Are you ready to become a part of our creative community? We extend a warm invitation for you to apply to be one of our esteemed artisans at our upcoming market.
2023 MARKETS
Markets typically run Saturday + Sunday, 10am-5pm
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A hub of innovation and craftsmanship.
The heart of our story
Our makers are the heart of our story, and we’re dedicated to providing them with a place to showcase their unique creations. We offer unwavering support and connections in a collaborative environment, believing that by nurturing our makers, we’re enriching both local economies and communities.
MAKER
“Markets for Makers is consistently one of my best performing shows and is a key market that allows me to continue being a full-time maker! The staff is supportive, the customers are loyal, and the other vendors elevate the quality of the show. 10/10”
MAKER
“Markets for Makers provides extremely professional and well-organized events that ensure the makers are up-to-date on any and all information well before the market date. This and the fantastic advertising leading up to the event made for an incredible turn-out and a very successful market. It’s a pleasure working with them!”
MAKER
“From the vendors to attendees to the staff, Markets for Makers has created a culture and atmosphere where everyone is welcome, and truly loves being there! As an accessible company, we loved their marketing showing adaptive market attendees and we were so excited to be there as an adaptive company. They blew us away with their accommodations and level of expertise on the event! If you have not been a vendor or attended as a customer, I am not sure what you are waiting for! Run to Market for Makers, you will not be disappointed!”
MAKER
“We have taken part in the Markets for Makers Chicago event a number of times now and have always enjoyed every event. Our sales have been wonderful, we’ve connected with customers that continue to purchase our product even after the event, and the event staff are great to work with. We also recommended other small business brands to take part in the Markets for Makers event.”
MAKER
“Just can’t get enough of Markets for Makers! 🙌 I have been a vendor for events like Renegade, Chicago Artisan Market, and One of a Kind Show, this one takes the cake 🎂 Making bank 💰 and surrounded by amazing people at the markets 🤩 This event has captured my heart ❤️. I can’t wait to do it all over again!”
MAKER
“Markets for Makers never fails! The show is always so well put together, and the communication from the team is awesome. I’ve done my fair share of markets, and MFM is definitely the best. It’s clear that they care about the makers just as much as the people that come to shop. Communication is awesome, logistics are clearly written out, and the marketing they do is out of this world. I never worry about having a so-so weekend with Markets for Makers, they’re so precise with their marketing + choosing vendors that they know the crowd will like! 10 out of 10, I’ll apply to every single one I can!”
MAKER
“Markets for Makers is truly the best event that we participate in BY FAR! They are so focused on helping their vendors be successful, whether it’s through the incredible marketing for the events, the organized communication, or just making sure we have what we need throughout the day. It has been such a game changer for my business! Every market I have the opportunity to participate in just gets better and better, and it’s been great to connect with customers who wouldn’t find me otherwise. Thank you so much for letting me be part of it!”
MAKER
“Markets for Makers is hands down the best market out there. It is changing my small business and I cannot thank everyone on the team enough for giving us this opportunity for growth. The entire staff is absolutely amazing and they’re the best the whole weekend!!! We look forward to more markets with you all!”
MAKER
“After working just one of the Markets for Makers events, I could tell this event was carefully curated, well-staffed, and a perfect selection of vendors. The communication was clear and consistent every step of the way from the application process, to loading in and out after the market. The staff was super friendly and so were all of the nearby vendors. I can already tell you I intend to apply for every upcoming market and would encourage other vendors as well. Big thank you to everyone at Markets for Makers for putting together such a wonderful event!”
MAKER
“I recently had the pleasure of participating in the Markets for Makers event in Houston, and I must say it was an incredibly positive experience. From start to finish, the communication and organization from the event organizers was exceptional. The event drew a large and diverse crowd, creating an ideal platform for showcasing my products to a wide range of potential customers. I was thrilled with the number of sales I made during the event, which exceeded my expectations. Overall, my experience at Markets for Makers in Houston was nothing short of outstanding. I look forward to participating in future events organized by Markets for Makers!”
Breaking down the numbers
CAMPAIGNS & STRATEGY
Our goal is to transform gatherings into captivating occasions that resonate with a diverse audience, enriching our community’s reach.
