THOUGHTS ON A VARIETY OF EVENTS FROM A CAT TOY MAKER IN PORTLAND, OREGON
I've been doing shows for the last 3 years and have learned a ton. Now I will share with you all those findings. My product is quite specific so a lot of my experiences are going to be unique to me and my demographic, but I do hope to share a lot of useful info in general about different markets and events I've done.
POPCATS
First up is Popcats, I have done 3 of these. One in San Diego in 2022, one in Chicago in 2023 and the same one in San Diego again in 2023. The application process is super simple and I'm not sure if they are really scrutinizing much, kinda more seems like they will accept people till it fills up.
San Diego was a given for me to do since my mom lives there and I usually visit in the summer anyways, so I had free lodging and use of her car. I thought 2022 was decently busy, they had a few little events, like some speakers and panels. I think one of the big draws is all the kittens on site available to play with and adopt. They also have some activities for kids, like coloring and other crafty things. Other than that, there is not too much to DO at Popcats, aside from hopefully spend lots of money with all the talented vendors. I met a lot of fun vendors at this one, many of which I still enjoy talking to now and then. BUT I would definitely not call it a financial success.
Fast forward to San Diego 2023. It was quite a bit earlier in the summer, late June versus 2022 being in August. I don't know if this made a difference, just worth noting. I figured this one would be about the same as the year before as far as attendance and sales. Nope. I do not know the reasons exactly, but it was a huge flop, for everyone. By mid day the second day (this one was a 3 day event both years) morale was very low. My booth neighbors were very cranky and negative, I was trying to stay positive even though I was really bummed as well. They had a food cart or two on Saturday, they came back on Sunday but they took off pretty early. I did not do well financially to say the very least. But, it was fun seeing some repeat customers and seeing my vendor friends!
Now backing up to Popcats in March of 2023 in Chicago. I had a lot of fun at this one because I was with my friends, in a city I had never been to. I also found this one to be financially better than the San Diego ones. Both days seemed steadily busy, the customers overall were really awesome, the venue was cute. They had a bar serving a limited menu of cocktails and a few food carts in the back parking lot. Having food and drinks adds A LOT to everyone's overall enjoyment and I feel like it probably makes them hang out for longer. I'm not sure what other vendors experiences were, but I thought it was a decent success. I was going to go back and do it again in 2024 but financially couldn't make it work, they had raised the booth price by over $100 and I would not have any friends to split lodging with. I would not totally rule out doing it next year, mostly because I really liked Chicago and it would be fun to go back.
LOVING CATS WORLDWIDE
LCWW is a fairly new organization, it's a cat breed show but they seem to mostly focus on just a few breeds of cats. I won't get too much into all that cause I don't know much about what it is they actually do. The first time I did it, my friend Aloha Ellie asked me if I wanted to split a 10x10 spot with her. At that time it was $300 total, so $150 for each of us. I figured it was worth the risk, even though I had never heard of the event. It was a 2 day event in February of 2023.
The organizers were very hands off, not sure who was coordinating the vendor side of things, I never met or spoke to anyone. But nevertheless, things ran fine and it seemed efficient. A handful of other fun vendors and quite a few rescue organizations with booths were there. Not sure if this show was juried at all, probably first come first serve, for example there was one booth re-selling Nikes.
BUT THIS SHOW WAS AMAZING. Both days were really steady, lots and lots of super nice and fun customers. By the end of it was a little blown away at how successful it was, I was very happy I did it. It was an especially good boost at this time of year, early February is a pretty slow time for shows and for online sales. This event took place at the Portland Expo Center, vendors did have to pay for parking, but I think it was only $10 each day. There is also a Max stop right there so that may have been useful for attendees. I was thinking this would be one of my go-to shows and even considered doing some of the out of state ones.
I convinced my friend Henry Noodle to do one with me that was to take place at The Cow Palace just south of San Francisco in late spring 2023. The price for this one was a bit higher, $425 total, but still reasonable since we were splitting it. I was excited to have an excuse to go back to SF and hopefully make some money too. A month or so before (maybe less?) I was looking at the website to see what the times of the show were and didn't see the event listed. I emailed them to inquire and they told me it was canceled. I hit up some other vendors I knew were attending to ask if they had heard, no one had heard it was canceled. What followed was a lot of people having to hound them to get refunds, I believe it took them several months to refund some people. I said they could just switch mine to the show that was coming up here in Portland in October, so I didn't have to deal with the hassle. But either way, really bad business to not let people know the show was canceled, obviously.
