Barters & Bootstraps: PICK A SPOT & MAKE A STAND

(Page 2 of 5)

April/May 1992
By Ted Garrison 
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A large area of growing flowers, constantly replanted through the growing season, would be needed if you wanted to use the flowers for something more than just a display item. If you can't spare the time and efforts for flowers, at least grow grass. Don't let your stand sit on barren rock or sand. You will find slack times during the day when traffic speeds up or tapers off when you can work on the aesthetics of the stand and still stay within sight should a customer drive up.

Having chosen your site and decided to build a permanent structure, you might consider placing a loading dock at the rear of it. It need not be at truck-bed level, but should have an area large enough to maneuver a hand truck into. Storage shelves can also be placed in the back to keep clutter down up front.

WHAT TO SELL

Aside from your seasonal produce, goat-milk products, eggs, and honey lend themselves very nicely to the atmosphere of an open-air stand. A small goat kid tethered nearby for children to pet might boost your product sales. (Children have a tremendous impact on the buying habits of their parents, as any breakfast-cereal company can tell you.) Be sure the goat kid is clean and well brushed and of a gentle nature, or the results might be just the opposite of what you'd hoped for.

Honey is also a good item for a roadside business, especially the clear types which can be displayed on shelves at the rear of the stand (place a mirror behind the jars to reflect the light through them). Some merchants use a glassed-in display of bees on a comb, which makes a good motion display. Just be sure the bees and the customers don't mix (you don't want angry customers trying to soothe big red welts).

You will learn the best ways to display and care for your items, including ways to preserve them for the longest time possible. Sweet potatoes, for instance, are hardy items. I have left them in bins for days at a time, pulling them only to cull them or clean the bin. (A brisk sweeping with a corn broom is one of the best ways to clean a potato bin.) Berries in season will probably be your hottest-selling item, so display them well. But remember that berries are fragile. Store them in a cool place at night.

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