Kommune for makers' markets
A market that keeps selling between Saturdays
Each maker runs their own shop on the market's website, and the market rents out its tents and tables from the same place. Shoppers fill one cart from several stalls, pay once and pick up at the next market or have it shipped, while every maker is paid directly.
Sample business · Harbour Makers Market
Why it matters
What holds a makers' market back
- Sales stop when the stalls close
- Regulars message a maker about the mug they saw last month, and visitors from out of town can't buy at all. Without a shared online shop, the market only sells a few hours a week.
- Every maker on a different app
- One maker sells through social media, another takes e-Transfers by text, a third has a site nobody finds. Shoppers can't browse the market as a whole, and the organizer can't see what's selling.
- Gear lent out on a handshake
- The market's tents, tables and shared pottery wheel go out on a spreadsheet and a promise. Double bookings, late returns and missing weights come out of the organizer's pocket.
A day with Kommune
A week at Harbour Makers Market
The sample market runs the way a small Halifax makers' market with four resident makers would on Kommune. Here's how it's set up and what happens from a shopper's first visit to their review.
- 1
The market opens its online shop
The organizer turns on Marketplace, allows pickup, local delivery and shipping, and shows items on the market's website. The market's own shop sells tote bags and gift boxes with HST added, and rents out tents, tables, display panels, canopy weights and a pottery wheel.
- 2
Each maker sets up their stall
A potter, a weaver, a woodworker and a jam maker each choose how they take payment, a pickup at their market stall, their shipping rates and their return policy, then list their work with photos, a price and how many they have.
- 3
A shopper fills one cart from several stalls
From the homepage, a shopper adds a mug, a set of linen tea towels and two jars of haskap jam. The cart groups them by maker and shows each one's delivery options, with the date each order would be ready or arrive.
- 4
One checkout, each maker paid
At checkout they choose pickup from the potter and the weaver, shipping from the jam maker and how to pay each one, then type their card once. Each maker's share is charged on their own Stripe account, and anyone who'd rather pay in person can choose cash or e-Transfer.
- 5
Pickup with a handover code
When the mug is ready, the potter marks the order Ready and the shopper gets the stall's address. At the market they show their 6-digit code, the potter types it in and the order is complete. The jam ships with a tracking number the shopper can follow.
- 6
A tent for the weekend, then a review
A visiting maker rents two tents for an outdoor market: they pick Friday to Monday on the calendar, pay the rent and a deposit and collect them at the market hall. When the tents come back, the organizer checks them in and the deposit is returned. After each completed order, buyers rate the seller.
How the sample is set up
How Harbour Makers Market is set up
Five shops, twenty items for sale, five things to rent and a handful of rules. Open the sample and fill a cart to see each one at work.
Shops and rentals
The market's own shop
5 rentals · from $5 a day
Market tents, folding tables, gridwall panels, canopy weights and a pottery wheel to rent by the day or week with a refundable deposit, plus tote bags and gift boxes. HST added; pickup at the market hall or delivery in Halifax.
Ceramics
6 pieces · from $28
Wheel-thrown mugs, bud vases, a pour-over dripper, serving bowls, plate sets and a one-of-a-kind moon jar that has already sold. Pickup at the potter's stall or shipping across Canada.
Textiles and woodwork
8 pieces · from $32
Hand-woven scarves, table runners, tea towels and mittens from the weaver; cutting boards, serving spoons and a step stool from the woodworker, who also delivers in Halifax.
Preserves and treats
4 items · from $9
Haskap and wild blueberry jam, sea salt caramels and spiced pickled beans in small batches, picked up at the market or shipped, with free shipping over $60.
Settings that do the work
- Members can sell from their own shop; the market's shop is run by the organizer and anyone allowed to sell for it.
- Card, cash and e-Transfer on every shop, with card sales charged on each seller's own Stripe account.
- Pickup at each maker's stall, with the address sent once the order is ready, and shipping across Canada set by each maker.
- Local delivery in Halifax (postal codes starting with B3) for rentals and large pieces.
- Rentals with a refundable deposit, a minimum of two days on the pottery wheel, a day between rentals on the tents and the wheel for checks and cleaning, and rental terms the renter accepts at checkout.
- HST of 14% added on the market's own shop, while the makers, as small suppliers, charge none. Returns within 14 days on ceramics, textiles and woodwork, none on food.
Sample sites are real Kommune sites set up as fictional businesses. Try everything — the last step shows a demo notice instead of booking, ordering or charging anything.
Questions people ask
Start taking bookings this afternoon
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