Why Bigger Isn't Always Better

I’m sure we have all heard the phrase ‘quality over quantity’. As of late, I have been wondering how that expression plays a part in markets. I have attended a sizeable range of markets (as a customer and a stallholder since 2019), as well as seen how many organisers advertise their events.

Something I notice for some events is that they are purely branded as ‘huge’. A huge market with a huge number of stallholders at a huge venue.

A market that isn't marketed purely as 'huge' often means you get more space/breathing room.

On the surface, this sounds appealing and professional. Surely, the recipe for success. But over the years, I have come to lean on the side of caution when applying for anything that is marketed purely as a ‘bigger’ event.

While a bigger event may be capable of holding over 100 stallholders, it is not capable of guaranteeing a diverse crowd of stalls.

The realistic fact of markets is there is are only so many stalls you see. Oftentimes, it can be narrowed down to some form of jewellery, knitted or crocheted works, sewn items, candles, macramé, plants, cri cut creations (such as tumblers) and coffee, cakes or other food stalls.

If there are 9 varieties of stalls, such as the ones I have listed above, there is bound to be a significant degree of duplication for a market that can have up to 150 individual stalls present.

Bigger markets are not always a benefit; they lack in diversity (if not organised considerately), causing double ups of the same kinds of products and unhappy customers/stallholders.

If they were all divided into equal categories, it would amount to 16 one of type of stall at the market. Even with just 100 stalls, that would allow for 11 examples of duplication.

Sure, there are a lot of stalls. But there is not a lot of diversity. And that is detrimental to the market, stallholders and the customers' experience.

One large market I attended in 2022, many mentioned that they consistently lost sales because someone with a similar stall was placed ahead of them. In a similar vein, even some customers were disappointed that they hadn’t seen another stall before making their purchases.

In a huge venue, many stallholders which are placed towards the back often lack foot traffic. People often get their fill from the first room or so, and then they are ready to move on with their day. That is the realistic truth.

With all above in consideration, these joint experiences from customers and stallholders hurt the reputation of the market more than it helps. The market is huge, but there is no diversity, and therefore lacks intrigue past a certain point.

It begs the question:

At what point does a market become so big that it is no longer an inviting experience for customers and stallholders alike?

In my experience, quality markets don't need to market themselves purely as 'huge events'.

How long is a piece of string?

I feel like it goes without saying that there isn’t a true answer to this.

Some may consider 5 duplicate stalls to be too many, while some may consider it adequate seeing as there are many variables to consider. After all, there are many types of jewellery. There are various things that can be knitted, crocheted, or sewn. And there are more stalls than I have listed above, such as woodworking, art stalls, plant stalls or stalls that sell jams, honeys, etc.

I believe it heavily depends on the spacing of stallholders (i.e. not having duplicates directly next to one another) and the keen eye of the market organisers to ensure that there is variety. I have been to markets (as a customer) and been extremely disappointed to discover that at least 60% of the market is all the same products. It’s not an exaggeration to say that every second or third stall was the same, and it’s very disappointing from a customer’s point of view.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you feel that huge markets begin lack a quality experience for the sake of quantity? Or are you content with the mass variety of stallholders?

Have a wonderful day,

Kimberley (they/them)

Accessories by Antoinette