A question of image

I've come a long way since my first market late last summer. 

The first market was something I did on a whim. The opportunity came up and I thought I'd give it a shot.

After that each market has been a constant refinement of what I'm offering, and how I'm presenting myself. 

Every market has seen me bring something different to the market. It could be a different bake, it could be presentation, but at each market I want to be better. 


It brings to mind the Japanese concept of kaizen, or 'continuous improvement'. I guess those business studies classes really did pay off. Even little changes can bring big improvements, and that's what I'm aiming to do with my stall offer.

The first market at Osterley was pretty much thrown together. My main focus was on the bread, of course, and to be honest everything was secondary. I didn't really think too much about tablecloths or baskets. 

I did put a lot of attention on the 'brand' that became Desi Baker Boy. I loved it then, and nothing has changed. Most of the work was put in by my graphic designer sister, who I think you'll agree did an awesome job.

I enjoyed my first market enough to keep doing it, but looking back the whole look just wasn't right. I stuck with the baskets though for the next few markets while I looked around for inspiration.

The biggest change in presentation was using vintage wine crates. I've liked the look of them, and it took a bit of hunting around to find what I wanted. Thankfully Ebay seems to be the answer to most retail questions these days. I snagged a great bargain and took home a load of these lovely crates.

This change make a huge difference to the presentation of the stall. I think it shows off the bread in just the right way. Baskets didn't quite convey the image of the brand, at least not to me. 

I can't avoid using baskets just yet. I'm sourcing a few more smaller thinner tray-like crates for the flatbreads. Hopefully by the next market I will have those to hand. 

I hate that gingham pattern tablecloth. It just doesn't work. We all do things to make things work at the time, and with time you can adjust to make them how you want them to look. That final bit of change came along when I was in a material shop.

I must have been in that store every day for two weeks looking at bolts of material. Admittedly I was the only guy in there, and every woman gave me some strange looks. I guess I don't look like the typical haberdashery fan. 

Walking out of the store defeated, I noticed on the remainders rack a bolt of tangerine material. Tangerine, of course! I snapped that up, and while I was waiting to pay I found some hessian that would work just perfectly. 

What do you think? There's still work to do, and I will keep changing things up, but that's 'business' right? You should always be striving to make it the best you can.