Friday Finders Market
Grand Cinema Parking Lot @ 15365 George O'Neal Rd
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Hosted by the Frances Center for Customized Employment, Inc.
Vendor Guidelines
Thank you for your interest in becoming a vendor at the Friday Finders Markets (FFM).This market is being organized to provide a weekly year-round opportunity for local farmers, artists and crafters to offer their goods and wares to the public. The FFM is NOT a flea market for the occasional garage/yard sale vendors. As such, we request and expect that the goods you offer be either homegrown, handmade, homemade, or otherwise refashioned/repurposed goods. The FFM promotes and supports the eco-friendly, green practice of repurposing items for resell that would otherwise fill our landfills. It is not our intention, however, to exclude the home-based small business endeavors that offer goods such as Mary Kay, Tupperware, Scentsy, etc. but will only approve applications from such vendors with products from known origins. Items made by people in foreign countries working in sweat factories for pennies may not be sold at our market. Market Host is the Frances Center for Customized Employment, Inc (FCCE) and we are excited to begin this new venture in the Jones Creek area and your adherence to these guidelines will ensure the success of this new market for all to enjoy!
1) Weekly Rent: All approved vendors who sell goods in the FFM are required to pay rent for the space that they use. Rents due from each approved vendor will be collected during Market hours by the Market Hostess who will be responsible for the recording of all rent due, all rent paid and providing receipts to vendors.
2) Market Location: The FFM will operate in the Jones Creek Business Area in the Grand Cinema Parking Lot. Physical address for the Cinema is 15365 George O’Neal Rd. Baton Rouge, LA 70817. In case of serious inclement weather, the Market will not operate. Vendors and the public will have a hotline number to call for a recorded message as to operations.
3) Hold Harmless Clause and Insurance: All vendors hereby agree to indemnify and save Grand Cinema, Inc., Frances Center for Customized Employment, Inc. and all their employees and/or agents thereof from any loss,costs, damages, and other expenses, including attorney’s fees, suffered or incurred by Grand Cinema, Inc and/or Frances Center for Customized Employment, Inc. by reason of the vendors’ negligence or that of its servants, agents and employees; provided that the vendors shall not be responsible norrequired to indemnify Grand Cinema, Inc. and Frances Center for Customized Employment, Inc. for negligence, its servants, agents, and employees. Because no insurance is provided to participants in the FFM, each vendor should carry his/her own product liability insurance and cover any incidents related to damagecaused to persons or property by a vendor.
4) Space Assignment: The designation and allocation of vending spaces will be the responsibility of the Market Hostess. The Market Hostess will assign spaces on or before Market day. Designated spaces are assigned according to order of paid application received for those vendors that intend to be repeat vendors of the market. Working together is always appreciated. Spaces areassigned based on seniority and regularity of attendance. Tents and umbrellas, as well as vehicles,tables and merchandise are not to extend into the space of another vendor unless otherwise agreed upon by bothparties and the Market Hostess. The Market Hostess has the right to require vendors to change their display ifit is deemed to present a safety risk. A space is generally defined as a space measuring 16 feet by 16 feetdeep (two marked parking spots in the parking lot).
5) Time for set up: The setting up of the Market may begin at 7:30 a.m. on Friday mornings. Vendors must be in theirassigned space no later than 8:45 a.m. Vendors arriving after this time may be excluded from participating in theMarket for that day. Neither selling nor bagging will begin before 9:00 a.m. on Fridays. Selling shall cease at 1:00pm on Fridays.
6) Clean up: All vendors will be responsible for the cleanliness of their selling areas during Market hours. Vendors willclean up their areas at the end of each Market day. All vendors agree to bring a broom and trashcan and keep the Market area free of any debris generated by Market activity. Vendors will not use public trash receptacles for disposalof boxes and other materials. All vendors will load their vehicles and be clear of the parking lot within one hour of close of the Market.
7) Signage: All vendors may display their business name at their booth for the duration of the Market. Vendorsmay also display other licenses or permits by state or local regulatory agencies. All signage is subject to approval of the Market Coordinator.
8) Sales Tax: Each vendor will operate as an individual business entity and as such, each vendor is responsible forcollecting his/her own sales taxes, where applicable. Whereas farmers selling their own produce directly to consumersare exempt from sales taxes, arts and crafts vendors are required to pay sales orother taxes (check the local, state and other applicable regulations and follow rules as they apply to you).
9) Prohibited: Due to potential liability concerns, no firearms and no alcoholic beverages are allowed. Vendors may not bring or keep pets at their vending space (with the exception of seeing-eye dogs).
10) Regulation of Items by Non Vendors: No sale or distribution of goods, food, flyers, or literature will be allowed without prior consent of the Market Hostess. The Market Hostess willexplain to any individual or group who may try to sell or distribute materials at the FFM the process forapplying for membership.
11) Solicitation: There will not be any solicitation or materials for solicitation allowed in the FFM during Markethours without prior approval of the Market Hostess.
12) Violations and Complaints
a) Violations: A vendor that has violated any provision of these guidelines may receive a warning, temporary suspension, orexpulsion from the FFM.
b) Market Host’s Suspension Authority: The Market Hostess will have the authority to warn or temporarilysuspend a vendor for the next Market day, based on the Market Hostess’s personal observation of a violation of theguidelines.
c) Cancellation of Application: FFM reserves the right to cancel the approval of any vendor’s application at anytime if and when FFM finds said vendor in violation of any of the aforementioned guidelines and eligibilityrequirements.
