one. Beka

Hi Beka, it is actually Wendy who posted these great photos on the thread, but to answer your question re buckets, there are a couple of sites that I have found, if you are willing to pay retail, one is floralsupply.com and the other is linked below. Otherwise, I got really lucky at my grocery store pre Valentines day with asking the flower guy if he recycled the buckets he used and he said he did, so I asked if I could have some and he gave me 30. Nice, huh! Anyway, I am sure Wendy will chime in here, along with the other usual suspects :). Good luck, Kat

Here is a link that might be useful: Morningstar

Hi all...Kat good source for displays, but I think others are less expensive (Floral Supply Syndicate - www.fss.com and others). I too get buckets from Safeway after Valentines or Mother's Day! These are the ones I use for display or cutting! The nice 10' fit into the 'bucket rack' which has 12 10' rings. I had both it and the wooden vase rack made...I'm not handy in that way! :)
I tried to find my pictures of my van, loaded for you, but can't find it, except in a WORD doc and I don't know how to post that.

I have a 1990 3/4 ton van, with a hitch that I could use for a trailer if I need more room. But, the van's prior owners used it to camp in and had a shelf built in! I left it and keep my canopy, weights, tables, etc. underneath and the flowers go on the shelf. They left a 4' opening which works for about 6-8 buckets of tall flowers. I use milk crates to keep the buckets from tipping over and then they are the base for my display - where I run 5' boards across and cover them with the green sheets you see in the pictures - no ironing at all with the sheets! Everything for the booth display must be portable, foldable, and have at least 2 purposes or it doesn't work!

I also use a white board with farm pictures and brochures...these have really helped! I found a great place to get brochures, flyers, postcards, etc. and have been using them as very inexpensive marketing. See the link below.

Good luck...now that I deviated from the thread too!
Wendy

Here is a link that might be useful: Vistaprint

Hi Wendy, I thought that Floralsupply had a better selection of buckets than the Floral Supply Syndicate, but maybe I just didnt navigate their site very well. Love the Vistaprint site BTW. Thanks for deviating :) Kat