The show here was the first weekend in October at the Expo Center again. I was excited for it, since February had been so good. I shared a booth space with Aloha Ellie again, she sells pet bandanas and bow ties, along with some cat kickers, so we are not really competitors who are selling the same things. There were a decent amount of vendors and rescues again, seemed on par with the February show as far as appearances went. Saturday was sloooooooowwwww. It was unfortunately a very nice day out, so that was probably bad for business, with it being an indoor event and all. Sunday was just as, if not more so slow, but I was expecting that based on Saturday. Perhaps two of the same show in one year is too much. I am also still unclear on what it is these shows are exactly, but I don't really care since I won't be doing any more. The fee for a 10x10 space is now $500, btw.
CRAFTY WONDERLAND
This is a long-running, local show here in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. I would say it is THEE market for all things handmade and artsy. Applying for this show was stressful, in Spring 2022 I didn't feel like I was probably good enough to get in. I asked Henry Noodle to apply with me because it seemed like it would be fun to share! Well, we did get in and I was so nervous. Tory and Cathy are the people in charge and they are amazing at organization and communication, this was so helpful since it was really my first show ever.
We had a great spot next to Portland cat art icon, Paper Puffin. The Spring show is a 2 day event, with one of the days being a ticketed evening event on Friday from 5 - 9. The next day is regular hours 11 - 5 or something. I didn't have any real expectations for this show, but I was expecting it to be busy. And it was pretty busy, overall I was happy with the amount I sold. And I got to meet a handful of people I had previously only known from Instagram. It was a good mental boost for me, thinking "hmm okay it's possible I could make somewhat of a living doing shows".
I applied for the Winter show and was happy to get into that one as well. This one was 3 days and I knew it was supposed to be a lot busier than the Spring one, so I invited my mom to come up and help me with it. And it was very busy!! Having her there to help was, well, a great help. I met a lot of awesome vendors and saw a lot of my local friends/customers. It was my most successful show to date at this point, which was winter of 2022.
It was a no brainer for me to apply for the Spring 2023 one. I don't know what happened, I don't know if it was the show as a whole or just me, but I did horribly. I think I just barely made my booth fee back, so I did basically 1/4 of what I did the Spring before. I came home and cried, mostly out of frustration and confusion. This was my first time I did poorly at a show and it was just a bit of a reality check, they're not all going to go well.
Still, I applied for and got into Winter 2023 and had my mom come up again to help. We had a lot of fun and it was steady, though I didn't sell as much as I did the previous Winter.
This year, against my better judgement, I did the Spring one again. I shared a 10x10 space with Aloha Ellie again. It was VERY SLOW Friday night. Saturday was a little better, and it was better for me than the Spring 2023 show at least. I can say this was my last Crafty Wonderland for now though. There is already another cat toy vendor there who has been doing it for years and I'm really not sure if there are room for two vendors selling very similar products when money is tighter for everyone.
But, Crafty Wonderland is still an amazing event, you will not find a better curated selection of artists at any other show in Portland. I am honored to have taken part in every show that I did with them. (They also have two stores in Portland!)
SEA-MEOW CON
I found out about Sea-Meow Con from a fellow vendor I met at the first LCWW. I had never heard of this event, most likely due to the fact they had only been able to have one in 2019 and then covid hit the following year. This is an event that was taking place in Seattle in early August 2023. I immediately applied for it. I got a single table space, I think it was around 300 or less, they supplied the 8 foot table and chairs. I had my mom come up again to help (yes, I do use a lot of these events as excuses to hang out with people I enjoy being around). Hotels in Seattle in the summer are VERY EXPENSIVE, so be aware of this if any out of town people are considering doing any Seattle shows in the summer.
We stayed at the Hyatt House that was about a 7 minute walk to the Seattle Center Exhibition Center. It was a cute, small hotel with free breakfast and a nice view of the Space Needle, assuming you are on the correct side of the building.
The show organizers are very friendly and just generally awesome, while also being professional and well organized. It was a 2 day event with a ton of amazing cat themed artists and vendors. The energy was great, there were guest speakers, meet and greets and entertainment. They also had kittens on site to cuddle for a fee that went to the rescues providing the kittens. There were a few spots inside selling Boba and coffee and some other little snacks. I think there was a food cart outside but I was really too busy to ever go check it out. Both days were busy start to finish. This was the best show financially I've ever done in terms of sales (but not so much in terms of how much it cost to get up there and stay there, etc).