1.3m
Avg Ad Reach
127k+
Instagram Followers
75k+
Email Subscribers
4k-6k
Avg Tickets Sold
200k+
Total Past Attendees
30k+
Text Subscribers
37k+
Facebook Followers
Female
Male
24-54 Age
50k+ Income
100k+ Income
A FEW OF OUR SPONSORS
FAQs
2023 Fall/Holiday acceptance schedule + fees
- Applicants will create an account in our application system.
- Once a profile and photos are fully completed, makers may add applications to their cart and apply to markets.
- Applications are $50 per returning market you are applying to (Chicago, Jacksonville, Houston, Miami) and are non-refundable.
- NEW LAUNCH MARKET applications are $25 per market and are non-refundable (Nashville, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Austin).
- Your payment details for your booth will be stored in Authorize.net, our secure payment system. Your card information may be deleted to keep up with PCI compliance, so you may need to update it periodically.
- You will be charged for an application fee upfront, which are non-refundable, and notified via email if you have been accepted to each market you apply for.
- If you have been accepted to any market, we will notify you via email and you will have a 24 hour window to let us know if you can not make it. After that, booth fees and booth credit card processing fees (3.99% unless paying by eCheck) will be charged automatically on the card on file and are non-refundable.
- If you have been accepted into the Austin market and wish to offer samples under any circumstance during the event, you will be required to pay the $280.00/Booth Austin Public Health Temporary Food Event Application fee. You will submit your payment to our team within the required deadline noted in your acceptance email.
- You will not be charged for a table/booth fee if you are not accepted into a market, applications are non refundable.
Applications are due by August 4th for your best chance to get into our first round of acceptances! The first round of acceptances will begin August 11th and will be on a weekly basis thereafter.
Application fees cover all administrative costs of our team’s time to individually process and consider each application thoroughly, but does not guarantee acceptance into the market.
REFUNDS AND CREDITS
Once a maker is accepted into a market, we do not issue any refunds or credits under any circumstances. This includes unforeseeable events including but not limited to pandemic outbreaks, new regulations prohibiting gatherings, Maker (or your staff) contracting COVID-19, government regulations, hurricanes or other weather related events.
In the case that you have to cancel or simply cannot attend please email info@marketsformakers.com as soon as possible. Day-of cancellations and no-shows without any communication can affect future acceptances.
Please be sure to add info@marketsformakers.com to your email’s address book so that you do not miss updates and acceptance! We send acceptances to the email address that you apply with, so be sure to check twice for typos! If you have not heard from our team within 2 weeks of applying or 4 weeks before a market, please email our team.
We respond one way or another to every single application.
How do I apply to the market?
Please see the following video on how to apply!
What should I bring to the market?
Makers will be provided a space and should bring tables, chairs and displays.
Makers are required to use white tents or umbrellas in the Jungle Plaza in Miami unless otherwise coordinated with written approval Markets for Makers at least two weeks out from a market.
A full checklist of what you can bring to a market can be found by CLICKING HERE. You can sign into Canva to create a custom copy for yourself. Please note, this is a general checklist so if we have a market indoors, you do not need to bring a tent, and you will want to modify this list for each specific market.
What qualifies as a maker?
Makers are artists, writers, photographers, collectors, and designers, they are the creators and dreamers that are driven to create the next great brands of the future. At this time, we only accept makers into our markets who are based in the United States.
We accept applications from makers with:
- High-quality craft and handmade items
- Vintage or antique collectibles
- Up-cycled or restored salvage
- Artists
- Up-and-coming brands
We do not accept makers with:
- Direct sales & multi-level marketing (Mary Kay, LulaRoe, It Works, LipSense, Scentsy, etc).
- Wholesale distributors —This is in contrast to a boutique.
- Franchises
- Products using licensed imagery and brands. (Products with other brand’s logos or insignias, movies, tv shows, universities, etc.) Fanart is acceptable, but a clear modification of various logos and characters is not normally accepted.
We are a family-friendly event and do not accept makers or products with:
- Weapons
- Hateful and divisive messages
- Drug paraphernalia/products and messaging that promote drugs
- Curative promises including CBD oils or pain relievers
Jewelry Makers
We prioritize handmade jewelry! Jewelry is our most applied to category and we have to limit the amount of makers in that category to not over saturate our markets. We suggest jewelry applicants do not apply to more than 4 total fall/holiday markets for 2023, as we will not be able to accept any makers into all of our events. Feel free to email our team at info@marketsformakers.com with your city preferences if you apply to more than one fall/holiday market. We cannot guarantee any requests but will make note of it for our selection committee.
