Peony Lane Designs

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Well, what an amazing experience for a first time pop up market! Julee and Wendy created one of the most impressive events I’ve ever seen. I think the last I heard 7,000 attendees had come to see all the wonderful wares that vendors had to offer. I could be wrong but all I

know was it was busy!

I have to do a quick thank you to my sister Jennifer. She did all the heavy lifting (literally) and she did it all with a smile and without pay. Best employee ever.

We were so fortunate to have great booth mates on either side of us. One who drove all the way from Missouri was a complete doll! And the other was from Owatonna and made the most incredible signs. Both were so great to spend the day with.

I met Sistas With Bad Habits an incredible jewelry designer who I follow on Instagram and author Julie Seedorf though I didn’t know it as I was selling her paint!

Customers in my booth — Amazing Customers!

As with every new endeavor, there’s a learning curve and I sure learned a lot at Rustic Mamas Market. The first thing I learned was that I need more display pieces. I think I’m going to invest in some more [amazon_textlink asin=’B018HBDD8Y’ text=’wood crates’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’3f9fdb88-52fb-11e8-bce5-2b31eb6af6f1′]. I had two, one customized and one plain, and they do a great job of raising things up to create layers for displays.

I think I need to also streamline my offerings though that might be difficult. What sold was so random that it’s hard to know what to pair away. I was really thrilled to get the feedback from customers on what they liked and see what they were interested in at all.

One of my favorite moments was a piece that I had worried about since the day I started it if you look in this picture you’ll see a back of a chair that I painted with a drippy paint look and added [amazon_textlink asin=’B00GPAUS6U’ text=’glass knobs’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=”] to To create a jewelry hanger. Everyone who commented on it before the market wasn’t sure about that paint job that I’ve done. This is a take-off of a Turquoise Iris paint technique and I had my doubts as well. After it was completed I was thrilled with how it turned out. But my husband and some of my family members weren’t so sure. At Rustic Mamas Market, the jewelry holder sold to a beautiful little girl who is so excited to have it in her bedroom. Her mom said they were going home immediately to hang it up so she could hang up her jewelry. I feel like I have a BoHo soulmate.

After participating in this fabulous market I think I could manage a few more of these a year or maybe even a month. I know how to streamline my packing and set up process pretty well now. All in all, I’m looking forward to venturing out into the world and meeting more of my customers. That for me was the best part When I sell at places like picket fence gals I rarely if ever get to work near my booth and I don’t get to see the reaction people have to the pieces I create. Being at a pop-up market like Rustic Mamas Market allowed me to interact with customers and get feedback on my pieces. I felt invigorated and inspired by everyone there, and that was more valuable to me than all the money I made on that day.

But don’t get me wrong! The money was nice!

Many blessings!

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This weekend I’m am loading the Van (oh my husband bought me a van- better than diamonds y’all!) and winging my way to Owatonna for my first pop-up market.

For those of you who are vendors or think you might want to be a vendor, I wanted to put down my thoughts here about what it takes to get ready for an event like this. Let me tell you, it’s a lot of work.

I’ve had a booth at Picket Fence Gals in Lindstrom Minnesota for almost two years now, so I’m familiar with what it takes to sell vintage items, but something like Rustic Mama’s Market which is a one day sale about an hour and a half away from where I live.

There are so many logistical things and business things you have to think about to accomplish a market like this.

Part of my problem comes in from a car accident I had in which I was injured. Unfortunately, this means I need a lot of help. I have to give a shout out to my sister Jennifer who has really stepped up to the plate for me. She is my muscle. This is a photo of her packing my van. My husband and even my daughter have all pitched in to make sure I can continue to produce items and I feel so blessed.

Business wise I didn’t think about things like a [amazon_textlink asin=’B00IFEHO66′ text=’counterfeit pen’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4d096654-4d89-11e8-9f5d-7f29da1a9226′] (surprisingly expensive at office depot I should have ordered on Amazon), [amazon_textlink asin=’B00006ICSJ’ text=’sales books’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7a51802a-4d89-11e8-ab1d-9119bb5e3aef’] so your customers get a receipt, a [amazon_textlink asin=’B000GOZZJG’ text=’cash box’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9225f6fd-4d89-11e8-a7b4-23fc6fb720ab’], [amazon_textlink asin=’B0051MZSI6′ text=’calculator’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a5a7dd21-4d89-11e8-a341-c5e8ed7ebf2c’], [amazon_textlink asin=’B01BSVGBKM’ text=’Square Reader’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’1512′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’bcfff800-4d89-11e8-9ec7-f30b2a6d103d’] (assuming you’re willing to take credit cards, and bags!

Then there are all the identifiers that a business has like a banner with your logo, or one on your tablecloth. Of course, you will need business cards! FedEx Office is amazing! They were able to run me up 100 business cards in less than a day at a reasonable price. They can also handle most of your other needs.

I have been really stressed about everything I don’t know. I even hopped over to Girl In The Garage and asked Jen a few questions about what I needed to do (like how much change should you bring for cash transactions).

Well, the van is packed (see how full it is!) and we’ve loaded my sister’s truck too. I will write a post after the even with everything I’ve learned because I think there are more questions out there than answers.

Rustic Mama’s Market or BUST!

Many blessings to you all!

Back From Rustic Mama’s Market!

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Preparing for A Vintage Market

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