Perk up that market display

March is a great month to set aside a little time to review your market display materials and make some improvements for the coming season. Check over your signage. Is it faded, creased, weather beaten or hard to read? Then take the time to make some new signs. Make them easy-to-read and colorful. Get out some photographs from last season and use them to add color to your display. Check everything out from the customer’s perspective — place signs on a table or counter and then stand back as if you were a customer and see how they look.

Check out your awnings, umbrellas, table covers and basket liners. If they look tired and worn either replace them or rehab them so they look clean and fresh.

Look over your boxes, baskets and containers. Make sure there are no splinters, nails, screws or other sharp objects sticking out that can poke holes in your produce (or your customers!).

Check your supply of packaging materials and bags. You don’t want to run short on the first busy market day.

Recalculate your prices and make new price tags. If you make them now for the whole season you’ll save yourself valuable time later. If you aren’t certain about the prices then make the signs so that the price can be added or changed later.

Pull together some recipes that you can hand out during the season and get them printed onto card stock with your farm name and logo.

If you will have employees helping out on market days, set up your display now and take a picture. Paste the picture in a notebook along with notes about the set-up and take-down. Make sure the notebook is in a handy place on market day so that anyone can refer to it as needed.

See more tips on farmers’ market displays