GENERAL VENDOR REGULATIONS

ATTENDANCE: Vendor participation in the Chattanooga Market is solely the discretion of the Market management. There is no implied “right” to participate and none will be protected. A vendor’s participation is on a week-to-week basis and either party may terminate that agreement at anytime. Professional behavior and compliance to market policies are expected of all vendors.

BOOTH  SHARING: Booth sharing will be allowed by special request and Market management approval. One vendor per booth space. The market will always keep costs as low as possible for individual vendors.

CANCELLATION  POLICY: You may cancel a booth reservation without penalty for any given Sunday as long as the cancellation is received by voicemail or by email prior to 12:00 p.m. on the preceding Thursday.  Lack of notification or messages left after 12:00 p.m. on Thursday for the upcoming Sunday will result in a $50 assessment prior to the vendor returning to the Market. If you reserve a space and do not show you will owe for the date. Exceptions will be made at the discretion of Market Management.

CLEANING: When you check in you will receive a clean section of market space. You will be expected to leave that area in the same condition in which you found it. Please carry out refuse that you bring into the Market. Do not stuff the trashcans with boxes and trash that you have generated during the day. If your space is left disorderly you will be assessed a $30 minimum clean up charge. You will not be permitted to sell at market until the charge is paid.

CREDIT: There will be no credit extended by the Market to its vendors. No one owing money to the Market will be permitted to sell. Unused paid dates will not be carried over into a new Market season. Refunds will not be provided to a vendor who decides that they no longer wish to attend the Market.

DOGS: As of the 2007 Market season the general public will not be permitted to bring their dogs into the Market. In addition, due to health codes, vendors will no longer be permitted to maintain an animal while attending the Market.

ELECTRICITY: Electricity is available on a limited basis upon request. There is only electricity available in approximately 1/3 of the spaces on site.

FIRE CODES: Any booth utilizing an open flame must have a fire extinguisher in your space at all times. If the fire extinguisher is not present you will not be allowed to utilize the flame component of your display or production.

FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS: No business that is a result of a franchise agreement is permitted to sell in the market.

HAWKING: Hawking of products is not permitted in the Chattanooga Market. Hawking is defined as offering goods for sale aggressively by calling out loudly or by making market patrons feel personally confronted.

HOURS: Official hours of operation for the Chattanooga Market are 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. eastern standard time. Vendors must be checked in, have set up fees paid, paperwork completed, and be ready to sell by 11:00 a.m. Vendors are welcome to sell prior to the opening as patrons do come to the Market prior to 11:00 a.m. Vendors who show up late may be turned away and will be charged the assessed the “no show” fee of $50. The Market closes at 4:00 p.m. and vendor booths will be operated until that time. Vacating the Market prior to closing will result in a suspension of your vending privileges, change in your vending status or a financial penalty.

INSURANCE: All Market vendors selling food products will be required to carry liability insurance. All other vendors are encouraged to carry liability insurance in order to protect their business and personal property from potential claims. All vendors carrying liability insurance are encouraged to name the Chattanooga Market as a secondary insured on their policy for the days which they attend the market.

JURYING: Requests should be submitted to the Chattanooga Market directly (see How to become a Vendor). Vendor and product review is under the sole discretion of Market management. The Market reserves the right to revisit prior approvals to the Market at any time.

MATERIAL HANDLING: The Market provides a limited number of carts and pallet jacks to assist in the move-in and move-out processes. Vendors using these items should do so in a timely manner. Do not leave them loaded at your space as you set up your booth. Unload the cart and pass it on to another vendor. To avoid waiting, bring materials to accommodate your own move-in and move-out process. Furniture dollies and hand trucks are compact, lightweight and easily accessible at area retail centers. The carts provided by the Market should be returned to their specific storage locations prior to 11:00 a.m.

