The roadside
stand is as common a site in rural America as the
lemonade stand is in the city. Whenever someone's garden produces a surplus of
produce the farmers drags out an old card table, loads it
down with baskets of fruit and vegetables and slaps a for
sale sign in front of it. The same roadside stand that
you use to sell your extra fruit and vegetables can also
be used to sell your excess honey that you've collected
fro, your bee hive.
When you are getting ready to set up your roadside stand
you need to make sure that you have a sign indicating
that you are selling honey. The sign should be simple.
The letters should be clearly printed with ink or paint
the contrasts with he background of the sign. The sign
should be large enough the people driving past your
house should be able to easily read the sign as they
drive past your roadside stand. Make sure that sign can
be easily seen from the road. Keep the writing simple,
the sign you are using to advertise your roadside stand
is not the place to practice your writing skills. People
who total their cars trying to read a long winded spiel
on a piece of cardboard generally aren't good customers.
Don't get cute and draw a picture of a bee on your sign,
people might misunderstand and think that you are
warning them of a potential attack.
Before you set out your honey take a second and examine
it. Make sure that the honey has been strained. There
shouldn't be any dirt, clumps of wax or other foreign
materials in your honey. Take a minute and wipe the
outside of the container with a wet washcloth and remove
and indication of spills. Make sure that the container
is dry before you expose it to dust.
If possible offer your customers various forms of honey.
Give them the opportunity to purchase jars of honey that
you extracted from the honeycombs and also invite them
to purchase a honey comb that still has the honey
entombed behind the wax plugs.
Offer your clients a variety of sizes of containers of
honey. Some people will shy away from purchasing large
containers of honey because they are afraid that the
honey will crystallize before they have an opportunity
to use it.
Don't be afraid to market other produce alongside your
honey. Feel free to sell cut flowers, sweet corn, or
banana peppers. Different foods, in a a variety of
colors will give your roadside stand an artistic flavor.
If possible try to set up your roadside stand in a
shaded section of your front yard. The shade will make
your produce appear fresher and will also encourage
customers to linger over the merchandise. If you notice
that your merchandise is starting to look tired, replace
it.
If you are selling vegetables don't be afraid to spritz
the vegetables with a find mist of water. The water will
look fresher if they are occasionally watered.
Feel free to mingle with your customers. Customers are
more likely to make return trips to a roadside stand if
the owner is cheerful and friendly.