In order to fully understand each jewelry application, we are now asking for photos and videos behind the scenes of makers crafting their products in studio and showing our team their process. Please expect to send us your photos and videos (via email to info@marketsformakers.com) after you apply.
Food & Drink Makers
If you have been accepted into the Austin market and wish to offer samples under any circumstance during the event, you will be required to pay the $280.00/Booth Austin Public Health Temporary Food Event Application fee. You will submit your payment to our team within the required deadline noted in your acceptance email.
How are makers evaluated and selected?
Our aim is to select Makers we feel have the most potential for brand growth and wish to get exposure at our markets to get to the next level.
Makers are judged on the following criteria:
Pre-selection
- Application & Communication: With every application we ask for photos and booth photos, sometimes we have to remind makers to send those to us and often follow up without response. Before applying, we ask makers to add our email to their safe lists to ensure they get all of our communication. We also may ask questions without any response. We process hundreds of applications making it very time consuming to track down an incomplete application. Makers that do not promptly respond around deadlines, can impact their acceptance.
- Products: Products are reviewed on quality and uniqueness. We review product packaging and branding, and look for an overall cohesive brand aesthetic. We prioritize handmade items.
- Booth display: Please see our Pinterest board for what we are looking for. We expect each booth within the market to feel like its own experience with a beautiful presentation of the products not just for the market but giving us confidence makers are putting their best foot forward to have good sales. We also like to see shelving, displays and booths full of products vs. an empty table with a few products on the table.
- Online presence: Our team reviews a company’s website for ease of use, branding and e-commerce capabilities. We also review applicant’s social media accounts for: following, growth, frequent postings and engagement. It is very important for us to see makers posting and engaging so we can see a maker trying to grow and engaging with customers outside of markets.
When looking through hundreds of applications, a makers active social media, products and booth presentation have a large impact when we are selecting makers.
While we prepare for a market and host a market our team is looking for the following qualities in Makers to be invited back:
- General good vibes and attitude
- Kindness with our team
- Promotional efforts online
- Good communication
- Maker’s understanding and compliance of our policies
Please note: We have a capped amount of makers per category to ensure the market maintains a standard of high-quality and variety.
Participation in past markets does not guarantee a spot for future markets as we do rotate makers. This is to ensure the market stays fresh for makers and attendees alike.
We will not be accepting any makers into all of our fall/holiday markets.
What if I’m not accepted into the market?
While we wish we could accept every maker into our markets, what makes our markets unique is that we are a juried market that will rotate makers as often as possible and we are looking for a specific type of aesthetic and products that we know sell well in our markets.
If you have not been accepted into our market, this could be for many reasons. One of which could be that you are in a very competitive category with limited spaces. As we grow, we receive more and more applications for each category, especially jewelry.
Another reason could be that we have seen a type of product not sell well in our markets and we ultimately want you to be successful and know there will be other markets that are a better fit. You also may have a product that is not allowed in our markets like CBD, weapons, etc. Products using licensed imagery and brands. (Products with other brand’s logos or insignias, movies, tv shows, universities, etc.) Fan art is acceptable, but a clear modification of various logos and characters is not normally accepted.
The last reason is that a Maker is lacking in one of the areas that we evaluate makers. Please see “How are makers evaluated and selected?”
If you have been in one of our past markets please note that our team rotates makers and has been reducing the amount of makers in each category so that each maker in the market has the best chance of good sales. We also work to rotate in new makers and past acceptance does not guarantee future acceptance. Please note the above selection criteria as well.
If you have never been accepted to our markets: While we would like to encourage you to apply again to our markets, we request that you only apply if you have made changes to your products or your online presence to align with our above description, and also grow your following and business. If you have made changes and have not been accepted after a second attempt, this could mean that it may not be the right fit, and our team wishes you and your company continued success but we do not encourage you to continue to apply.
What are the logistics?
Each market has its own set of logistics. You will be sent a full folder of information and social media posts at least two weeks before a market and after you have paid for your booth. Space assignments are released by the Thursday before the market.
Terms & Conditions
Before applying, makers must read through, understand and sign their application to show they agree to our Terms and Conditions.
Your signature on our application acknowledging these terms are required for participation so please help us by being on the same page with our straightforward policies!
