A brilliant interview with Amy wearing her Artists & Fleas founder hat but also a nod to her In Good Company alter-ego as a tireless champion of finding the right work that works for you in last week’s Inc. online. It’s an excellent piece that speaks as much to the culture of entrepreneurship as it does to the community of support and opportunities for self-starters that exist in the world of the markets (fleas, artists, fairs and swaps) that exist in Brooklyn and beyond. An excerpt is below, click Inc. Magazine for the full link.
Even if you’re already successfully hawking your wares online, making periodic appearances at craft fairs, art shows, and flea markets can give your business new insight into the market, your regional competition, and local consumers’ evolving desires. Think of a flea market table as a pop-up retail store, says Amy Abrams, who founded flea market Artists & Fleas in Brooklyn, New York, in 2003.
“I really think people have used it as a mini storefront,” she says. “What we have found is that we were always a low barrier to entry, and though over the years we’ve grown from about 25 to 50 spaces, we never wanted to be too big, because we want every one of our vendors to do well.”
Community markets like Artists & Fleas can serve as barometers for the rest of the retail market. For instance, Abrams says seven years ago she found herself begging North Brooklyn vintage stores to set up booths at her weekend flea market. Now, due to a great sales record at New York-area flea markets, there’s sometimes a glut of vintage merchandise – and sellers compete to have the best collection and most knowledge to win customers.
“Our philosophy has always been that the market will always tell us what works,” Abrams says. “A flea market is one of the best places in the world to see how people respond to your stuff. We’ve seen hundreds of people go on to use this as a platform to do what they really want to do. “
Would love to hear your comments on it as this kind of thing is what the market is all about!
