Setting Up Your Market

A comprehensive guide to launching your LocallyGrown.net farmers market from start to finish

Market Setup Overview

Setting up a successful online farmers market is an exciting journey! This guide will walk you through every step, from initial planning to your grand opening. Most markets can complete this setup in 1-2 weeks with proper preparation.

1

Planning Phase

Define your market's mission and gather your founding growers

2

Technical Setup

Configure your market settings and payment processing

3

Grower Onboarding

Invite and train your growers to use the platform

4

Launch Preparation

Test everything and promote to your community

Phase 1: Planning Your Market

Before diving into technical setup, invest time in planning. Well-planned markets are more successful and sustainable.

Define Your Market's Purpose

🎯 Mission & Values

  • What is your market's primary goal?
  • Who are you serving in your community?
  • What values guide your operations?

📍 Geographic Scope

  • What area will your market serve?
  • How far can growers reasonably travel?
  • Where will shoppers come from?

👥 Target Audience

  • Who are your ideal shoppers?
  • What products do they want?
  • What are their shopping habits?

📊 Market Size

  • How many growers will you start with?
  • What's your growth target?
  • What sales volume do you expect?

Assemble Your Team

Successful markets need dedicated people in key roles:

  • Market Manager: Overall operations, grower relations, and shopper service
  • Technical Administrator: Platform management and troubleshooting
  • Marketing Coordinator: Promotions, social media, and community outreach
  • Pickup Coordinator: Manages pickup location and logistics
  • Volunteer Coordinator: Recruits and manages helpers (if needed)

💡 Small Market Tip: One person can wear multiple hats initially. As you grow, delegate responsibilities to build a sustainable operation.

Phase 2: Technical Setup

Now let's get your market configured on LocallyGrown.net!

Step 1: Create Your Market Account

  1. Visit locallygrown.net and click "Start a Market"
  2. Choose your market's subdomain carefully (e.g., townname.locallygrown.net)
  3. Enter your basic market information
  4. Verify your email and complete registration

Step 2: Set Up Product Categories

Categories help organize your products and make shopping easier. When you first visit your market's page, you'll see the Product Category Setup Wizard if you don't have any categories yet.

🎯 Option 1: Copy from Existing Market (Recommended)

Start with proven categories from an established market. This is the fastest way to get up and running!

✨ Why Choose This Option: Launching with a complete category structure saves you 30-60 minutes of setup time and gives you tested categories that cover common products. You'll get categories like Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, Eggs, Meat, Baked Goods, and more - ready to use immediately!

How It Works:
  1. Access the Setup Wizard: When you visit your market page with no categories, the wizard appears automatically
  2. Choose a Source Market: Select from the dropdown showing active markets with 5+ established categories. Each option displays the market name and number of categories (e.g., "Athens Locally Grown (12 categories)")
  3. Preview and Confirm: Click "Copy Categories" to see a confirmation dialog showing how many categories will be copied
  4. Complete the Import: Confirm the action and all categories and subcategories will be copied instantly, preserving the complete parent-child hierarchy
  5. Customize as Needed: After importing, you can rename, reorganize, add, or remove categories to fit your specific market needs
What Gets Copied:
  • All categories - both top-level and subcategories
  • Category names - exactly as they appear in the source market
  • Descriptions - helpful text explaining what each category contains
  • Category hierarchy - parent-child relationships are preserved
  • Display order - categories appear in the same sequence

📋 Example: What You'll Get

When copying from an established market, you might receive:

  • Vegetables (with subcategories: Leafy Greens, Root Vegetables, Tomatoes)
  • Fruits (with subcategories: Berries, Stone Fruits, Citrus)
  • Dairy & Eggs
  • Meat & Poultry
  • Baked Goods
  • Prepared Foods
  • Flowers & Plants
  • And more, depending on the source market!

🛠️ Option 2: Build Your Own

Create categories one at a time that perfectly match your market's unique needs.

When to Choose This Option:
  • Your market has a very specialized or unique product mix
  • You want complete control over category names and structure from the start
  • You prefer to start minimal and add categories as growers join
  • No available markets match your intended category structure
How to Create Categories:
  1. From the setup wizard, click "Create First Category"
  2. Enter a clear, descriptive category name (e.g., "Fresh Vegetables", "Artisan Breads")
  3. Add an optional description to help shoppers understand what's in each category
  4. Set the display order (lower numbers appear first)
  5. Save and repeat for additional categories
Creating Subcategories:

After creating top-level categories, you can add subcategories for better organization:

  • Go to your market page and enable Edit Mode
  • Click the category management button
  • Select a parent category when creating a new category
  • Example: Create "Leafy Greens" as a subcategory under "Vegetables"

💡 Common Starting Categories: Most farmers markets include these basic categories: Vegetables, Fruits, Dairy, Eggs, Meat, Baked Goods, Flowers, and Prepared Foods. You can always add specialty categories later as your market grows.

