Vendor Handbook

Merchandise​​

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Approved & Unapproved Items

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• Items should fit TMAU’s overall quality and style standard. Merchandise should be antique, vintage, collectible, professional decorator-quality, professional art-quality, professional artisan-quality, or other high-quality, unique goods. New clothing may be allowed only on a limited basis.​

  • Lease ref: p. 4–5, “Rules” / “To maintain the style and quality of our market…”

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• Collectible figurines must be retired.​

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “To maintain the style and quality of our market…”

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• Furniture should be antique, vintage, or brand-new high-end furniture.

  • Lease ref: p. 14, “Furniture”

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• Vintage plush and vintage toys must be truly vintage, in strong condition for their age, and displayed professionally. Plush and toy displays are not allowed in front, corner, or end booths.

  • Lease ref: p. 13, “Plush Toys” and “Collectible Vintage Toys”

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• Cheap imports are not allowed

  • Lease ref: p. 14, “Cheap imports are strictly forbidden”

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• All merchandise must be sold through the store register.

  • Lease ref: p. 15, “I understand that ALL items must be sold through the store register”

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• Do not display or sell crafts, unprofessionally made items, common thrift items, common flea-market items, stuffed animals that do not meet the vintage standards, damaged items, items needing repair, hazardous or dangerous materials, endangered materials, illegal or counterfeit merchandise, mass-produced items less than 30 years old, or gold jewelry/gold merchandise.

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “To maintain the style and quality of our market…”

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• Used furniture is not allowed unless it qualifies as antique or vintage under TMAU’s standards.

  • Lease ref: p. 14, “Furniture”

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• Counterfeit merchandise is never allowed.

  • Lease ref: p. 15, “Absolutely no counterfeit merchandise allowed in the store”

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Broken or Missing Items

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• If an item does not have a proper TMAU barcode label, it may be treated as a lost item and placed on the lost-and-found shelf in the vendor workroom.

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “Price Tags”

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• TMAU is not responsible for transaction errors on items not labeled with the required barcode tags or on sets not labeled correctly.

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “Price Tags”

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• The store follows a 'you break, you buy' policy. TMAU may try to collect from the person who broke the item, but TMAU is not responsible for broken merchandise.

  • Lease ref: p. 9, “Breakage”

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• TMAU is not liable for theft, breakage, damage, fire, leaks, acts of God, or similar losses affecting vendor property. Vendors are strongly encouraged to carry renter’s insurance.

  • Lease ref: p. 9–10, liability paragraph

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Booths

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Paint

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• All booth paint colors must be approved by management before painting.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Paint” and p. 16, approved paint color sheet

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• Booths must be returned in the same condition they were received when moving out, including returning walls to Sherwin-Williams Flat Agreeable Gray, lightly cleaning the space, and filling holes as needed.

  • Lease ref: p. 4, “Security Deposit”

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• The floor may not be painted or altered.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Space Prep”

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• Wallpaper is not allowed. Plastic fake brick walls are not allowed. Pegboard is not allowed. Pallets may not be used as booth construction or décor. Lattice walls and other structures require management approval.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Space Prep”

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• Vendors may not build walls. Any attached materials that become part of the space become TMAU property.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Space Prep”

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Power

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• Power is not guaranteed in every booth even if an outlet or surge protector is present.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Power”

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• Only LED soft-white lights/bulbs are allowed. Blue/daylight bulbs are not allowed.

  • Lease ref: p. 6, Fire Marshal paragraph

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Booth Boundaries

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• Keep all merchandise and displays fully within your rented space. Do not spill into hallways, common areas, or other vendor spaces.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Boundaries”

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• Items left outside your booth may lead to moving or storage charges after notice.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Boundaries”

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Displays

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• The display style should look professional and align with TMAU’s overall retail standards. Booths should not resemble a flea market, thrift store, or dated antique mall setup.

  • Lease ref: p. 13, vendor checklist opening statement

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• Walls should be used effectively, and floors should not be cluttered with unorganized items.

  • Lease ref: p. 13, vendor checklist

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• Booth borders adjacent to neighboring spaces must comply with height and visibility rules: see-through displays may be taller, while solid visual barriers must remain lower.

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “Displays”

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• No item or fixture may be taller than 8 feet.