As soon as applications were open this year, I applied immediately. This year I will have a 10 x 10 space and I can't wait to fill it with fun stuff. The show this year will be in early November, hotels are about 1/2 the price as they were in the summer so that's a big plus. I think all the vendor spots are filled up for this year and they are not taking any more apps, but if you are a cat based artist, definitely put this on your list of shows to do for 2025.
PORTLAND RETRO GAMING
In mid 2023 I was trying to come up with some new ideas of shows to do, given that some of my previously successful events weren't really panning out anymore. I decided to look into the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, an annual event at the Oregon Convention Center. They said they were almost sold out of single spots when I contacted them via email but I did manage to get a booth with an 8 foot table provided. I was very excited for this event, I love retro gaming and just 80s and 90s pop culture in general.
I had never been to this event before, I had no idea the massive size of it. I believe it takes up 3 halls at the convention center. The area I was in was kind of like the unofficial "artist alley", with everyone in my rows just occupying a single table. In the same area there were also exhibitors with larger spaces as well, then in the same hall were the more corporate/big companies in even larger spaces, so it was a good mix of everything. A lot of the show is people reselling vintage items, collectibles, etc. There were a decent amount of handmade, new items for sale too though.
The other halls are filled with fun stuff, like a whole massive pinball arcade (all free to pay for attendees), an area with kittens in conjunction with the Atari Jaguar Museum, a whole fake Blockbuster video store, a section for desktop gaming, replicas of old living rooms with consoles to play, etc. There is so much fun stuff here it's totally overwhelmingly awesome.
Last year the event only had the vendors open on Saturday and Sunday, but we had the option to set up on Friday and go explore the venue before the general public was there, so of course I did that. Played some pinball poorly and just kind of wandered around and looked at all the cool stuff. A weekend pass is $90 for attendees, so really, I feel like the booth fee (around $250) was such a good value, since of course you are allowed access to all parts of the event all 3 days.
Saturday and Sunday were a whirlwind. I was pretty much busy open to close both days. I sold a ton and everyone was so much fun to talk to. I was by myself and it was manageable, but would have been great to have help even for an hour or two, just for some quick breaks. A lot of people at this event pay cash, I didn't really know why until I mentioned it to a customer and they told me lots of people bring cash so they can try to get better deals, makes so much sense. I would say 1/4 of my sales were cash, so bring some change for sure.
At the end of the event, they left slips on everyone's tables to sign up for next year, I did immediately. This year they offered the option to be open on Friday as well, I opted for that because the price was not much more and that is so many more hours to get sales. The hours on Friday will be a bit rough, noon to 10 pm, but I'm up for it! I believe the hours on Saturday and Sunday are 10 am to 5 pm, I do not recall if they had early bird/VIP shopping on either of these days.
There appear to still be booths available, it's $300 for all 3 days and they provide an 8 foot table and 2 chairs, plus one badge. Extra badges have to be bought if you're doing a single booth. I can't wait for this event, it is a little earlier this year than last but I don't see that making much of a difference. Everyone who runs it is very nice, responsive and easy to work with. I would one million percent recommend this event if you have products you think would be a good fit.
FAN EXPO PORTLAND
Since I clearly enjoyed the gaming expo so much, I thought maybe I would try more cons/things like that. I was googling upcoming events in the area and found this one. I had never heard of it, though I had heard of what it was previously called, Wizard World. I went ahead and applied and got accepted quickly. It is a 3 day event at the Convention Center, it was $354 and that included one 8 foot table and 2 chairs plus one badge.
I have to admit, I am not too clear what this event is/is about/what's the theme!? It's kind of just a random mashing of different pop culture things, anime, cosplay, action movies, sci fi, horror, gaming, comics... sounds cool in theory but in reality I actually found it very confusing. Most of the posts on Instagram in the month or so leading up to the event were to announce a celebrity guest had dropped out, so not a great sign. I was starting to really dread it, especially because the hours were pretty rough, 7 hours on Friday and 10 or more hours Saturday and Sunday. But I was optimistic and hopeful I'd make some decent money.
The week of the event, the news started predicting an epic winter storm for that weekend. By the first day of the event, it was pretty much a certainty it was going to hit at any time. Temps were in the single digits and they were predicting an ice storm, which would basically ice over the whole city. The Fan Expo management were very adamant the event would be a go, no matter what. I showed up and set up on Friday, it was a very large artist alley area and then a lot of bigger exhibitors in the next room over. Then there was an area for celeb meet and greets nearby, I'm not totally sure what all else there was, I was too stressed to really explore/enjoy wandering around.
