Through the Lens: A Journey of Markets, Challenges, and New Beginnings in the New Year.
Read time: 5 minutes
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful festive period.
Firstly, I want to express my gratitude for your support throughout the past year. The sales from calendars and prints at the various markets we attended, as well as the purchases on our webshop, have been genuinely encouraging.
Last year was all about getting out there to meet the public. I’d spent long enough hiding behind the scenes whether editing and mounting images in my home office, creating my website and webshop or developing my presence on Facebook and Instagram. But where to begin?
The twice-monthly community market here in Dornoch was an obvious choice to venture out as a stallholder. But that idea was swiftly stymied; no available space for a photography stall and a waiting list in operation. What else could I do locally to get a gentle introduction to face-to-face sales? Renting premises was out of the question. It might be an ambition for the future, but I needed to walk before running, or maybe even crawl before walking. Applying for a street traders licence was a consideration, but I really wanted some practical experience before embarking upon that route.
Then I realised that the town was welcoming a steady flow of visitors by way of the new Coach Park. Tour buses, day trippers from the many visiting cruise ships and a growing number of motorhomes. Why not try engaging visitors as they arrive and depart the town? It was worth a shot.
The coach park operators, Dornoch Area Community Interest Company (DACIC), were actively promoting the use of the new facility, encouraging and coercing bus drivers to vacate the town square in favour of the purpose-built park. They had erected a visitor information point and recruited ambassadors to welcome visitors and assist with questions and tourist information.
Following a few conversations with DACIC, it transpired they were amenable to trialling an added service giving visitors something else to do, particularly if they were back a little early for their bus, or didn’t have the desire or ability to wander around the town. So the idea was born. A trial for both BRAWSCOTLAND and for the Coach Park. With the purchase of a couple of folding trestle tables and a promotional A-frame sandwich board and the loan of a gazebo, I was ready to start trading.
Of course I knew I wasn’t suddenly going to be inundated with sales, so I had produced a selection of smaller mounted images to act as easy impulse purchases. Larger images and calendars might have required some longer consideration. My greatest challenge wasn’t in selling the products. It was more about growing the number of people who would stop and look.
Weather is the real enemy of the stallholder. I could just about cope with a shower of rain but anything more persistent and the stock could be damaged and potential customers would simply rush back aboard their coaches. The wind was my most troublesome foe. Anything greater than a gentle breeze made it impossible to trade. It wasn’t just the risk of the products being carried away by a gust - signs were blown over and the gazebo acted like a ship’s sail. Even sunshine presented problems as you don’t want photographs subjected to direct sunlight for long. Then there were the challenges of long hours with no traffic coming into the coach park.
BRAWSCOTLAND at the Ardgay Community Market
As the season progressed and tour guides got to know us, we started to become better informed of planned visits. But there were days when you could stand for five hours and not see a soul. On very quiet days, I’m sure there were some people who made a purchase because they felt sorry for me standing out in the cold and just wanted to give me some support. Then there were the times when your spirits would rise at the sight of a coach approaching at last, only to realise they had already dropped their passengers off in the Square and were arriving empty and depriving us of any engagement whatsoever. But there were good times too.
My best sales would often come in very short bursts - a flurry of activity in the ten minutes before a coach was about to leave. A bit like those pavement cafes on holiday, if there’s no one already seated, they get no custom, but as soon as a few tables are occupied, more people want to grab a seat.
Whenever I was engaged with a customer, I’d invariably have a few more people arriving and browsing the tables. So there were some good days with lots of engagement and some modest sales. Some individuals surprised me by buying a selection of items and enquiring about subscribing to my website and ‘Do you ship overseas?’
With the peak tourist season coming to a close, and my first few months as a stallholder under my belt, what comes next? Well I’ve already attended the newly established Ardgay Community Market a couple of times, Christmas markets in Dingwall, Dornoch and Rogart and had some great chats and sales there.
Dornoch has chosen to shift their market indoors for the winter months, and I'm pleased to have reservations for every event. Below, you'll find a list of all the confirmed markets I will be attending. Additionally, I'm excited to announce that I'll be showcasing my photography at all four markets organised by Rogart Mart this year.
As for this new year, the Coach Park is likely to be even busier with drivers familiar with the facility, with tours spending longer in Dornoch and with the number of cruise ships calling at Invergordon rising. We also have the multi-use games area opening soon which will increase local traffic and then there’s still the additional parking restrictions in the town centre to come. However things shape up in the next few months, I’m sure being a stallholder will be part of the mix for me, whether at the Coach Park or at markets and events. Meanwhile I’ll be getting out with my camera to explore and capture more images.
Confirmed Market Dates for 2024
More markets will be added to this list throughout the year.
19th January - Community Market, DORNOCH CANCELED
9th February - Community Market, DORNOCH
23rd February - Community Market, DORNOCH
15th March - Community Market, DORNOCH
29th March - Community Market, DORNOCH
27th April Market at the Mart, ROGART
11th May - Community Market, ARDGAY
8th June - Community Market, ARDGAY
22nd June - Market at the Mart, ROGART
13th July - Community Market, ARDGAY
11th August - Community Market, ARDGAY
31st August - Market at the Mart, ROGART
14th September - Community Market, ARDGAY
12th October - Community Market, ARDGAY
7th December - Christmas Market at the Mart, ROGART
