Avery at HER Market in Toronto
We had our first pop-up at HER Market this spring and we couldn't be happier. This was a unique experience for us as it was the first market we'd done featuring female entrepreneurs only. To be surrounded by so many ambitious and hardworking women under one roof was inspiring, and brought the perfect environment for our business to shine.
Located on Queen Street West in front of the Drake Hotel (in a building formerly known as Curry's Artist's Supplies), we set up shop to welcome the many new faces we'd be meeting all weekend. Our table was conveniently located right by the front doors so we were easy to spot. The turnout was amazing for HER Market with a long line forming to get in right when the doors opened at 12pm. The first thirty attendees also received an amazing bag of goodies!
On the day of, we were one of the first of seventy-plus vendors to arrive at 10am to start setting up. The most stressful moments happen in those early hours, between arriving and opening time. We had to build our own clothing rack and set up our standing mirror from scratch, amongst merchandising and styling our own table. Good thing we've gotten faster at it every time and we're confident by the next show, we'll be pros!
Related: Our First Pop-Up With Trending Table Market
We were amazed by the amount of women who not only came out to the pop-up but stopped by our booth to either give us some valuable feedback or show their interest in our products. Since the beginning, we've loved doing in-person events because of the community it brings us but most of all, being able to meet so many of our potential customers in real life. It makes being a vendor in these pop-ups all the more worth it.
For HER Market, this may have been the most engaged we've seen from the attendees to date. Although we didn't make that many sales, the best takeaway was having so many women come up to our booth and openly ask us about our brand, what inspired us and what our plans are for the future. We were definitely feeling the love from this event catered to support female-owned businesses.
If asked if we would return, a million times yes. The community that these events bring is invaluable. We met so many amazing women (especially our lovely table neighbours) that are on the same small business journey as us, that we're now proud to call friends.
The energy in the space was incomparable, with so many women coming out a rainy weekend to support women in business. On top of that, we had so much fun at HER Market. We can't wait to do more markets; to meet new potential customers and to see these other women-owned businesses thrive.
Stay up-to-date with our socials to check out when and where we're popping up next!
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Meeting our customers IRL will always be our favourite part
Love showcasing at local markets
See you guys at the next one!