I sure do wear something that makes me stand out and people remember me! I wear a good sized beard and a great big smile! Plus I hardly let a single person pass our booth without speaking to them in a friendly voice. Even if it's just to say, "good morning!".
Bob

No beard, but I do wear a big hat that covers my face, ears and neck - that blacktop really reflects a lot!

Funny, but it was what I didn't wear that got some folks' attention: I took off my rings at the beginning of the season so as not to damage them, and got propositioned twice.

Kathy

I wear something that makes me look "earthy." Last year was usally capries and an embrodiered shirt with braids.

Eventually we want our own polo shirts, but cannot really justify them yet...

I wear comfortable clothes a green apron for money and "Garlic Earrings" - thus the name... the garlic lady

WHoops, the braids are in my hair not my shirt...

:)

I think what you wear depends on the image you want to present. Do you want to give the image that you are a successful full fledged buisness. Embrodiered polo shirts with kacki pants and everyone workin the stand wearing the same thing gives that impression.

We want to give the "back to the farm" "you could do it to" image. Our website says "be part of the dream!" so we dress in a way that gives a successful proffesional farming on the side image. My market outfits cost more then my work ones, and I ALWAYS wear expensive shoes, Burkenstocks or Eccos because our customers are pretty high end and notice that kind of thing. My fiance' wears a linen short sleved shirt.

And the most important thing to wear is (I agree) a big smile! And don't sit behind your table. Stand the whole time and have something to keep you looking busy.

Oh and make sure you think about how your table is dressed as well as you!

We wear clean cloths and bright green aprons (not for money) that my husband picked up for a buck a piece. We also wear big smiles and talk to everyone who walks by.

Since I take prices for the New farm Grass roots OPX (which needs more people to collect pricing data at thier markets) I usually wear my New Farm t-shirt under the apron.

My husband has a funky straw "farm hat" he wears most weeks

We wear green shirts that match. a nice hat and always jeans or short. All at our market wear a certian color. We all look professional and friendly.

Check out what it would cost to have custom T-shirts printed at a local screen-printing shop. We are well-known at our market for our matching shirts. We put them on before market and change out of them right after to keep them in good shape. They usually last us about two seasons. Ours are a light tan (for comfort in the heat) with green lettering. The front has our farm name on the right upper chest and the back has a digitized, then line-drawn photo of our farm. In essence, what I did was I took three separate photos of our farm (including our house) and cut and pasted to make a cool farm scene. I used the photo editing package included with our digital camera and converted it to a "line" drawing. Saved it on disk, gave it to the screen printer.
I even had smaller ones made for the kids... didn't do much for us the first year, but after that many people sought us out and asked others where to find the folks with the "matching shirts".
DD

Garliclady- love the garlic earrings! LOL where did you find them?! You must have been tickled when you found them.

ddunbar-I like your idea of matching t-shirts. I think the same could be done with aprons like ohiorganic mentioned they wear. What program did you use to convert the photo to a line drawing? I know you said the package that came with the camera. Was it Kodak?

Has anyone made an iron-on t-shirt transfer on their computer? I know it can be done. I'm wondering how expensive it is and if it turns out nice?

I made my earrings from real garlic (small ones). I make them to sell at the garlic festival we attend. I have tried the iron on T shirt transfer from the computer. I never had success, the picture looked great but the iron on flaked off. That was years ago when they first came out with them and I was trying to iron them on Chefs aprons. May be on a tee shirt they would work better. Also I am sure they have improved them since I tried them years ago.

I think this does make a difference, especially for some people. Other seem indifferent. One of my fellow vendors took to wearing a straw hat, black pants, and white shirt w/suspenders. He has a beard. many assumed he was Mennonite, but he's not.
I usually wear khaki pants and various cotton shirts.

This year, however, I'm considering going to clean denim overalls to stand out and give a more rural appearance.
My focus this year will be on the nutrition and health benefits of some special varieties I will be growing, and I'm seeking a sor of 'branding' image, and this sort of 'uniform'idea might help establish me as being distinct.

My 10 year old son sells with me and is really the main attraction, making complicated change and even dickering with customers who pretend to be trying to "pull a fast one" on him. I often walk away and observe that customers are very attracted to the unusual sight of such a young person dealing at ease with the public. Might be interesting if I could get him to wear coveralls, too. he would be the image of Dennis the menace, hair and all.

Prairiemaid,
I use Photo Impressions to work with my photos. I'm sure many other softwares have the same photo conversion capabilities.
DD

Just this week, we bought the iron-on transfers and tan aprons. I knew on logo would not show up well on the green. I hope it works out. I may tackle that project tomorrow, and I'll report back. I was told to make sure I washed the aprons prior to using the transfer to help it adhere better.

Patty

I usually wear my normal clothes...just a little cleaner than the stuff I work in. I dress kinda funky, and I think my customers are impressed to see a young person like me running a farm stand and saying proudly "yep, i'm the farmer".

