This past weekend we had a booth down at the Denver Flea. We've done a lot of outdoor markets in the Denver area specifically over the past few years, but nothing ever seems to blow us away more than the Flea. For those who haven't been, the Denver Flea is a large scale event that brings together some of the most talented makers, food trucks, cocktails, music and culture. Upwards of 20,000 people attend the Flea to support about 150 vendors like us who pour our passion into the products we make.
We moved more product than we once thought was ever possible over the course of two days but most importantly, we were really able to connect with customers on a level that just can't be done anywhere else. We value being able to put a face to the brand for our customers, hearing feedback-good or bad and simply just talking about what we do.
Setting up a booth in person requires far more effort than setting up shop online or moving products through retailers. The amount of planning is something that many people may not be aware of. We spent a month back and forth planning a new display that would function for our needs while making the buying process for our customers easy and maneuverable. We don't think it's enough to just show up and sell our products, we take the time to perfect the details of how they are displayed. Look out for a future blog post on how we crafted our display.
Once we had all of the pieces, we had to put them all together! We arrived Friday night to set up our structure. We then arrived 3 hours early on Saturday to set up everything else and get all of the pieces put together. 10AM was game time and the customers didn't stop all weekend. As the weekend came to a close, we were physically drained but mentally ecstatic for all of the support that poured in over the course of 2 days.
With so many different designs, sizes and styles, making sure we have enough inventory can be a really difficult thing to predict. This is another important piece of the puzzle that if not done right, could be frustrating to potential customers and a source of lost revenue. Before the event we looked at our demographic and knew that a vast amount of our customers would be middle aged men and women who are typically size medium and large, and kids around age 2 so we increased our production on the popular sizes and styles that have done well in our retail outlets and online. At the end of the day, out of the couple hundred customers we had, we only had to turn away about 2 because we didn't have their size by the time the end of the weekend came around.
Big thanks to all of our new and existing customers! One of the most exciting parts of the weekend was seeing how many people were wearing our tees that they had purchased previously. Even though we have sold thousands of shirts over the years, we still get more excited than we would like to admit when we see someone walk by wearing a product that we have poured our entire lives into. If you missed this one, the Denver Flea is held 4 times a year in various locations around the city.