We sell every Sunday at the Yachats Farmers Market on the Oregon Coast.
And if you've ever spent much time on the Oregon Coast, you know the weather has a personality all its own. It's not "the beach". 😉
One day it's sunny and 70° with barely a breeze.
The next it's 50°, sunny, and blowing 30 mph.
Or maybe it's sideways rain.
Or all three—within the same 24 hours.
Welcome to coastal PNW!
If you're an artist or vendor who sells at outdoor markets, you've probably seen the videos online of windstorms ripping through festivals. Tents go flying, displays crash to the ground, inventory gets damaged, and sometimes people get hurt.
They're dramatic to watch...
...until it's your booth.
One of the benefits of living on the West Coast is that we generally don't have to worry about tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. And, we usually have plenty of warning about storms. But we do have our own weather challenges:
- Coastal winds
- Summer heat (we've written about how we stay cool at markets too)
- Wildfire smoke
- Plenty of rain.
If you're going to sell outdoors, learning how to prepare for those conditions is simply part of the job. (If you're still figuring out which markets are worth your time, check out our post on why staying local works for us.)
Start With a Quality Tent
Your canopy is one of the most important investments you'll make.
If money were no object, many professional vendors would recommend something like a Trimline. They're incredibly well-built, have a steel frame, and are designed to withstand years of outdoor events.
Unfortunately, many small businesses simply can't justify spending that kind of money.
Fortunately, there are affordable heavy-duty pop-up canopies available from companies like Eurmax, ABC Canopy, and E-Z Up. (You don't want a cheap canopy with slanted legs and a paper-thin top.)
The important thing to understand is that these companies often sell different products—usually a standard model and a "Pro" model.
The professional versions are often built with heavier frames, stronger joints, thicker canopies, and more durable sidewalls designed to stand up to repeated use in less-than-perfect weather.
If you regularly sell at outdoor events, investing in a heavy-duty canopy is money well spent, even though the standard models are quite good as well. We have a standard Eurmax tent that has held up through 3+ seasons on the Oregon Coast.
Tent Weights Are NOT Optional
If you only remember one thing from this article, let it be this:
Every single outdoor tent should have properly attached tent weights.
Not sitting beside the leg.
Not a 10 lb dumbbell or a gallon jug filled with water.
Not weights loosely hanging from a corner.
Weights should be properly attached to every leg of the canopy.
Even if the forecast looks calm.
Wind can arrive without warning, and one strong gust is all it takes to turn a tent into a giant kite.
There simply isn't an excuse for setting up without adequate weights.
Our Biggest Display Mistake
Since we started, we used sidewalls on our tent at the Yachats Farmers Market.
The goal was simple.
Protect our jewelry and sea glass art from the coastal weather.
Our booth looked beautiful.
We had necklace busts, taller displays, elevated sea glass art, and everything looked polished and professional.
There was just one problem.
On windy days, our booth would turn into a sail boat!
Every gust of wind made the sidewalls billow inward, pushing against displays and making us constantly worry about what might fall next.
Instead of enjoying the market, Will and I found ourselves watching the weather all day.
Selling became stressful.
Our "Why Didn't We Do This Sooner?" Moment
We recently decided to completely rethink our display.
Instead of displaying jewelry on busts, risers and elevated fixtures, we tried a mostly flat-lay display.
Everything stayed on the tables.
The necklace busts disappeared.
Our sea glass art stayed flat.
Tall displays were removed.
Honestly?
Within the first market, both of us looked at each other and said:
"Why didn't we do this sooner?"
The difference was incredible.
We weren't constantly chasing displays.
We weren't worried every time the wind picked up.
The booth actually became more relaxing to work in.
And honestly, a calmer booth is a better shopping experience for customers too — something we wrote about in Come On In! Tips To Encourage Customers To Shop In Your Booth.
I'll include photos below showing our previous setup compared to our new flat-lay display.
Wind-Proofing Your Booth
One of the biggest lessons we've learned is that wind-proofing your booth isn't just about your tent—it's about everything inside it, too.
When you're setting up for a windy market, ask yourself one simple question:
"If a 30 mph wind gust hit right now, what would move?"
If the answer is "quite a bit," it's probably worth making a few adjustments.
Keep Everything Low
The lower your displays, the more stable they'll be.
Tall displays catch the wind and tip over much more easily.
Keeping your inventory at table height can dramatically reduce stress on windy days.
Move Tall Displays Away From Tent Walls
If you do use taller displays, avoid placing them directly against the tent walls.
As your canopy flexes in the wind, those walls can push into your displays and create a domino effect.
Move them toward the center whenever possible.
Secure Displays to Your Tables
Anything that can slide eventually will.
