My first market

Growing up, my mother used to make wooden puzzles. She sold them at craft markets. Sometimes, I'd go with her.

A craft market day was a long day. I was under strict rules to behave, under threat of never being able to go again.

After a while I learned craft markets are incredibly boring as a vendor. I'm pretty sure I stopped going with her well before she stopped making and selling puzzles.

But I definitely went a few times. I think I picked up a lot from being there beside her as a child, even if it took more than 30 years for me to use it.

Kat's Nip

I began drying and selling my own homegrown catnip before we moved here in 2018. In early 2019, I invested in branding—an event that as fate would have it, was directly related to our purchase of The Outpost later that year.

After moving, the plan had been to start taking it to markets in early 2020, following the summer 2019 harvests.

And, well. History had other plans. I found a part-time job and settled into a different routine to the one I'd originally envisioned.

The catnip sold well-enough online. Over the years I've slowly invested in the business and developed new products. The 'Kat's Nip' range now includes loose-leaf catnip, biodegradable (and repairable) cat toys, and a needle felting craft kit.

2026 has not been great as an owner of a business that produces an entirely superfluous product. Nobody needs catnip, so of course people will buy groceries, get to work, or keep the lights on ahead of buying my silly product. Fair enough.

So when I saw a post in a Facebook group calling for stall holders for something called the "Rogues' Bazaar", I decided it was time to give an in-person market a try.

I applied, was accepted, and paid my registration fee. I had about two months to get ready.

Managing stock

I started making Fluffy Balls on a daily basis, and realised that my first problem was going to be stock management.

Because this was the first market I'd ever attended, I simply had no idea how much stock I needed. At this time of year, I'm usually running my stock levels down to make way for the next harvest (which is quickly approaching).

Once catnip is inside a 4.2g bag or 'Fluffy Ball', it's in there. And generally, I release a new season's catnip in January-February when it's ready.

Think of it as a 'vintage', and it's best when it's fresh. The 2026 vintage is still good (and it will be good for a lot longer yet). But I want to be selling the 2027 vintage in 2027.

Having stacks of 2026 product stuck in toys and bags at this end of the year... would not be in line with how I normally run things.

Still, the stock in the craft kits and smaller 'samplurr' baggies can be composted and replaced without losing the rest of the product. So I decided to run my stock high (for me) and see what I can make of the run-up to Christmas.

I placed orders with my suppliers for things like boxes, felting needles, wool, and paper carry bags.

The road trip

Then I went on a little holiday off the farm in October. Along the way, I cobbled together a collection of bits and pieces that filled the puzzle of how my stand would look.

My aunt gave me a denim table cloth, some plastic sign covers, and a set of hands designed to hold business cards. My best friend gave me a little riser to display my catnip.

I found a pink bum bag for keeping my cash in at an op shop in Morrinsville.

The stickers I use to label my craft kits were unavailable at my local Warehouse Stationery and online... but they were available at the Albany store in Auckland if I cared to make the trip. So I made a pit-stop on the way down to grab them too.

While I was away, I visited a couple of markets and studied the stalls with a new eye. I looked at where their storage bins were, what their signage looked like, as well as how their items were placed and priced.

Pulling it together

Back at home, I did a dry-run setting up my table with what I had.

That led me to make even more stock; go on a side-quest to design catnip bunting; and design a whole pile of signage.

My mother's stash of 'useful stuff' came in useful when I dug up some safety pins in her sewing kit; an old cream bottle to hold fresh catnip; and the perfect cord to pull my 'bunting' together.

I emptied the lockable cash box Mum used at her craft markets all those years ago, put a few first aid supplies in it, and made room for that too. It felt right to have that amongst my market stuff, almost like a lucky (and useful) charm.

I found the right combination of plastic storage containers to put all my stock and supplies into. Thankfully, my stock is very light, and small.

Because it's always been an online business, everything has been designed to make efficient use of the post—turns out that's helpful when you're lugging it around too. It's always fit into a small space, and that is a huge bonus for a market.

Then on Friday afternoon I loaded it all into the car, and had a good night's rest.