13) Fees: a) Market Space Rental: The FFM needs a stable group of vendors to sell each and every week.Rent is charged to provide sustainability for the Market and promotion of the market to benefit each vendor. Vendors that miss more than 2 consecutive markets will be subject to lose their reserved vendor parking location and will be added to the waiting list for a vendor spot if the market is operating at maximum number of vendors and a waiting list is being generated.
The rent schedule is as follows:
$30 per space per Friday Market day for product vendors.
**Kick-off promotion! This rate will be reduced to only $25 for the opening day July 5 Market for applications with payment received prior to July 1.**
$40 per space per Friday Market day for “ready to eat” food vendors.
**Food vendors must be approved food vendor trucks with permanent licenses to operate, prepare and sell food! Food vendor spots will be limited to only 5 per market and reserved in order of application received.**
$20 per space per Friday Market day for vendors with informational materials only.
**These vendors will not sell any items to the public and will only be allowed to pass out promotional and/or informational materials.**
$20 per space per Friday Market for approved non-profit organizations to sell goods.
**These spots are limited in number and subject to the same guidelines as product vendors. Must provide proof of 501c3 non-profit status. **
b. Application Fee: A refundable application fee of $20 must accompany the attached application form or it will notbe considered. A check or money order made payable to Frances Center for Customized Employment must accompany the application. Payment of theapplication fee guarantees neither approval of the application nor participation in the FFM. Should you not be approved for a Market spot, your application fee can be returned to you or you may request to be added to the waiting list for an upcoming spot. Should you choose to be placed on the waiting list, your application fee will be processed. ONLY in the event that your application is not approved or vendor spaces are all filled will your application fee be returned to you. Should you be awarded a vendor spot and choose not to participate once Markets begin, your application fee WILL NOT be refunded.
By law, vendors who offer items for sale to the public must have a Sales Tax Certificate from the LA Sales Tax Department. It is your responsibility to obtain such certificate or to otherwise report your sales to the LA Dept of Revenue. You should have a copy of your Sales Tax Certificate, if applicable to you, with you at the FFM.
You will be assigned a 16’ x 16’ space (two marked parking spaces) in order of application and application fee payment received. This spot will be yours for the duration of your participation at the FFMs. If at any time you decide you would rather choose another spot, just ask and we will gladly assist you with choosing one that is available. You are welcome, but not required, to set up and use a canopy in your space. We do not provide canopies for vendors. HOWEVER, for public safety, you will be prohibited from setting up a canopy if you do not comply with our requirements as described below:
When selling outdoors, wind is a factor that must be taken into consideration! In order to protect you and everyone around you, your canopy must have a minimum of an 18 pound weight on each of the four legs. This can be accomplished by tying on sand bags or if you choose, you can go to amazon.com and purchase canopy weights. The Palm Springs 4pack of fillable weighted feet is a great product to consider!
There will be no access to electrical power available from FFM as we are in an open parking lot. If you choose to use a generator, that generator must be a minimum of 10feet from your booth as well as others and be a low noise generator. You agree to follow any additional manufacturer’s guidelines as to the safe operation of your generator.
Additional Requirements:
1)If anything occurs that I don’t like or understand, I will not get into a confrontation or argument with anyone. I will immediately let a FCCE hostess know about the problem.
2)I will keep my space clean during each market and will leave my area as clean as it was when I arrived.
3) I accept responsibility for cleaning up any items that are not mine that come into my space during the day.
4)I will prevent all paper, plastic, cardboard, and all miscellaneous matter from leaving my space, and will immediately retrieve any items that have left my space.
5)I will provide my own garbage bags and containers to remove all of my debris, cardboard, fixtures, food, beverage, and miscellaneous matter from the show grounds.
6)I will not use the market’s garbage cans to dispose of any of my items.
7)I will take my items and garbage with me when I leave the parking lot and dispose of them elsewhere.
8)I will not possess, consume or offer for sale any alcoholics, pornographic materials, counterfeit or illegal items while on market grounds.
9) I understand and accept that I must firmly secure my canopies, frames,fixtures, display items, and other objects with heavily weighted materials such as sandbags, heavy duty spikes, cement buckets or bungee cords. I understand and accept that I must take whatever other precautions are necessary in order to prevent wind-blown items from causing personal injury to shoppers or vendors, and that I may be immediately and permanently barred from further participation as a vendor if I fail to comply.
10)Hawking customers, approaching customers outside of my selling area, loud music, or any other actions that legitimately disturb neighboring vendors or the general public are prohibited.
11) I understand and accept that I may only distribute literature from my space, and that I will not hand out literature outside of designated selling area.
12) I understand and accept that if I choose to do so, I am responsible for obtaining my own liability insurance coverage for my personal items.
13)Any vendor offering illegal or counterfeit or bootleg items will be immediately required to break down their display and vacate their space.
There will be no refund or credit issued to offenders.
14) All items offered for sale must conform to Family Values.
15) Misleading sales tactics are prohibited. For example, selling 'Murano' glass jewelry for $10 or less is misleading because legitimate Murano glass sells for well over $50.
By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to abide by these guidelines. As the FFM forms and grows, it is our expectation that these guidelines may be reviewed and altered to suit the needs of our vendors.
We invite you to “Come Grow with Us” and become active in the establishment and operation of this endeavor for the Jones Creek Area! We anticipate the Friday Finders Market becoming a mainstay in the Jones Creek Area benefiting both the small business vendor as well as the local businesses surroundingthe FFM. As such, your input is valuable to us! Feel free to contact the Market Hostess, Jo Monroe (Director of Frances Center for Customized Employment) by email at or stop by FCCE at 14747 Terrell Road and speak with her directly. Applications and mail correspondence should be addressed to: FCCE, 14747 Terrell Rd. Baton Rouge, LA 70816. “LIKE” us on Facebook!!
1