You could use industrial-strength Velcro to secure necklace busts and certain display pieces to tables or risers.
Museum putty or removable mounting putty also works well for lightweight display items.
Control Your Sidewalls
If you're using sidewalls, don't let them flap freely.
We use bungee cords attached to the tent legs to keep the walls snug and reduce how much they billow inward.
It isn't perfect, but it makes a noticeable difference.
Think About Everything That Can Fly
It's not just your tent.
Price tags.
Business cards.
Signs.
Tablecloths.
Shopping bags.
Lightweight displays.
On especially windy days, we keep signage to a minimum because even signs can become projectiles.
Keep Heavy Items on the Bottom
If you're using shelves or tiered displays, place heavier items lower and lighter items higher.
A lower center of gravity makes everything more stable.
Do a Wind Walk
Before customers arrive, take one lap around your booth.
Gently shake a display.
Push on a tent leg.
Look up at anything hanging.
It's much easier to discover a weak spot before the first big gust than after.
Accept That Something Might Still Blow Away
Even after years of experience, Mother Nature still wins occasionally.
A price tag might escape.
A business card might visit the neighboring booth.
A shopping bag may decide it wants to see the ocean.
That's part of selling outdoors.
The goal isn't to make your booth completely windproof.
It's to make it safe, stable, and enjoyable to work in.
A Few Things That Help Us
In addition to our tent weights, we also use Eurmax side support bars to stiffen the frame of our canopy.
Those extra support bars make a noticeable difference in our tent stability during sustained coastal winds.
We've also simplified our booth considerably.
On windy days, we often skip extra signage altogether.
The less there is to catch the wind, the less there is to worry about.
Coastal winds have a habit of picking up right around closing time, so Will and I have a plan for packing up quickly and efficiently:
- Valuables first — always in sturdy waterproof totes
- Displays next
- Tent last — Pro tip: Don't remove weights off your tent until you are totally ready to pack up and have HANDS ON. You don't want your canopy to go flying!
Knowing exactly what gets packed up first and in what order takes the stress out of a rushed teardown.
Our simplified and wind-proof booth plan is now quicker and easier to set up and tear down.
If you're still figuring out what to bring and sell, our post on Make What Sells is a good place to start.
Don't Forget Liability Insurance
One of my biggest fears isn't losing inventory.
It's having something from our booth injure a customer.
A flying sign.
A collapsing display.
Or even an airborne tent.
That's why every outdoor vendor should carry business liability insurance.
Many larger art festivals require proof of insurance before you're allowed to participate.
Even if your local market doesn't require it, the peace of mind is well worth it.
Hopefully you'll never need it.
But if something unexpected happens, you'll be glad you have it.
Sometimes the Smartest Decision Is Staying Home
One thing we appreciate about being regular vendors at both the Corvallis Makers Market and the Yachats Farmers Market is flexibility.
As long as we communicate with the market managers and our customers ahead of time, missing a week because of extreme weather usually isn't a problem.
And honestly?
Missing an occasional market won't make or break our business.
We're constantly watching the weather forecast.
If Yachats is predicting gale-force winds or sideways rain, we'll usually stay home.
If Corvallis is expected to hit 100° or a major storm is moving in, we'll stay home.
Selling in Yachats means a 90-minute drive each way.
To be set up for a 9:00 a.m. opening, we're leaving home around 6:00 a.m.
I'd much rather make the decision to stay home than spend the day fighting weather with very few customers. We've written more about this in Vendors! Is It Ever OK To Leave An Event Early?
Final Thoughts
After years of selling outdoors, we've realized that success isn't about having the fanciest booth.
It's about having a booth that's safe.
A booth that protects your inventory.
A booth that protects your customers.
A booth that allows you to enjoy the market instead of worrying every time the wind blows.
For us, that meant changing the way we displayed our jewelry and sea glass art.
It meant simplifying.
It meant accepting that practical is sometimes better than pretty.
And honestly...
I wish we'd made those changes years ago.
Curious what actually moves at markets? Check out What Actually Sold Best at Markets in 2025 for a look at what's been working for us.
Windy Market Checklist
Before you head to your next outdoor event, here's a quick checklist:
- ✅ Heavy-duty canopy
- ✅ Tent weights on every leg (25-50lb PER leg)
- ✅ Side support bars or stabilizers
- ✅ Low-profile displays
- ✅ Velcro or museum putty for displays
- ✅ Bungee cords for sidewalls and hanging displays
- ✅ Minimal signage on windy days
- ✅ Business liability insurance
- ✅ Check the weather forecast before leaving home
- ✅ Know when it's smarter to stay home
The weather is one thing you'll never control.
Being prepared is.