About

Built inside an active market series — because the software didn't exist.

Tentpole is event management software for farmers markets, craft fairs, and pop-ups, built by an organizer running her own monthly market series in Charlotte and Kannapolis, North Carolina.

The short version

Before Tentpole, every Sunny's Markets event meant the same pile: vendor applications scattered across email and DMs, booth maps drawn by hand and redrawn every time a vendor dropped out, payment chasing on Saturdays, and writing the same approval message dozens of times — each one personal, because vendors are people, not entries.

The available platforms felt like they were built for trade shows, not markets. Quote-based pricing, AI bolted on, vendors charged to apply. So Tentpole got built inside Sunny's Markets — every feature tested at a real market with real vendors and real weather before it shipped. If it didn't survive a Saturday morning at Camp North End, it didn't stay.

"We talked to dozens of organizers running pop-ups, weekend markets, and multi-day festivals before we built a single feature. Then we kept talking."
— Moon, founder

What we believe

Software should be built where it's used

The first customer is the founder. Every feature ships from a real market floor, not a roadmap doc.

Vendors are people, not entries

The vendor side is always free, the application is short, and every message is approved by a human before it sends.

Pricing should be transparent

Two plans, both published, no quote forms. Founding organizers get a lifetime price lock.

AI helps, doesn't decide

The AI scores applications, drafts replies, and auto-assigns booths. Nothing sends or commits without you approving it.

Where we are

Tentpole is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where it powers the Sunny's Markets series at Camp North End, Atrium Health Ballpark, and other venues across the Charlotte–Kannapolis corridor. Read the Sunny's Markets case study for how it's used in production.

Where we're going

Toward a tool that handles the entire weekly pile for any vendor-based event — markets, craft fairs, holiday pop-ups, food truck rallies, multi-day festivals. The roadmap is shaped by founding organizers, who get a direct line and a roadmap vote.

Start your 7-day free trial → No credit card · founding organizer price lock · founder's phone number included