⚠️ Important Notes About Category Setup

  • One-time setup wizard: This wizard appears only when you have zero categories - it's designed for initial market setup. Once you create or import categories, you'll manage them through the regular market interface.
  • Copying is permanent: The category import cannot be automatically undone. If you want to start fresh after importing, you'll need to delete all categories individually and then the wizard will reappear.
  • Full editing capability: After importing or creating categories, you can rename, reorganize, add, or remove categories at any time through your market's edit mode.
  • Smart visibility: Empty categories are automatically hidden from shoppers, so you don't need to worry about showing categories without products. They'll automatically appear once growers add products to them.
  • No products are copied: Only the category structure is imported - not the actual products from the source market. Your growers will add their own products to the categories.

Step 3: Add Your First Products (If You're a Grower-Manager)

Many market managers are also growers who want to sell their own products. If that's you, here's how to add products to your brand-new market:

✨ You're Already Set Up! As the market manager, you automatically have grower permissions, which means you can add products right away without needing approval.

Quick Steps to Add Your Products:

  1. Make sure categories are set up: If you haven't already created or imported categories in Step 2, do that first. You can't add products without categories.
  2. Go to the market page: Click "Shop Local" in the navigation bar to access the market page where products are displayed
  3. Enable Edit Mode: Look for the "Edit Mode" toggle switch in the bottom-right corner and turn it ON
  4. Select a category and add a product: This is critical! The "Add Product" button only appears after you select a category. You have two ways:
    • Method 1: Click on a category name in the left sidebar (e.g., "Vegetables"), then click the "Add Product" button that appears
    • Method 2: Right-click on a category name (or click the three-dot icon ⋮), then select "Add Product" from the menu
    📌 Important: If a category has subcategories, you cannot add products to it directly. You must select a subcategory (the "leaf" category at the end of the tree). For example, if "Vegetables" has subcategories like "Leafy Greens" and "Root Vegetables", you must click into one of those subcategories first.
  5. Fill in your product details: Add name, description, price, unit, quantity, category, and optionally upload a photo
  6. Click "Create Product": Your product is now live!
🚨 Important: The "Add Product" button ONLY appears when you select a category first (or use the category menu). If you can't find it, make sure you've clicked into a category!
📚 Need More Detailed Instructions? See the complete step-by-step guide with troubleshooting tips in our Managing Products documentation.

Common Questions for Grower-Managers:

Q: Do I need to create a separate grower account?

A: No! Your market manager account already has grower permissions. Just add products directly using Edit Mode.

Q: Will my products show my personal name or the market name?

A: Products will be associated with your grower profile, which you need to create separately on the Growers page. As a market manager who is also a grower, you'll need to:

  1. Go to the Growers page and create a grower profile
  2. Associate your user account with that grower profile
  3. Choose a farm/grower name that's different from your market name to avoid confusion

Example: If your farm is "Old MacDonald's Farm", consider naming your market "Old MacDonald's Farm Market" to keep things clear for customers.

Note: Regular growers already have their accounts associated with their profiles—only market managers need to do this extra step.

Q: Can I add products before inviting other growers?

A: Absolutely! Many market managers start by listing their own products first, then invite other growers once they've tested the system.

Q: What if I'm ONLY a market manager and don't grow anything?

A: That's fine too! Skip this step and move directly to Step 4 (Configure Essential Settings) and Phase 3 (Grower Onboarding) to invite growers to your market.

