Your first market is in three weeks. You've got the inventory. You've got the spot. You're now staring at a pile of stuff in the garage trying to figure out what actually goes in the truck.
This is the list. We asked 47 vendors what they wish they'd brought to their first show — and what they wish they'd left at home. Six themes kept coming up. Here's all of them.
The non-negotiables
Skip any of these and you'll either look unprofessional or, worse, get sent home.
- 10×10 canopy / pop-up tent. Even at indoor markets, many promoters require it. White is standard; printed-logo tents are a flex you don't need yet.
- Tent weights — minimum 25 lbs per corner. A breeze that wouldn't ruffle your hair will lift an unweighted canopy. Sandbags, water jugs, 5-gallon buckets of gravel — any of those work. Stakes only work in grass.
- 8ft folding table. 6ft if your booth is tight. Two if your work splays.
- Tablecloth that touches the ground. Hides the bins and totes underneath. Solid color, ironed if possible. The cloth is part of your costume; a wrinkly bedsheet undermines a $40 candle.
- Folding chair. You'll sit more than you think.
- A second tablecloth. For when something spills on the first.
Money + ops
You'll do most of your business in the first 90 minutes. Be ready.
- Change box with $150 in $1s and $5s. Most vendors get this wrong on their first show — they bring all $20s back from the ATM and can't make change. Bank teller note: "fifty ones and twenty fives, please."
- Square reader (or Stripe / Shopify / Clover). Charge it the night before. Bring the cable. Bring a battery pack — outlets at outdoor markets are a fantasy.
- Phone holder that lets the reader sit flat on the table. Hand-held looks rushed.
- Receipt option. Square emails one automatically; that's enough. Don't bother with paper receipts unless your category demands it (consignment, big-ticket pieces, etc.).
- Square card with your business name + Instagram + buy-online URL for the receipt email tagline. Customers re-find you weeks later through that line.
Display — your booth is your storefront
Here's where new vendors leak the most money. Bad display = customers walk past.
- Risers. Vertical depth is what stops a stroller. Use crates, cake stands, stacked books wrapped in burlap — anything that lifts something to eye level. Empty tables read as low-effort.
- Lighting. Battery LED strips ($20 on Amazon) double your sales at indoor markets after 3pm. Don't ask why; just bring them.
- Big visible signage. "TRAIL & TIMBER CO." in a 24+ inch banner on the back wall of the tent. Customers should know who you are from 30 feet away.
- Price cards customers can read from six feet. Not a sticker on the bottom of a candle. People will not pick it up to check. They'll walk.
- One "story" prop. A photo of you working, a finished piece in a customer's home, an in-progress shot — something that makes the work feel made-by-a-human.
The sign-up driver
This is the single most important thing 80% of first-time vendors forget. After the show, your customers vanish unless you've collected their info.
- QR code sign for email/SMS signup. 11×17 printed, propped on a riser. "See where we'll be next →" is a better headline than "Join our list." Showfest gives every vendor a QR code at
/vendors/[id]/connect— print that one. - Customer notebook + pen. Backup for the QR code when their phone's at 4%.
- A reason to sign up. "First 20 subscribers get $5 off." Doesn't have to be much; the bar is low.
Comfort + survival
Sounds optional, isn't. A miserable vendor sells less.
- Water. Two liters minimum. You will forget to drink it; bring it anyway.
- Snacks with protein. Granola bars, jerky, hard cheese. The food trucks are a 20-minute line and you can't leave the booth alone.
- Hand sanitizer + napkins. People will eat food, then touch your work.
- Hat + sunscreen. SPF 30 minimum at outdoor markets. The reflection off concrete is brutal.
- A small first-aid kit. Cuts happen. Bandaids, gauze, a little ibuprofen.
Weather + gear
The forecast lies. Plan for the version of the day you didn't expect.
- Heavy plastic bins for your inventory. Cardboard boxes soften in humidity and split when wet.
- Two extra clamps to hold the tablecloth in wind.
- One tarp in case of unexpected rain on the way in or out.
- An extension cord and a power strip. When the promoter says "we'll have power," they mean one outlet 30 feet from your booth.
The one thing every vendor forgets
Ask any seasoned vendor what they wish they'd brought their first time, and the answer is the same:
A real cash-box key.
Not a flimsy one that bends. Not the one duct-taped to the underside of the lid. A real key on a real ring you keep in your front pocket. You'll thank us at 6:14am on day two when you realize the box won't open and your $200 in change is locked inside.
Day-of routine (6am call)
Most first-time vendors run late on day one. Steal this routine:
- 5:30am — wake up, eat (real food, not coffee).
- 5:45am — load truck (pre-packed bins from the night before).
- 6:00am — leave for the venue. Outdoor shows often gate-close 30 minutes before public open.
- 6:30am — arrive, check in with the promoter, find your spot.
- 6:45am — canopy up, weights on, table out.
- 7:00am — tablecloth, signage, risers.
- 7:30am — merchandise on table, price cards in place, QR signup printed and visible.
- 7:45am — Square open, change box unlocked, water out.
- 8:00am — sit down, breathe. Show opens 9am.
What to leave at home
Things first-timers over-pack:
- Most of your inventory. Bring 2–3× what you think you'll sell in a slow day. The rest stays home — overloaded tables look chaotic, not abundant.
- Decorative props with no display purpose. That cute basket isn't earning its square inch.
- A second person, sitting. Two vendors per booth = customers feel watched. Tag-team breaks, don't park.
A small Showfest plug
Showfest's vendor dashboard has a Show prep tile we're shipping this month: build this checklist once, and every show you've been accepted to gets a copy with a 24-hour reminder push so nothing's forgotten on the morning of. Until that ships, save this post — print it the night before, tape it to the cooler. You'll come back to it for the first ten shows; after that you'll have your own list.
What's the one thing on your packing list that's not on this one? Drop it in the comments — we'll build the community version into the dashboard's master list.