The other version of the story

Before I tell you how it went, I have to let you know how it almost didn't go.

Because along the way there were so many weird little things that broke or went a bit wrong. And I reflected more than once that I just seemed to glide through it all. Nothing was big, but all together, it could have thrown me. It might have thrown a previous version of me.

The hands holding my postcard? I had to superglue a finger back on after I washed it a little too vigorously.

The riser shelf my best friend gave me? Shattered to a dozen pieces when our cat Sam decided he wouldn't share the bed with our dog Roxy. I had to buy a replacement.

One of my sign holders cracked. I don't know how, and I used it anyway because by this point it was getting stupid.

All three of the print jobs I sent to the printer were messed up in some way. The store fixed it up as soon as I pointed it out, but it would have been easy to miss if I hadn't been paying attention.

At one stage I packed all my stock into new containers while sitting right next to a paper wasp nest!

It really would have been easy to let these really silly things get inside my head and bail. But somehow I just rolled with every single punch.

On Saturday morning, I woke up 5 minutes before my alarm went off. I got ready, had breakfast, then left The Outpost to take Kat's Nip to market while blasting my most inspirational playlist.

A success

I don't think I can judge that market by how much money I made. I made my stall fee back, and there was enough to buy a pizza for dinner after it was done. But the truth is I've already made more in online sales this weekend than I did from sales at the market.

The success, I think, was in the interactions with people. Not just at the market itself. I was so filled with love as my loved ones helped me get ready for this in the lead up.

But during the market, a very kind reader showed up with some delicious German biscuits. And honestly, made the whole exercise worth it in one short interaction that had absolutely nothing to do with catnip.

My first customer came back later in the afternoon for more. She had tried it on her cats and they went "bonkers". I love it when my product proves itself. That's how I've kept this thing going for so long.

Someone else drove over from Kohukohu specifically to get some Fluffy Balls because they follow me on Bluesky. Another customer told me she'd seen one of the Instagram reels I made in the lead-up and wanted to see how it went with her cat.

A couple of people took a business card, which also advertises this site. So hello, if you're reading this.

And I enjoyed the people watching and having conversations, even when they didn't turn into sales. I'm grateful to the organisers of Rogues' Bazaar for taking a punt on a weird option, and making me feel so welcome.

Lessons learned

Turns out there were a lot of dog people at the market. I reminded some people of their dead cat or a large historical vet bill. Some cat owners had pets that got weird or annoying on basic catnip, and they didn't want to take the risk.

My market segment is quite slim with this product, and I found room for improvement on how I could reach them.

I spotted some "assumed knowledge" I needed to fill. Like heaps of people didn't realise there was catnip in the simple cat toys I was selling. Many didn't know what catnip was, or what it does to cats.

That's on me. I'll improve on that.

And I realised that there's a sales skill that really needs to be engaged to turn browsers into buyers. I got a bit better at that throughout the day. As my own confidence grew, I got a bit boastful about the effects of my range. And that created a banter, which sold some more.

But practicing that skill, and getting people to see the value in what I'm selling is something that will take time. And probably more markets. The fact that I sold anything at all is quite remarkable given how green I am at that particular aspect of this new adventure.

A more practical problem I need to solve is the slightest breeze sent my larger packets tumbling like dominoes.

To be honest, my brain is still processing the whole thing. So I'm taking today off to kind of let it all percolate.

I've spent the last month getting ready for this thing and I've earned it. I've got a book I'd really like to finish. 

Clearance sale, now on

I brought home most of what I took, so my annual clearance sale is now on.

This happens every November because soon the catnip plants in the garden will be at exactly the right stage to do the annual harvest.

The fact it happens during the annual festival of consumerism ('Black Friday') period is mere coincidence.

So there's 15% off the entire Kat's Nip range in the online store if you know a cat (or a cat person) who might need some locally crafted treats for Christmas. It'll be that price, at least online, through to the pre-Christmas mail cutoff on December 20.

I've got some ideas for how to manage any leftovers, but I think the next step is going to be trying again before Christmas at a different market.

So I suppose, watch this space!