A few photos from the May Flea Market

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Booking for June 29th Flea Market

Book for the June 29th Flea Market from next Saturday June 1st from 10am. Come in the the cafe or call 0131 555 7100 to reserve your pitch. Pitches cost £15 and or £20 with a table. Thanks

Hints & Tips at the Drill Hall Flea Market

The monthly flea market at the Drill Hall has a reputation for being pitched nicely in between the carboot and the antiques fair. We have a lovely bright hall, a carefully selected soundtrack and a cafe providing homemade treats & meals, and a perfect place for you to have a seat and revue your purchases. If you have a pitch on a regular basis or just once in a while here are some tips collected from various websites, market traders and bargain hunters.
 - Think about your display. You can request a trestle table but most people like to cover this with a cloth or similar. Put the best items on the table so people can see them clearly and have one or two boxes on the floor for people to rummage through, people like a bargain. Use the walls & the railings to hang stuff - you must stay in the chalk line on the floor but go as high as you like. Bring washing line, rails, hat stands - whatever you wish! 

- To label or not to label - I personally prefer labels but whether you want to spend the time doing it is up to you. It does have the advantage that you can ask a neighbour to keep an eye on your stall while you get yourself a cup of tea & cake.

 - Have plenty of change - seems obvious but there it is.

 - The Drill Hall can get very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. We provide tea and coffee on arrival but after that it’s not a bad idea to have a flask. Now that the weather is getting better it will start to get very warm in there when the sun is shining. So you will be happy to know that in the summer months your pitch fee also includes an ice lolly!

 - Remember haggling is fun for customers so be nice about it and be flexible on your prices where you can.

 - Watch out for the early traders scouring the market, they may know the value of something that you don’t - it is ok for you to tell them to go away until you are set up - this is up to you but if you are bothered by it let us know and we’ll have a word.

- Keep an eye on your stock & and look out for each other. The flea market has a great, relaxed atmosphere and although it is uncommon, we have had reports of theft so please be aware and again let us know if you do spot anything suspicious and we’ll keep an eye on it.

For Buyers

 - Arrive early or late? Earlier you get more choice but near the end of the market is when you can really walk away with some last minute bargains when people are thinking if they really want to take that box of 1950’s kids encyclopedias home again!

 - Take a bag for your purchases, this keeps hands free for more rummaging.

 - You want something that you think is too much or haven’t enough pennies? Haggle! Its fun and its free. If they say no, at least you tried.

 - Try it on! Most of our stall holders won’t mind if you duck behind a door or nip to the loo to try something on and it is much better to know that the beautiful blue velvet skirt or waistcoat fits before you take it home.

MAY MARKET!

Thanks everyone for coming on Saturday, we had a really good turnout, and loads of people through the door. Thanks to BBC radio Scotland for inviting me on their 'what's on' section and giving us the chance to plug the flea market! 

Booking for the May 25th  Market  will begin on Saturday 4th of May from 10am. Please Come into the cafe or call us on 555 7100.  Just like old times! 

If you have been regularly taking a stall at previous flea markets and I haven't spoken to you about the possibility of becoming one of our Regulars and  planning for next 6 markets then I will be in touch or you can call me Wednesday to Friday from 9am. 

Thanks, 
Stephanie 

With every change there is bound to be some teething issues but in this case I think that I have actually created more work for myself then less.  And at the last market we were listening to your feedback and had some very helpful suggestions for a way forward that allows Regulars to have a good idea of what markets they can do and allows new people in who just want to do a stall every once in a while. On this Saturday April 27th I will take time in the afternoon to come round the market and speak to people who are interested in being Regulars and give everyone the opportunity to make and hear suggestions. For the time being I have postponed the booking for the May 25th Flea Market until May the 4th so that I can use this Saturday as an opportunity to get more feedback.

Thanks for all your suggestions so far and see you saturday! 

Book pitches for April 27th from this Monday!

Call in or call us on Monday to tell us if you'd like a pitch for the end of the month. We'll draw names on the 7th and let you know then or shortly after if you have a pitch.
Our number is 0131 555 7100 or email edinburghfleamarket@gmail.com

April blows in the winds of change to flea market booking procedure!

It's Spring - even though you wouldn't know it by looking out the window - and we're taking the opportunity to rethink the way we do things and introduce some big changes to the flea market. Since the Drill Hall Arts Cafe started the market in November 2010 the demand for pitches has increased dramatically while the number of pitches on offer every month remains the same. This has led to queues outside the door on booking mornings, markets being booked up in the space of 1/2 an hour (as featured in the Edinburgh Evening News) and of course many disappointed potential stall holders!

We want to make things easier for everyone and give new stall holders a chance to get a look in, so from April 1st the first come first served system is going to be scrapped. Instead we will be drawing names out of a hat: in the first week of the month you can let us know if you want a stall for the end of the month. We will get in touch with you only if you've got a pitch and then you will have 7 days to pay for you pitch in full. Any unpaid pitches will be re-offered and then the 7 day payment period starts again until all pitches are allocated and paid for!
Please get in touch via telephone on 0131 555 7100 or in person. We can let you know if you get a pitch via text, email or phone.

Thanks, Stephanie & the Drill Hall Arts Cafe