My First Christmas Market!

Why I decided to do it 

I decided to participate in a Christmas market this year. My FIRST EVER Christmas market…. I chose to take part to steer my creative energy towards a goal. I have felt lost in my creativity since I left university. Making art for myself has been, at times, a painful reminder of the covid university experinace. Completing a degree in COVID is something I am still mentally recovering from and the thought of making again is bittersweet. 

Climbing has brought me a new creative outlet, planning sessions, developing coaching plans for myself and others, and even working inside a wall offered the opportunity to design marketing promotion and notice boards. I no longer sought out creativity in the same ways anymore. Then I saw tons of rope going to waste at activity centers, climbing walls, and personal climbing friends. I had a sudden desire to learn how to utilse decommissioned materials to make wearable products and prevent materials from going to landfills.  

GHT (God’s House Tower) in Southampton, promoted a Christmas market on their Instagram page. The application process was simple and very soon I was a confirmed trader! 

Where?

The market took place in Gods House Tower in Southampton.  Part of the old historic walls facing out towards the docks the Gods house tower nostalgically stands. The building is constructed from Isle of white stone. If you peer closely at the stones you can see small shells and fossils formulated a millenia ago. Being inside the tower gives you a feeling of being inside history, a time capsule. I was in the main gallery up several flights of stairs and across a mezzanine floor. The main gallery is host to musical events, exhibitions and makers markets. The sky lights allow the natural light to pour in from all corners making a beautiful ambiance when the sun is shining. GHT is a gem hidden in plain sight. 

Preperation 

My preparation for the market meant sourcing materials, experimentation with these materials and then creating a small line of products to sell. I spent many hours removing the core from the rope painstakingly pulling and tugging until the flat usable material is freed. I really enjoyed the experimentation. Deconstructing and reconstructing materials to morph it into a wearable construction. 

How the Market went 

Overall the market was quiet… Very quite. Luckily I had some lovely stall holden around me including Sea Clay Studio and Kate Smith prints to keep me motivated. It was great to talk to customers about my company concept and show them my first set of products. Those conversations and opinions were just as valuable as sales. 

Overall Thoughts

The Stunning venue and invaluable conversations with potential customers was an inspiring motivator to put more energy into my designs. I am slightly disappointed with how quite the venue was which led to having a few bits left over. A key takeaway was my table display, the prettier and well thought through your visual merchaisding the more likely you are to make sales I would love to explore a beter VM design in the future once I have established a better brand identity. I would do another market at a later date once I have improved upon a few things!