Step 4: Configure Essential Settings

Navigate to Admin → Market Settings and configure:

📝 Basic Information

  • Market Name: Your official market name
  • Tagline: A brief, catchy description (appears in headers)
  • Full Description: Detailed information about your market
  • Contact Email: Where shoppers can reach you
  • Phone Number: For urgent shopper needs
  • Physical Address: Your market's base location

⏰ Operating Schedule

  • Time Zone: Critical for order cutoffs
  • Season Dates: When your market operates
  • Order Window: Days/times shoppers can shop
  • Order Cutoff: When orders close before pickup
  • Harvest Notification: When growers get their lists

💳 Payment Configuration

  1. Create a Stripe account if you don't have one
  2. Connect Stripe to your LocallyGrown market
  3. Configure payment options:
    • Credit/debit card processing
    • Shopper account balances
    • Market fees (if any)
  4. Set up bank deposits schedule

Step 4: Create Pickup Locations

Go to Admin → Pickup Locations and add:

  • Location Name: Clear, recognizable name
  • Full Address: Include landmarks if helpful
  • Pickup Day/Time: When shoppers collect orders
  • Instructions: Parking, finding the pickup spot, etc.
  • Contact Person: Who's in charge during pickup

📍 Example Pickup Location

Name: Downtown Farmers Pavilion

Address: 123 Main Street (behind City Hall)

Time: Saturdays 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Instructions: Park in Lot B. Look for the LocallyGrown banner at the pavilion entrance. Our team will have your order ready with your name on it.

Phase 3: Grower Onboarding

Your growers are the heart of your market. Help them succeed from day one!

Recruiting Growers

🎯 Target 5-10 Founding Growers

Start with committed growers who understand online sales. Quality over quantity!

📋 Look for Diversity

Mix of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and value-added products creates a complete market.

🤝 Set Clear Expectations

Explain time commitments, technology needs, and your market's standards.

Grower Training Program

Schedule a training session (in-person or virtual) covering:

  1. Platform Basics: Logging in, navigation, and key features
  2. Product Management: Adding products with great photos and descriptions
  3. Inventory Control: Setting quantities and managing availability
  4. Order Processing: Reading harvest lists and preparing orders
  5. Shopper Service: Communication standards and policies

🎓 Training Resources

  • Share the Grower Getting Started Guide
  • Create a simple one-page "cheat sheet" for common tasks
  • Set up a grower group chat for peer support
  • Offer one-on-one help for less tech-savvy growers

Grower Agreement

Establish clear policies in a simple agreement covering:

  • Product quality standards
  • Accurate product descriptions
  • Reliable inventory management
  • Timely order fulfillment
  • Professional shopper communication
  • Market fee structure (if applicable)

Phase 4: Launch Preparation

You're almost there! Let's make sure everything is ready for a smooth launch.

Pre-Launch Checklist

✅ Technical Readiness

✅ Grower Readiness

✅ Marketing Readiness

Soft Launch Strategy

Consider a "soft launch" before going fully public:

  1. Week 1: Friends & family only - iron out any kinks
  2. Week 2: Limited public launch - monitor and adjust
  3. Week 3: Full public launch with marketing push

⚠️ Common Launch Mistakes to Avoid

  • Launching with too few products or growers
  • Not testing the full order-to-pickup process
  • Insufficient promotion before launch
  • Unclear pickup instructions
  • No backup plan for technical issues

Launch Week Activities

Make your launch week special and build momentum!

📅 Monday - Open for Orders

  • Send launch announcement email
  • Post on all social media channels
  • Alert local media contacts
  • Monitor for technical issues

📅 Tuesday-Wednesday - Build Momentum

  • Share grower spotlights
  • Post product highlights
  • Respond to shopper questions
  • Track order numbers

📅 Thursday - Order Cutoff

  • Send last-chance reminder
  • Close orders on time
  • Generate harvest lists
  • Confirm with all growers

📅 Friday - Preparation Day

  • Growers harvest and pack
  • Prepare pickup area
  • Print shopper lists
  • Brief pickup volunteers

📅 Saturday - First Pickup!

  • Arrive early to set up
  • Welcome shoppers warmly
  • Take photos for social media
  • Gather feedback

Post-Launch: Building Success

Congratulations on launching! Now let's build on that momentum.

Week 1 Follow-Up

  • Send thank-you email to all shoppers
  • Survey shoppers for feedback
  • Debrief with growers
  • Address any issues that arose
  • Plan improvements for week 2

Ongoing Growth Strategies

📈 Add Growers Gradually

Onboard 1-2 new growers monthly as demand grows

🎯 Focus on Shopper Experience

Smooth operations build loyalty and word-of-mouth

📱 Maintain Active Communication

Weekly newsletters and social media keep engagement high

📊 Track Your Metrics

Monitor sales, shopper growth, and grower satisfaction

Ready to Launch Your Market?

You have everything you need to create a thriving online farmers market. Let's get started!

Create Your Market Detailed Settings Guide Get Support