The first week of April for our team at Trance Terra passed away in the blink of an eye. 

Why you ask? 

Because we participated in our very first flea market!!! 

And we had the greatest time! 

The week preceding the flea market weekend was filled with planning – we went to the wildly colorful wholesale markets of Mumbai, bought all that we required to set up our stall, designed our banners, the look and feel of the stall, arranged our products in neat piles at our Mumbai office – really planned everything to the T. The entire team – from our factory at Hamrapur to our office in Mumbai – participated in the flea in some way or another. This market was a two-day affair and we participated on both the days – 2^nd and 3^rd of April, 2022.

This flea market felt like Trance Terra’s foray into the world of buyers and we really wanted to put our best foot forward.

Then came the 2^nd of April and we were all up at dawn, prepping to set our stall on the lawns of the exceptional JW Marriot at Sahar. We loaded our car with our setup for our terracotta cookware, our terracotta lights and our beloved Ganesha terracotta idols, and many more. One of our people had already reached the venue and made it easy for the rest of us to enter and arrange without much hassle. We only had a couple of hours before the flea market would be ‘infested with flea’ so many of the participants had begun setting up their tables and their merchandise. And although the April sun bore on us its wrath, we couldn’t help but feel the excitement all around us. People were laughing, looking around other stalls, talking to their neighbors and working all the while too! It really was evident that people had been looking forward to some newness after two long years of Covid and the heat and humidity weren’t going to bring them down.

We were stationed close to the stage and the food stalls. That meant that there was good music all around us and the mouthwatering aromas of the Marriot catering. Visitors began trickling in smaller groups in the late evening and looked around the grounds and eventually settled themselves by the food and drinks stall. Once the night fell, the groups got larger, the music louder and people more engaging.

There were many people who visited us and we were very excited and humbled to have them ask us questions about terracotta, its benefits, and how we make our products. Our founder, Mrs. Arundhati Badhe was also manning the stall and she delved deep into answering the most wide-ranging questions from curious first-timers. Many visitors nodded in agreement and many asked more questions. We had been looking for to similar interaction with people at the flea and we were elated that we got a chance to speak with our buyers. Visitors of all ages engaged with our products – they praised the finishes of Trance Terra cookware and the intricate designs of our terracotta idols and tea lights.

Our Trance Terra terracotta curd setter turned out to be the stars for both the nights and we sold out two of our models, namely Yogurt Bay and Dahi Dewangi. Our terracotta water bottle was a close second and many thought of it as their foray into the world of terracotta. We also made a great sale of our terracotta teacups and coffee mugs – we had placed our bets on them since they are a classic! Our Lotus agarbati holder and our tea lights were also a hit with people.  

Our terracotta curd setter, Yogurt Bay became our best seller. It is the perfect addition to your kitchen and fits over a litre of curd. Its lightweight and excellently finished by our team with their hands. Terracotta is a natural material and thus contains no harmful chemicals or colours. 

All in all, our flea market experience was very fulfilling. We found out what we did right and what we could improve on. We learned that people are curious and became invested when we engaged with them. We were praised by many for on our efforts towards making environment-friendly terracotta artifacts, and helping and enriching the lives of the tribals we work alongside with. We got a chance to meet many artists like us and many businesses that started small and are working towards growing steadfastly. We also learned a few different ways of working around our customers, which turned out to be the greatest lesson we could take away.

This flea market has definitely given us a boost of confidence and an indication of what we can expect further on. We will strive to continue on this journey!