APPLY NOW: Step Up with Crafty Fox Market

Are you in your first year of running a creative business?
Step Up is a new development programme from Crafty Fox Market designed to support early career artists, makers and designers as they take their next step.

We’re offering 12 places to creatives who are at the beginning of their journey and ready to grow. We are offering the opportunity to trade at one of our most exciting venues, alongside tailored learning and mentoring support.

What’s included?

A trading opportunity at the National Theatre: Be part of our market on Sunday 16 August 2026, taking place in the ground floor foyer of this iconic South Bank venue. A major cultural destination overlooking the Thames, with additional activity including a props and costume sale, a Crafty Fox Market sample and seconds sale and outdoor activations drawing in visitors across the day.

Online learning sessions: Practical, honest sessions led by Sinead & Catherine (the CFM team), covering key areas like pricing, display, branding and selling in person.

Promotion: We’ll champion you as part of the programme, featuring your work across Crafty Fox Market’s social channels and in our newsletter to introduce you to our audience.

1:1 mentoring: You’ll be matched with a Crafty Fox Market member for mentoring sessions, giving you personalised support and insight from an experienced trader.

Who it’s for?

Step Up is for makers who are:

  • In their first or second year of business

  • Creating a cohesive, small collection with original ideas

  • New to Crafty Fox Market (you must not have traded with us before)

We’re looking for creatives who are ready to make the most of this opportunity whether that’s testing your products in a retail environment, refining your brand, or building confidence selling in person.

Applications are open from 25th April and applications close on 5th May.

What are we looking for in your work?

  • Original work which is either handmade by you or produced in the UK on a small scale using your original designs

  • The markets have a modern aesthetic so consider if your brand has the crafty feel we are looking for - you will find plenty of examples of traders and products at our market on our Facebook and Instagram pages

  • Our events are curated to ensure a balanced mix of traders that will appeal to our audience. We will do our best to spread the opportunity to as many selected traders as possible.

  • We do NOT accept food or drink vendors, vintage traders or re-sellers

  • We are specifically keen to welcome traders who are able to incorporate an element of demonstration or personalisation to their stand. Shoppers love to see the story behind your work and how an item is created, which helps them to feel connected to your products and encourages purchase. Please think about how you could incorporate this into your market stall and make the shopping experience more experiential.

  • Please note, this market is advertised as a Sample & Seconds Sale. However, Step Up traders can sell their original ranges. You do not need to discount items for this market.

KEY INFORMATION ABOUT THE VENUE, MARKET AND PRICING: 

The National Theatre

When: Sunday 16th August, 10am - 4pm

Where: National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, SE1 9PX. The market will take place in the ground floor foyer. We are thrilled to host our first market at The National Theatre, a prestigious cultural institution overlooking the Thames. Alongside the market, the National Theatre will be a hosting a props and costume sale from previous productions, as well as, activations like an outdoor food market.

Timings: Set up from 9am, market open from 10am-4pm.

Transport: Nearest station Waterloo and Embankment

Unloading / parking: Loading bay 100m from venue, traders will need to find their own parking. Car park available on site which can be booked through the National Theatre.

What’s provided: 6ft trestle table and chairs are provided. Please note: there might be some slight variations in the tables provided.

Why trade: This market is at a well-known cultural institution with lots of activations for the summer months including their own props & costume sales to attract customer. Samples and seconds sales are a great way to clear stock in the summer ahead of preparing for the Christmas period.

Programme cost: £120 incl. VAT. This includes trading slot, promotion and learning sessions.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON OUR CANCELLATION POLICY

As a small business ourselves, we spend a significant amount of time negotiating with a venue, securing trading dates, managing the applications for a market and publicising the event and we can find ourselves in a tricky situation in the event of a cancellation.

If your application is successful but subsequently you are unable to attend, we will reference our terms of trading in your refund. If it is more than 30 days before the event, we will refund stall fees minus a £20 administration fee. If it is between 14 - 30 days before the event, we will refund 50% of stall fees. No refunds will be provided if less than 14 days notice is provided regardless of the circumstances.

In the event of a market date being cancelled by us due to forces beyond our control, we will offer a refund on your trading fees, minus £25 per trader. We hope you understand our reasons for doing this and thank you for your consideration.

HOW TO APPLY:

By applying for a place at Crafty Fox Market, you are agreeing to our terms of trading and cancellation policy. Please take a moment to read these.

We very much look forward to receiving your application and endeavour to come back to you with a response within 10 days of applications closing. Please ensure catherine.palmer@craftyfoxmarket.co.uk is received by your primary inbox as email is our method of communication with traders.