My First Vendor Market EVER!

The first Graceful Embroidery Co. market was in April 2025! 

For many years, I've enjoyed going to farmer's markets but I never really dabbled into craft shows. I knew they existed but I just never went, until 2025. My mom and I were at Hobby Lobby at the beginning of the year and she ran into a woman she used to work with who retired and now has a small business of her own. I mentioned to her that I would love to be able to my small business full time one day and leave my 8-5 office career. She invited me to a show that she runs with her daughter! 

To prep for the show, I had a lot of work to do. I wanted to have more product than I thought because I didn't want to run out of something. It was fun to make items and see the market booth come to life! My family helped and came to this first show, which I appreciated the support in bringing the vision to life. 

The day of the show was a little rough, I won't lie... It ended up raining and was like 50 degrees outside, so it got cold really fast. In addition, it was located inside a metal barn at the local city fairgrounds. I don't think it was very successful for most vendors due to the weather. But you know, that is part of the market world. Some events will be great and some won't be, and that's okay! 

The products bought:

Quilted Chicken Pouch, large and small
Stickers
MAMA Graphic Crewneck

My first event was a lot of fun and I learned a lot to bring into my upcoming markets. After this event, I didn't have any others on the books. However, I did get invited to an event at the KS State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. That was fun to be invited to another event! I started looking for Facebook event groups and local farmer's markets to get my foot in the door. After that, the events just started showing up and I would get invited to others. Now, as a first year small business owner, I will do my market research and test the vibes, but I also wanted to be cautious of where I spent my time and money. 

Please note that if you prices in the photos, they have been updated. Please check the online store for current product pricing. 

Stay tuned for other market updates and thoughts in the next few blogs. Thank you for supporting me along my small business journey!

Until next time, friends.

Darby
Owner of Graceful Embroidery Co.