We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jennifer Perkel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jennifer below.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My mission as a farmers market manager and pop-up market organizer is to bring people together and create spaces where the community can connect with amazing local farmers, makers, and small businesses. I work hard to make sure every market is unique and well-curated—so you’re not seeing the same thing at every booth—and that both vendors and customers have a great experience. It’s about supporting local, helping small businesses grow, and giving people a fun, friendly place to shop, meet neighbors, and enjoy the day. I also love teaching and guiding new vendors so they feel confident and prepared, whether it’s their first market or their hundredth. At the end of the day, it’s about building community, boosting local economies, and making sure everyone leaves happy—whether they came for the tomatoes, the handmade soap, or just the good vibes.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Jennifer Perkel, the owner of Hear Here, LLC, and I’ve been organizing and managing farmers markets and pop-up markets for the past four years, though my love for building community and helping others started long before that. After spending 32 years as a teacher, I decided to take my skills in organization, communication, and creativity into a new direction—helping small businesses, farmers, and makers connect directly with their customers in a way that’s both fun and profitable.
Hear Here, LLC – started during COVID as a place for all of my friends that were reinventing themselves – baking banana bread, making sourdough bread, knitting and making homemade soaps- I created places they could sell their goods. Outdoor farmers markets were great places for this.
Now, I put on over 175 events a year all over New Jersey, from small-town farmers markets to themed pop-ups, each one carefully curated so vendors aren’t competing with five other people selling the exact same thing. I offer spaces for local farmers, food producers, and artisans to showcase their products, but I also go beyond just “renting booth space.” I teach and mentor vendors—especially first-timers—how to set up their displays, engage with customers, promote themselves, and navigate the sometimes confusing world of licenses, permits, and market rules.
The problem I solve for vendors is that I make the process easier, clearer, so they’re more successful. Markets can be intimidating if you’ve never done one before, and even seasoned vendors appreciate having a manager who is organized, responsive, and invested in their success. I also solve a problem for customers—by curating my markets, I make sure they’re worth the trip, with a great mix of products, good energy, and a welcoming atmosphere.
What sets me apart is that I’m not just about filling spots; I’m about building relationships. I get to know my vendors, their products, and their goals, and I put real effort into promoting the markets so both vendors and customers feel excited to be there. My teaching background really shines through in how I guide people—many vendors tell me I gave them the confidence to take their business to the next level.
I’m most proud of the community these markets create. It’s not just about buying and selling—it’s about neighbors talking, kids dancing to live music, people trying something new, and small businesses thriving because they had the right platform to be seen. If there’s one thing I want people to know about Hear Here, LLC, it’s that every market I organize is personal to me. I care about the vendors, the towns, and the customers, and I work hard to make sure everyone leaves feeling like they were part of something special.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I was a music teacher for 32 years, mostly middle school band or elementary general music. During Covid, when the world shut down, I was thinking of ways to reinvent myself. Teaching was looking different and I wanted a change as I felt like the direction new teaching styles for Covid prevention were too prohibitive.
So, I watched my colleagues and friends baking banana bread, mixing sourdough, learning to knit and making jewelry. I thought, maybe I can help them showcase what they are doing. They were also reinventing themselves. I had connections to people that managed parks or large recreation centers and I thought I could use those spaces to help my friends showcase what they were making. If I asked each friend for a couple of bucks to advertise for them, I could create an event where they could sell what they made.
This is how HEAR HERE was born- I organized and advertised my first pop up market in March of 2022. My tagline was “you’ll hear it here first,”
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I think that my background in education really helped build my reputation in this industry. Not sure I should call it an industry but more of a culture.
I specialize in helping first time vendors get ready for their first market events. I give tips on licensing, merchandising, how to set up their canopy and tables for outdoor events and I even provide my vendors either free social media marketing materials.
My markets are affordable and allow small business owners, even those just starting out, to make a profit on their first event. I help my vendors every step of the way. I have coached a few vendors that didn’t know what to do with their idea, to create a profitable business. I encourage them to get licensed and register their businesses as well. I help them with every step.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hearhereevents.com
- Instagram: @Hearherellcnj
Image Credits
All images are mine