Visual Design Expert Helps Market Vendors

Lee Lang-ju's job is to spruce up outdoor famers' markets, and she has clearly studied the subject in depth. "Fish look a lot fresher laid out diagonally, and mellowed persimmons look better and sell better if you pile them up on top of green plastic bags rather than in red plastic baskets", she says.

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"Simple changes can make a big difference. Changing the color of plastic bags, and changing the order of display on the shelves can dramatically boost sales".

Lee describes herself as a "visual merchandizing specialist".

She spent over a decade trying to maximize the appeal of luxury goods in department stores, but one day decided to help small stallholders or street vendors at farmers' markets who struggle to make ends meet.

"I wanted to share my know-how with traders who are struggling to compete with big supermarket chains", she says. "People go to restaurants that appear to sell delicious food, not necessarily restaurants that actually make delicious food. Equally, they go into shops that look like they're selling pretty clothes, whether the clothes are actually pretty or not. I'd like market traders to understand how that works".

Lee started on her own at first, but with support from the Small and Medium Business Administration, she now does consultancy work nationwide, helping many stallholders to achieve great success over the last eight years.

She has now published a book that brings together everything she knows. After visiting 150 markets in Europe, India, Nepal, South America and Turkey she concludes that they have great potential for growth.

"Farmers' markets or flea markets should offer unique and special goods that can't be found in big supermarkets and department stores, just like Boqueria Market in Barcelona or the central market in Kraków, Poland, which has over 500 years of history", she says.