  • Lease ref: p. 6, Fire Marshal paragraph​

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• Booths must be kept clean, tidy, and regularly attended. Smaller merchandise should be rotated or rearranged at least monthly to prevent spaces from looking stale.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Stale Merchandise” and “Cleanliness”

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• No fresh food, fresh flowers, standing water, or other pest-attracting items may be kept in the booth.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Pests”

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• • Any booth setup must be safe, secure, and free of trip hazards. Unsafe spaces may be closed off until corrected, and vendors may be charged if TMAU has to fix the issue.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Space Prep”

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Shelves

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General Shelf / Fixture Rules

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• Fixtures and shelving must be attractive and high-quality. Approved looks include good retail fixtures, quality repurposed fixtures, antique fixtures, or vintage fixtures.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Fixtures”​

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• Do not use pressed-board oak-look shelving, wire or industrial-style shelving, folding tables, or other fixtures that resemble thrift, dollar, or mass-merchandise store displays.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Fixtures” and p. 13, vendor checklist

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• Fixtures and displays should be marked NFS when they are not for sale.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Fixtures”

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• All shelves and displays must be properly secured and safe for customers.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Space Prep”

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Locked Showcases

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Store Showcases

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• Short showcases near the front of the store must be kept neat and not overloaded. Items should not be excessively cluttered or stacked on top.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Showcases”​

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• Weight placed on top of store showcases must stay within TMAU’s allowed limit, and management may further limit showcase displays for safety.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Showcases”

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Vendor Showcases + Proper Locking of Said Showcases

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• All display showcases must have a substantial working lock that staff can access easily.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Security”​

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• Vendors must provide a key on the TMAU key fob, label the key, and showcase it correctly with the booth/showcase number.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Security”​

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• Hasps and locking hardware must be installed correctly. Showcases that do not meet TMAU standards may be closed until corrected.

  • Lease ref: p. 6–7, “Security”

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Booth Payment

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Card Declined

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• Any remaining balance after monthly sales are accounted for may be automatically charged to the card on file on the monthly due date at the end of the business day.

  • Lease ref: p. 3, payment paragraph

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• A declined card may incur an additional fee after the monthly due date.

  • Lease ref: p. 3 and p. 8, payment / charges paragraphs

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• Accounts that remain unpaid by the due date are considered a lease breach and may be terminated immediately, with merchandise required to be removed within the stated lease timeline.

  • Lease ref: p. 3, payment paragraph

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Changing Cards

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• A valid credit card authorization form must stay on file for the lease to remain valid.

  • Lease ref: p. 3 and p. 12, credit card authorization form

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Reprinting Checks

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• Reprinted payout checks can be subject to an administrative fee.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “The following charges…”​

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Accounting Period

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• The accounting period runs from the 15th of one month through the 14th of the next month.

  • Lease ref: p. 3, TMAU agreement paragraph

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Checks

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• Sales statements for the prior accounting period are available electronically through Consignor Access on the 15th.

  • Lease ref: p. 3, TMAU agreement paragraph

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• Payout checks are available behind the front desk upon request.​

  • Lease ref: p. 3, TMAU agreement paragraph

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• Checks left uncashed for an extended period may become subject to an administrative charge.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Uncashed Checks”

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Charges Due to Lack of Compliance

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• Certain violations not corrected within 24 hours of notice may be charged to the vendor account or card on file.

  • Lease ref: p. 7–8, “Space Prep” and “The following charges…”​

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• Examples called out in the lease include extension cord violations, declined card/NFS issues, and check reprints.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “The following charges…”

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Pricing + Sales

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Storewide Sales

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• TMAU may hold large storewide sales during the year, and vendors may choose whether to participate.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “20% Off Storewide Sales”

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• A vendor may not run an entire-booth sale outside an official storewide sale.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “20% Off Storewide Sales”

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Changing Sale Percentage

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• Because storewide sale participation is pre-authorized on the lease schedule, any change to a vendor’s storewide sale percentage should be finalized by management’s stated deadline and is reflected on the vendor calendar.

