Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Bragg
Hi Taylor, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My partner Justin Leitner and I started Hummingbird Market to organize art markets in the area with an emphasis on nature, sustainability and community building.
We’ve both been vending at local markets for the past 6-7 years and have had a wide spectrum of experiences with different organizations. One thing we always noticed was a lack of emphasis on the vendors and community. Art market vendors all know the feeling of working really hard to prepare work for an event and be met with organizers who don’t care, or who don’t advertise the event resulting in low turn out and low vendor morale.
So, we started Hummingbird Market to help local businesses gain more traffic, to help local makers grow their businesses and most importantly, bring our local community together by celebrating local artists and their dedication to their crafts.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This is our first official year in business, so there’s definitely been some learning involved and lots of obstacles to overcome. But, we both have had ups and downs as art market vendors which had given us a lot of experience for running our own events.
Right now our focus is getting more events under our belt and growing our list of vendors and local businesses to work with.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are an artist market organization company that curates and plans art markets in Raleigh, Durham and the surrounding area. Our markets showcase local artists and makers, especially those with nature centric work or an emphasis on sustainability.
As artists ourselves, our main goal is for our vendors to have opportunities to sell their work and network with other makers in the area. We host themed events and curate them with vendors who we think will be the most successful, ensuring a cohesive vibe to every event. For example, our latest market coming up in late July is Pollinator themed, so everyone is making work that features bees, butterflies, flowers etc.
I think what sets us apart from other market organizing companies in the area is that our number 1 priority is the success of our vendors. We want to bring as many potential customers to them as possible, while also ensuring they have a good experience with us.
We have a few markets coming up for the summer and fall! Vendors who are interested can apply for our fall markets soon or reach out to us with any questions.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
From an art market vendor standpoint, my advice is to be patient and take the good with the bad. Not every market will be a success. Sometimes the organizers don’t advertise enough, sometimes the weather is bad, or maybe your work isn’t a good fit for a particular event. But then you have good events where you sell a ton of things and meet interesting people that you wouldn’t have met otherwise. You get to see people smile as they look at your work and connect with them. Those events are what makes it worth it!
As an organizer, my advice would be to always put your vendors first, even if it means you aren’t making any money at first. Their success is what keeps you in business as an organizer.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Hummingbirdmarketnc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hummingbirdmarketnc?igsh=MXByd2hqb3l2Y3J1dw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/weyuaELgVDrh4vG7/?mibextid=LQQJ4d
