278,700 Artisans in 2025: Where to Sell?

278,700. That's the number of new artisan businesses created in France in 2025, according to the Institute of Higher Trades. A historic record, +11% compared to 2024.

Among them, around 120,000 businesses in arts and crafts: jewelers, ceramicists, textile designers, leather workers...

The problem? These creators need to sell. And for many, markets and fairs remain the main sales channel.

The New Artisan Profile

The 2025 artisan doesn't look like the 1990 one. According to the ISM/MAAF barometer:

• 82% of craft artisans are micro-entrepreneurs

• Southern regions (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie) are champions

• Rural areas (Lot, Ariège, Creuse, Hautes-Alpes) have the highest concentrations

• Average age is dropping: many career changes

This new artisan is often:

• A former executive changing careers

• Trained late in craft trades

• Very present on Instagram

• Looking for their first market

The Distribution Problem

Creating beautiful objects is one thing. Selling them is another.

Available sales channels:

• E-commerce (Etsy, own website): requires time, marketing skills, and commissions eat margins

• Maker boutiques: few, very selective

• Galleries: reserved for established artists

• Markets and fairs: accessible, but highly variable quality

The village Christmas market is fine for selling knitted hats. Less so for a ceramicist offering 150€ pieces.

What Artisans Really Want

I talked with creators who do the market circuit. What emerges:

Qualified audience. Selling to people looking for craftsmanship, not tourists passing without looking.

Proper conditions. A sheltered stand, electricity, sufficient lighting. Not a wobbly table under a leaking awning.

Reasonable pricing. 150 to 300€ for a weekend, not 500€ to fund village decorations.

Selection. Being next to a Chinese sock reseller kills the image.

The Urban Maker Market Model

Initiatives like Made in Montreuil, Marché des Créateurs (Lyon), or Les Puces du Design understood the formula:

• Strict selection (original creations only)

• Targeted communication (social media, local press)

• Quality space (unusual venue, careful decor)

• Fair pricing (150-250€ per weekend)

Result: creator waiting lists to exhibit, audience showing up, satisfactory revenues for artisans.

Organizing a Viable Maker Market

Selection, the Key

Refusing 50% of applications is normal. Criteria:

• Original creation (no resale)

• Manufacturing quality (photos of work in progress)

• Event coherence (no 5€ costume jewelry at a high-end market)

A jury of 3-4 people (recognized artisans, gallery owners, design journalists) to avoid cronyism.

Financial Balance

For a 50-exhibitor market over 2 days:

Revenues:

• Stands (50 × 200€): 10,000€

• Visitor entry (2000 × 3€): 6,000€

• Bar/food service (30% margin): 3,000€

• Local sponsors: 2,000€

• Total: 21,000€

Expenses:

• Venue rental: 3,000€

• Communication: 2,500€

• Insurance: 500€

• Security: 1,500€

• Logistics (tables, chairs, lighting): 2,000€

• Decoration: 1,000€

• Staff (temps): 2,000€

• Contingency: 1,500€

• Total: 14,000€

Margin: 7,000€ (33%)

It's profitable from the first edition if well executed.

The Venue Does Half the Work

A maker market in a multipurpose hall is sad. The same market in:

• A former industrial workshop

• A mansion courtyard

• A private garden

• A historic hall

... and you have an Instagram-friendly event that promotes itself.

The Notre-Dame Effect

The ISM/MAAF barometer notes an interesting phenomenon: built heritage trades are exploding. Carpenters, glass artists, stone cutters, organ makers... Notre-Dame's reconstruction created a "pull effect".

These trades are less visible at classic maker markets. But there's an opportunity: craft trade days, workshop open houses, heritage shows.

Adapted Digitalization

Maker markets have their specificities:

What works:

• Online ticketing (avoids entry queue)

• Exhibitor map on smartphone

• Market Instagram (reposts of present creators)

• Shareable professional photos

What's superfluous:

• Dedicated app

• Cashless (artisans manage their own payments)

• Electronic badge

For Organizers: Mistakes to Avoid

Accepting Everyone

"We have empty spots, let's fill them." No. A market with 30 good creators beats a market with 50 exhibitors including 20 resellers.

Underestimating Communication

A Facebook post 3 days before isn't communication. Start 2 months ahead. Present creators one by one. Tell stories.

Neglecting Exhibitor Comfort

The artisan who spent 2 days poorly set up, feet in dampness, won't come back. And they'll tell their colleagues.

Forgetting Follow-Up

The day after the event, send exhibitors an email: thanks, attendance statistics, next edition date. Simple but so rare.

Craftsmanship Needs Showcases

120,000 craft businesses in France. Thousands of creators looking for places to show their work.

Well-organized maker markets are an answer. Not the only one, but an accessible and profitable answer.

The challenge for organizers: position yourself as a quality reference. Be the market where creators want to exhibit and where the public knows they'll find real gems.

It requires rigor in selection, care in execution, and consistency in communication.

But the potential is there. Artisans are waiting.

Sources: ISM/MAAF Barometer 2025, CMA Île-de-France Key Figures 2025