diff --git a/.changeset/three-news-worry.md b/.changeset/three-news-worry.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..24c7daa240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/three-news-worry.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-bazaar-backend': patch
+---
+
+Handle migration error when old data is present in the database
diff --git a/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20211020073922_add_columns.js b/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20211020073922_add_columns.js
index d4cb87bd82..ea3a89ea72 100644
--- a/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20211020073922_add_columns.js
+++ b/plugins/bazaar-backend/migrations/20211020073922_add_columns.js
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ exports.up = async function up(knex) {
       .comment('Optional end date of the project (ISO 8601 format)');
     table
       .text('responsible')
+      .defaultTo('')
       .notNullable()
       .comment('Contact person of the project');
   });