Friday night was slow, mostly due to the weather and possible incoming weather I have to assume. The crowd was young, like "not much disposable income" young and they were definitely not spending any of their money on cat toys (fair enough). The few people that did buy things from me where fun to chat with, but most people overlooked me altogether. I stayed the whole time even though I was checking my phone every 10 mins to see if the storm had started. I think I sold about $200 worth, but a big part of that was one of my awesome repeat customers who spent $75 or so.
At the end of the night I decided to pack up my stuff and not come back the following days. A lot of other vendors didn't do the same and as a result were not able to get back to their booths the next day since the ice storm did in fact hit overnight. The Fan Expo management sent an email on Saturday saying this "Due to the Venue having a show immediately after FAN EXPO Portland, we are unable to accommodate any booth items left behind by exhibitors or artists. Please be mindful that any hardware, product, or the like that is left behind will be collected, weighed and charged based on weight for storage, in addition to substantial labor and pick up fees. FANEXPO will not be held liable for any potential damages and/or lost merchandise." That is all it said, they offered no guidance or help or even a kind word to all the vendors who were in a lot of distress over this situation. They also later sent an email inviting vendors to an after party at a secondary location, in an ice storm, NOT SAFE.
Overall, I was clearly not impressed with this event and the way things were handled and neither were any of my fellow vendors. A lot of people were wanting their money back, I personally do not think I was due a refund, weather is weather and I know it would be a very hard decision to make to cancel an event like this given the fact it is possible the weather would end up being fine. I would have gladly accepted a refund of course, but really I would have just liked some compassion from the organizers. I will never do another one of these events, but I cannot say whether or not it is a good event, since I didn't get a normal experience with it.
SIDE QUEST EXPO
Now back to the things I do like, retro gaming and retro things! A collectibles vendor I had met at PRGE posted about this event that was taking place in March of this year. I thought it sounded perfect, I hit up the organizer and sadly he said there were no spaces left. I told him to keep me in mind if any spots opened up, this was in January I believe. A few weeks before the show I hadn't heard anything so I decided to be annoying and ask if any spots had opened up. He said actually he could fit me in, so I paid the $120 fee and I was good to go! The $120 was for two full days and included an 8 foot table, two chairs and two badges.
This event was held at the Double Tree hotel in the Lloyd Center area of Portland. There were two halls, one was off of the lobby in the main hotel building, the other was just across a short driveway attached to the parking garage. I was in the separate building, which seemed to be the bigger and more busy of the two. I guess in previous years everything was only in that building. Set up was chill, everyone was nice, quite a few familiar faces from the last two events I did.
Overall I had a lot of fun at this event, customers will make or break an event for me, and I don't mean in terms of money they spend with me. I really just love having positive and funny and fun conversations with people who love their cats and also have other shared interests with me. Sometimes they don't even buy anything and that's fine, they at least stopped to talk and tell me they liked my stuff/etc.
This event was definitely more resellers of vintage gaming and collectibles than it was artists/handmade/new things. And I think a lot of people were solely there for that, but I still think I did pretty good. I was happy with the amount I sold versus the cost of the booth and bonus points for free parking. The hours were reasonable too, 10 to 5 or so. Some people I talked to in the main hotel part said they didn't do as well, due to people not knowing there were vendors in there too, so that's a bummer. I would for sure do this event again, especially with it being in March, a generally very slow time for sales and shows.
ST JOHNS BIZARRE
Another new thing I wanted to try, annual street fairs. This one seemed huge and had a lot of good musical guests lined up. I asked my friend Michelle if she wanted to apply with me, I often like to split a spot if it's 10x10 because I really just don't have that much stuff to fill up a whole space. She makes candles with cute cat labels on them she designs herself, Feverdream Visions, so we have a fun little cat tie-in theme going on. I believe it was around 200 total for the space for one day, a Saturday.
The load in and load out was daunting, all the streets were closed off before and after the event. If you wanted to load in and park close to your spot, you had to get there very early, I think 8 am or so. We weren't willing to do that because it would have made for a very long day. Luckily I did find parking just a few blocks away, even though it said 1 hour parking, I know parking enforcement isn't really a thing here in Portland and it was fine. We had our big wagon and had to make a few trips at the end of the day but it wasn't horrible.
The day was hot, hot for May anyways, but to me this is much preferable to cold or wet. The event had A LOT of vendors, spread out around multiple blocks in a few different directions. There was a main stage in the center of the event with a beer garden, sadly too far away from where we were to hear or see. I think our location was decent, on a main thoroughfare, some of the other streets seemed kind of out of the way and hard to see that there were vendors back there. It was a fun event, lots of food and beverages and a parade and all that stuff.