I think a huge smile is the most important thing I wear. I have a good memory for faces, so I usually try to work in some comment that shows that I remember the customer from previous weeks. It's unbelievable how much of a difference it makes to people. I've really found that people want to be remembered and recognized, even if it's only by a person working at a farmer's market. I find this is especially true of some of my elderly customers. A nice smile, a "how are you today", a comment that shows I remember them and am happy to see them again goes a long way. It also makes it more fun for me, because I feel as though I am seeing old friends and many of my customers treat me like a friend. I get to share a little of their lives and provide for them the healthiest, best tasting food I can grow. I think it's that personal connection that really keeps people coming back week after week.

straw hat
smile
Tank top
shorts
flip flops.
and sometime I am wearing more that the costomers.

I have clothes with the company logo on them, but seldom wear them at market. Market for me is the "outlet" for the plants I don't move wholesale and although I can accomodate retail customers at my facility, do not encourage it. My truck has my logo on it, however.

Aside from the obvious smile so common with market vendors, I think comfort. The money aprons are a great idea. Most of the vendors at our market wear the one with the market logo. If you are moving around your sales area, it flags you as the person they want to talk to.

I layer my outfit, because in spring and fall seasons, it's liable to be forty degrees when you set up and eighty five mid-day. That means tank top under cotton shirt, under fleece sweatshirt and a coat thrown in the truck. A hat for when it's sunny, and jeans and boots.

We have white T-shirts with our company name on them. I did them with the Iron-on transfer sheets. The main thing to remember is to NEVER put the clothing with the iron-on, in the dryer! Our sweatshirts have lasted for 4 years decently, although I want to do more and the T-shirts make it about a year. The cost of a T-shirt though is only $6 including the transfer materials so that isn't too bad, I think.

Darby

My daughter and I wear small professional-looking plastic badges with our farm name and our first name. For clothes we wear whatever is comfortable for the day but a big step above our work clothes. We always take an extra set of clothes so we look clean if we get klutzy. Works well in August too when shirts get sodden from the humidity in two hours (or less). Most of the year I wear a straw hat with a rolled brim that has a big white sunflower in the center front. People remember that hat and if I don't wear it people forget my face and think I am another customer. My 40-something daughter wants me to make some hot pink cut-off overalls for us but I think a 60 plus woman would just look silly - but then with the silly hat, maybe not. It think the point is, for us, to look like cleaned up farmers, not professional sales people.

I have yet to figure out how to protect my eyes with sunglasses while maintaining good eye-contact with a customer. For now they go on and off a zillion times, even under the canopy tent.

Nancy

Bob, if all you wear is a beard and a smile I bet people do remember you! Tom

We always make sure we look neat and clean even if we had only 10 minutes to get ready from field to market. Just make sure you look tidy and refreshed even if you are not. Wear something that will go with the weather for the day. If it is 90 degrees out dont wear hot jeans and long shirt make sure your comfortable in shorts and tank top and cool sandles. We often pack extra cool packs in our cooler to cool ourselves down and lots of water to keep hydrated. People sort of shy away from someone that looks unkept because they wonder what the quality of what your selling is if you dont take the time to clean up yourself before market. Often I have been known to have literally 10 minutes to be in the truck and on the way to market when I finally have finished picking, washing, packing and loading the produce. I take 5 min. shower throw on some clean clothes and hang my head out the window for a blow dryer on the way to market. Just put my hair up after I get to market and good to go.

We like to wear nice tie-dye t-shirts and "good" jeans. At 50 plus we are not, nor ever were "hippies". But we DO sell flowers and the customers like the nostalgic connection!

I try to wear something natural looking jeans/linen shirt. but during our city's 'heritage days' in Aug, I usually dress up in pioneer garb calico dress/apron/bonnet. It draws a lot of attention!

A hawaiian shirt, a beachcombers hat some cut off jeans and my name badge. After all, my place IS called Northern Tropics. And I bring at least one banana tree to the market each week no matter what the weather.

I like to dress a little funky. In summer time I dress up with a variety of Tropical shirts. I just have a thing for tropical shirts. I buy men's size so they are loose and allow the breeze to blow through. Todays choice was green with white hibiscus flowers on it. the botanical prints go well with a market theme I think.
I have a RW&B Patriotic dress jumper, I made and wear with a red T shirt and usually shorts underneath in case it gets too hot altho' the dress is lightweight cotton. I'll wear that for 4th of July, Flag day -whatever.
When its hot - its usually a tropical shirt, shorts [not too short] and sandals. Early spring and Fall cooler weather = layers that I can shed and clean jeans. Maybe an extra pair of socks.
Now that I wear my hair shorter, I find a baseball cap or hat with brim keeps the sun out of my eyes without having to take the sunglasses on and off all the time. Memorial Day weekend I wore a stars and stripes baseball cap - it was too cool for the jumper. Today I wore my Nature Conservancy cap. I grow organically and want people to know I care about the environment.

I found an apron material and made an apron that has a sun on a chest pocket and a row of flowerpots for the bottom pockets. I have a "harvest" one too but it doesn't have any pockets so its not too practical.