MOVE-IN: All booths will be available for set-up beginning at 7:00 a.m. The Market office opens at 8:00 a.m. and those arriving early are expected to check in with the office once it is open. All vendors will need to check in with the market office and pay set-up fees prior to 11:00 a.m. opening. Vendors may drive their vehicles into the Market for set-up as long as the vehicle exits the building no later than 9:00 a.m. Vendors should make every effort to not block others from moving in. Do not allow your vehicle to linger inside thus congesting the aisles for others. Do not park and block the entrance while you check in. The drive-in policy is subject to change based on other events sharing the space with the Market. Additionally, if Market management feels that safety is being compromised or if vendors don’t work with each other through the process the drive-in policy is subject to suspension. Vendors who are moving in from the sides of the building should also avoid clogging of the move-in points. Park and unload in a timely manner the MOVE your vehicle. Agriculture/food vendors move in the front door from Carter Street. All other vendors utilize the side entrances adjoining the parking lots.

MOVE-OUT: No vendor should be breaking down or preparing for move-out prior to 4:10 p.m. Any vendor who violates the move-out policy may forfeit market privileges. No vehicles should be staged adjacent to the building or on sidewalks prior to 4:00 p.m. for the purpose of moving out. Driving personal vehicles into the building following the close of the Market for the purpose of vendor move-out shall not take place prior to 4:45 p.m.

PARKING: After move-in has been completed vendors are expected to park their vehicles to the outskirts of the parking area. Leave the nearest parking spaces for YOUR customers as these spaces will turn over many times a day while you are in your booth space. If you need to park in the handicap spaces along the north side of the pavilion please park near the center leaving the closer spaces for YOUR CUSTOMERS.

PAYMENT POLICY: Your booth space will have to be paid in full prior to your move-in and the Market opening at 11:00 a.m. A vendor is not allowed to sell until their set-up fee is paid.

PRODUCER-ONLY MARKET: The Chattanooga Market is a PRODUCER-ONLY market, which means that you must be directly, and actively, involved the creation of anything sold at the Market.  As this is a fundamental tenet of our marketplace, the penalties for violation are severe: first violation: 8 week suspension, and exclusion from Holiday Market; second violation, suspension for remainder of season; third violation, permanent lifetime ban from The Chattanooga Market.

RESERVATIONS: Once you have been approved as a vendor you may reserve a booth space by voicemail or email. However, reservations other then agriculture vendors for any given Sunday must be received prior to noon on Wednesday. Agriculture reservations must be received prior to noon on Friday. Do not assume that messages left after noon on Friday for the upcoming Sunday will be processed. Assuming you meet the specified deadline you will be notified if for any reason your request for a reservation cannot be accommodated. Be sure to leave the necessary contact information (phone number) with your reservations.

SIGNS & BANNERS: We encourage you to promote your company and/or booth with a sign so that Market patrons can identify your company name. We recommend that the sign reflects the theme of your product(s) and promotes the handcrafted nature of the Market. Large banners must have prior approval of Market management.

SITE VISITS: In the event that Market management wishes to verify that a product being sold at the Market is home-grown or hand-made, vendors must be willing to entertain a site visit to their workshop, kitchen, studio, farm or garden at any time.

SUB-LEASING: You cannot lease your space out to another entity in your absence.

SUPPLIES: Each vendor is expected to provide for his or her own needs with regard to booth operations. The Market does not provide a quartermaster service and the Market storage area is for staff purposes only. It is suggested that you maintain a checklist of items that you may need while selling at Market. Tables, chairs, power cord (if your booth has power) tape, string, clothespins, wipes or paper towels, trash bags, small broom, dustpan, pens, paper calculator, petty cash, retail bags, etc.

TAXES: Chattanooga Market vendors must pay all applicable state and local sales taxes. Any vendor who puts the Market at risk by cheating on taxes will be banned from ever selling at the Market again. It is not required that you have any business license to sell products at the Chattanooga Market. All three local tax bases allow the Market to issue transient vendor processes. To avoid paying these transient fees the Market must have your Tax ID and local business license numbers on file. If you do not have a City of Chattanooga business license the Market will collect $1/day from you. If you do not have a TN tax ID number you will be issued a temporary tax coupon from the department of revenue. These permits are good for calendar month at $5 or a calendar quarter for $15. These permits are to be filed by the vendor at the end of the tax period with the TN Department of Revenue. The sales tax rate in Chattanooga, TN is 9.25%. In the State of Tennessee farmers selling product that they have grown direct to the public are not required to collect sales tax.