Overall I think we were both a little disappointed with our sales. There was a lot of foot traffic, there was never really a lull in people, but a lot of people just didn't seem to be very shoppy. I would not do this event again but I would be willing to try other neighborhood street fairs for sure, I just didn't have any more time in my schedule this summer to try more. But, if I lived in this neighborhood I would for sure make it a point to attend this event.
THE SPOT MARKET
I'm not going to spend too long on this one because it's a small market and I think word is already out in the area that this is not a good market. It popped up on my Instagram feed early 2024 and I was "what the hell, I'll check it out". I applied with FeverDream Visions again, cost was fairly low, well under $100 and we were splitting the cost. Event was in mid March in the mostly abandoned Lloyd Center mall. I did two markets here the previous year hosted by different organizers, the Welcome Market and they were well ran, well attended and a lot of fun.
After we had already paid our fees and agreed to take part, their IG posts started becoming a little unusual for an "indie" market. Suddenly it was sponsored by a real estate company and a bank. I was annoyed, I had never seen anything like this before really. I never would have applied if these were the kinds of posts they had initially.
The day of, we show up about 30/45 mins before the event is supposed to start. When we got there, we saw all the other vendors standing around the store it was being held in, the store was locked. Several people had been there for quite awhile, given the fact most people need awhile to set up. No word from the organizers, I think a few people had been texting them and not getting any response. They finally show up maybe 15 minutes before the event "starts", no apologies, no explanation as to why they were late.
We all frantically set up (no designated spots, btw, so much for the SPOT market heh heh heh). The real estate company and the bank both have tables there. Then some sort of professional film crew comes in and just starts filming everyone, I personally did not consent to this, not a big deal but also a heads up would have been nice. One of the main organizers was going around trying to offer her realty services to the vendors... like I don't have house buying money, I'm vending in an old Ulta store in an abandoned mall. Then they handed us these raffle tickets to give to anyone who buys things. I didn't hand any out. They started doing these really annoying raffles every hour, not sure what the prizes were.
Aside from all that, it was slow but overall not awful. I made a few sales, I probably could have made more if I wasn't completely mentally checked out of this whole scene. I met a few fun new vendor friends and we all later bonded over what a weird and bad experience this was. Bottom line, never do this market. They have a few more coming up during the holiday season I think... there are probably 100 markets taking place around that time that would be more worth your time.
Okay that wasn't as short as I promised, I guess I had a lot to get out.
POTLAND PARKING LOT PARTIES
Trying to switch up these posts so it's not back to back negative experiences so here we go, Potland Parking Lot Parties! Yes, Potland, not Portland, though Potland is in Portland. Another one of those things that somehow popped up on my radar on IG, the first one being on 4/20. I thought it sounded super fun and asked Aloha Ellie if she wanted to do it with me. The fee was only $30, so split that and it's next to nothing. Throw in the free food tickets they gave us for pizza and tamales and it was actually probably more than free.
The event was on a Saturday from 2-7 pm in the parking lot of the dispensary in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The hours were great, I love getting a later start. There was a DJ, lots of other super fun vendors, food and also a nice bar in the same parking lot. The weather was a little so-so, but it could have been much worse, still a lot of people came out! Everyone was super cool and fun to talk to, I was happy with the amount I sold.
I signed up to do another one on June 16th, same hours. Same set up, all the fun stuff, but it was a little slower due to it not being 4/20. Still I was happy with the event and it's such a fun environment with a super sweet and fun organizer. I would have done more this summer but I had scheduling conflicts for all the other months sadly. If they have more next summer, I will definitely bump them to the top of my to-do list.
PORTLAND NIGHT MARKET
Over the last few years I've applied for this one a few times, this most recent time I applied for it before I had my Spring schedule really mapped out and I didn't think I'd get in. I got accepted at a time when my whole late Spring was pretty much filled up, but I didn't want to turn this one down. Getting approved for this was a big deal to me! This was for the event that took place on the weekend of 4/26.
I applied for a 6 foot booth, which cost $300 for the two nights the market takes place, from 3-11 pm Friday and Saturday in Portland's inner east side. You do not get your booth assignments prior to the event, when I got there I saw I was assigned to a space with a huge column taking up about 1/5 of my space in the back. Ultimately it was not a problem to me as I just had one single table, but just something to make note of if you have an unusual set up. It is in a huge old industrial building so there are probably quite a few spaces that have things like this in them.
