So this weekend just gone (Sunday 26th July 2026 to be precise) Sussex Smokehouse pitched up at Ashtead Market in the car park of The Brewery Inn, run by my new pal Charlie and The Pop Up Group.
I took my nephew with me, who was a great help getting things set up, keeping the samples topped up and letting everyone know that the smoked pretzels were banging…!
We made money, friends and learned a whole lot. It was a great day and I’m looking forward to doing more events in future. It was a real crash course in what makes a good market stall, plus I got work on my sales pitch. Free samples were key- more often than not, a sale was in the bag if I was able to get folk to try some smoked cashews or smoked almonds.
The main takeaways from the day:
- Cashews make the biggest initial impact so were a big seller.
- Offering a mix of almonds and cashews may have legs…
- Sunflower seeds may disappear from the product list, as not a single bag was sold.
- I need more branding on my stall. A logo on a tablecloth or a runner, maybe a banner that stretches across the back of the gazebo. You couldn’t tell what we were about until you could read our blackboard sign, so extra props to the folk who did venture close enough for eye contact.
- The smoked pretzels were much more popular than I expected them to be. Keep an eye out for those at future events for sure.
- Customer people are, on the whole, lovely and supportive.
- If someone who has just scoffed a load of your free samples tells you they’ll be back in a minute, you will never see them again. Sad face.
- Market stall holders are amazingly kind and generous. You should support small businesses.
I’m looking forward to attending more events in future. If you know of any pop up markets, fairs or event days that don’t charge the earth for a pitch, give your boy a shout.
Make sure you’re following on your social media of choice, as details of our next appearance will surely follow.