  • Lease ref: p. 1, pre-authorized full booth discount amount; handbook note based on schedule structure​

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How It Works

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• During storewide sales, only items that are not marked FIRM will discount according to the vendor’s selected participation level.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “20% Off Storewide Sales”

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• Outside storewide sales, individual markdowns must be applied by placing a new lower-priced UPC label over the original, leaving the old price visible.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Discount Options Outside of Storewide Sales”

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Item Discounts

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• Items will be sold unless they are clearly marked NFS.

  • Lease ref: highlighted summary / p. 5, “Price Tags”

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• If an item is taken from the booth and sold privately, including in the parking lot, the lease may be terminated immediately.

  • Lease ref: p. 15, vendor checklist

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Individual Sales

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• Vendors may mark down individual items in their spaces outside storewide sales using updated UPC labels.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Discount Options Outside of Storewide Sales”

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• Vendors may use sale signage in their booths for individually marked sale items, but staff should not be asked to place or remove vendor sale stickers or signage.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Discount Options Outside of Storewide Sales”

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Firm Items

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• If an item should not be discounted during a storewide sale, the tag itself must say FIRM.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “20% Off Storewide Sales”​

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• No other method is recognized for preventing an item from being discounted.

  • Lease ref: highlighted summary and p. 8, “20% Off Storewide Sales”

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Not For Sale Items (NFS)

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• ​Items not for sale should be labeled NFS along with the vendor code.

  • Lease ref: p. 5, “Price Tags”

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• If merchandise repeatedly lacks correct pricing, TMAU may stop calling for prices and instead mark the item NFS until it is corrected.

  • Lease ref: p. 6, unlabeled items paragraph

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Safety

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Extension Cords

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• Extension cords may not be used at any time for any purpose except temporary construction use, and they may not remain plugged in overnight.

  • Lease ref: p. 6, Fire Marshal paragraph

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• Vendors may use approved surge protectors instead.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “The following charges…” and p. 14, extension cord checklist

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• Repeated extension-cord violations can lead to lease termination.

  • Lease ref: p. 14, vendor checklist

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OSHA Requirements

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• TMAU staff does not load items that are very heavy or bulky beyond the lease’s stated limits. Vendors are responsible for loading/unloading oversized items.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Heavy Items”​

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• Customers should not be allowed to move bulky or heavy items above the lease’s stated threshold.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Heavy Items”

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• The lease also states that very heavy items above the OSHA guideline threshold must be moved by movers hired by the customer.

  • Lease ref: p. 8, “Heavy Items”

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Harassment Policy

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• TMAU has zero tolerance for harassment or inappropriate behavior toward staff, customers, or other vendors.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Harassment”​

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• Harassment is grounds for immediate lease termination.

  • Lease ref: p. 7, “Harassment”

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Changing Booths & Lease Termination

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Moving to a New Booth

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• Any booth or space change should be handled through management and documented on an additional space rental sheet or updated lease paperwork.

  • Lease ref: p. 2, “Additional Space Rental Sheet”

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• Booth sizes are approximate and may be slightly larger or smaller than the stated size.

  • Lease ref: p. 9, booth sizes paragraph

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Vendor Lease Termination

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• The lease is month-to-month and renews each month automatically.

  • Lease ref: p. 4, “Term of Lease”

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• To end a space, the vendor must submit a written 30-day notice by the 14th of the month before the requested termination month and move out by the 14th of the termination month.

  • Lease ref: p. 4, “Termination for Any and All Spaces”

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• All items must be removed by the stated move-out deadline. If not removed on time, the security deposit may be forfeited and storage/moving charges may apply.

  • Lease ref: p. 4, move-out paragraph

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• ​If the vendor’s lease is terminated for noncompliance, items must be removed within the lease’s stated post-termination window; otherwise, they may be stored, subject to a lien, and eventually sold to recover balances due.

  • Lease ref: p. 3–4, termination / lien paragraphs

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TMAU Lease Termination

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• TMAU may terminate the lease immediately if the vendor fails to comply with the lease terms.

  • Lease ref: p. 3, termination paragraph

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• With written notice, TMAU may require a vendor to vacate for legally permitted reasons under Florida law, or due to building changes such as remodeling, a sale, or a long-term lease of the property.

  • Lease ref: p. 9, remodeling / vacate paragraph

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• TMAU may make reasonable rule changes or additions with 30 days’ written notice, and those changes become binding on vendors.

  • Lease ref: p. 4, “Rules” and p. 11, final rules-change paragraph

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