I was in a smallish room in an offshoot of the main room, I had no idea how this would be, but I think it was great! It wasn't overly loud, I know noise can be an issue in certain parts of the building at this event. It also wasn't too cold or hot in here even though there are huge open bay doors not too far away leading to the courtyard with several food carts and music.
This event was pretty much nuts start to finish, I had no downtime really at all. I had no help so it was pretty overwhelming but in the best way. Most were people only buying one thing, but A LOT of people buying one thing really adds up. There are several bars, it's a fun environment if you like drinking, music, food, super cute decorations and lots of fun vendors. I was very glad I did this event and hope to get approved for more next time I decide to apply.
One huge plus was that they allowed for people to come back on Sunday to load out everything. I was really grateful for that because leaving when the event was over was a little chaotic, lots of drunk people from the event in the streets, in the dark, under the freeway overpass. I think I would have had a complete breakdown if I had to load out all my stuff in that mess, though I saw plenty of other vendors doing it.
There were several times during this event when I had no 5G on my phone and the venue does not offer wifi. I lost a few sales, next time I need to look up how to take offline payments on Square, it was my bad for not doing that at the time, though.
This was a great market and if you are able to get in, you should do it!!!
SJMADE FEST
This one is a tricky one for me to review because it was so far out of my realm of anything I've previously done. It took place in San Jose, California and was heavily K Pop themed. Henry Noodle asked me to do it with her, she had previously done the past two SJMADE holiday markets that take place on Black Friday weekend at an indoor venue. This was a two day outdoor event the first weekend in June. We shared a 10x10 space and it was $400 total.
Obviously I was very excited to do this because spending time with good friends is the best, and even better when you can hang out with them and make money! The venue, History Park, is so adorable. Lots of historical things, as the name implies... There were over 250 vendors spread out over multiple blocks and sections of the park. There was a stage for K Pop performances and dance lessons, also an area in the center of the park with a bunch of kittens you could sign up to go play with. I had been hoping we would be in the middle area, near the kittens and the cat themed artists, but we were off to the side somewhere.
I think our location was a little out of the way, not ideal, but not the worst. We were in the grass rather than on the concrete like many others were, so I was happy for that. Load in and load out was ran efficiently, the organizers were communicative and easy to work with from what I could tell.
We both sold a reasonable amount, but after the first day it became apparent to me this was not really my crowd. My stuff is not over the top cutesy like a lot of the other vendors there, though neither is Henry Noodle's and she seemed to do quite a bit better than me.
The event itself was very fun, lots of food and beverage options, it was fun to just walk around the park and look at the park stuff too. I would do this event again and try to figure out different toys to make to be more on brand. It's also hard doing events where no one knows me or my stuff, in Portland I have such a good following and that really seems to make a difference.
FOSTER SUMMER SOIREE
This was the second year for this event in my neighborhood, I missed the first one due to being out of town. It took place in a park right off busy Foster Road, just about 8 blocks away from where I live. The fee was very reasonable, $40 or so for a 10x10 spot and they said in the application they give priority to neighborhood people. I got in, market took place on June 22nd from 12-6 pm.
When I arrived, the organizers were super helpful and friendly, even helping me set my (borrowed) tent up. I had a great spot right on the side of the road, which is not as sketchy as it sounds. This was a very family friendly event with music and entertainment in the park. There are a lot of small businesses in this immediate area who were also participating by doing promotions, having their own pop-ups, etc. In addition to this, there were two other markets taking place along Foster, so this really just felt a mega block party but without the streets being closed.
This event was SO MUCH FUN. A lot of my local friends and clients from my cat sitting business (guess I should give myself a shout out here Cat Sitting by Jane ) came out and that was super fun to see everyone. I met a lot of new people too, everyone was really nice, it was great getting to do something in my neighborhood. And this was actually my best single day event as far as sales went, pretty impressive!
I hope they continue to do this event and more because I think the organization and the promotion of it was really top notch! Thank you Foster Area Business Assocation!
ALMOST DONE
I did a few smaller markets this year as well that I enjoyed and would recommend as well.
And a market at Bare Bones bar on Belmont one Monday night a month. I know the organizer does events at other Portland bars too, the fees are very low and the one event I did was a lot of fun and I met some cool people.
If you've read all this, thanks! If you've read ANY of it, thank you as well.
I hope to turn this into a more regular thing so I don't have to spend 3 full days recapping all that I've been up to.
Here is a picture of Chippies if you have made it this far.
