Fair Fair Fair

These women entrepreneurs can’t afford to attend the annual city fair, so arrange a mini fair for their own.

Today, I am at a 10-day fair arranged by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce Ltd. Around 60+ businesses attended, selling food, sarees, cheap toys, etc. As always, most sellers are women, the selling items are females, and visitors are female with their kids.

The stall space is tiny, with 2 chairs and a table for product display. Sellers daily sell around 10-20k per day. On Friday and Saturday, it goes 50k+. For a small women businessperson, it’s huge! If they manage to attend 2-3 fairs in a week, profits are 30k+/-. Sometimes a banker can’t earn that much in a month.

From last month, we are taking advantage of these mini fairs. Male clothing sellers don’t attend these fairs. So, when we attend, we are the only male item seller. I know it feels like a monopoly, a good feeling 😬.

Customer: Most visitors are couples and families. Women buy tees for husbands, sons, fathers. As their habit, they bargain too much. We say 300 tk each, and they offer 300 for 2 pcs.

City authorities annually arrange 2-3 Mega fairs for a month-long where 200+ businesses attend. But, for small business owners, especially women entrepreneurs, can’t afford these fairs’ rent.

These small fairs are a great way to reach local customers and market. For locals, another way to spend good time with family and waste time annoying stall owners.