I launched my cute pink bakery cart in the fall of 2023.
I had spent the prior year attending the farmer's market twice per week for six months straight and I was a bit burnt out.
Grateful for sure, but still burnt out.
Always looking for a way to work smarter, not harder, I decided to offer porch pick-up.
That evolved to building my pink cart as a way to entice people to my property which was a bit remote.
The cart was a hit and, eventually, I took it off my own property and placed it in public places.
There were many advantages to selling out of my cart versus the farmer's market. Here's a few...
- Time: The market was 5 hours long whereas my cart is out for two hours only.
- Appeal: People are very excited about a cute cart parked in town (or even on your property) filled with sweet treats
- Mental Fatigue: As an introverted baker, I was already tired before even getting to the market. So spending the day socializing was often a lot for me.
So just how do you start a bakery cart? Here are a few steps:
- Check your state's laws. In CA., we are considered street vendors and can place our cart in unincorporated public areas. Each state is different though.
- If your state does not allow you to park in public places, find out if you can at least place it on your own property.
- Determine how you will build or purchase your cart. I'm hoping to provide plans at some point for mine but, in the meantime, there are some good plans on Etsy for building a mobile farm stand which is very similar.
- Determine what baked goods you will sell in your cart.
- Ensure your baked goods are tamper proof and labeled appropriately.
- Determine if you will stay with your cart or leave it unattended (I leave mine but am always parked nearby).
- Determine how you will display prices or if you will operate on an honor system or "pay what you can" model.
- Determine how payment will be made (will you have a cash box, QR codes for Venmo/PayPal, etc.)
- Determine how you will advertise. The best way I've found is through your community Facebook page. Word spreads quickly.
- Determine what signs you may need at or near your cart so people understand what to do (I used large cafe signs I purchased on Amazon).
Okay, hope that helps! All in all, I highly recommend this model of selling for a home baker. If you need a bit more information, please visit my Cart FAQ as well as my Bakery Cart Page.