This past Sunday I put on the very first The Curvy Elle Pop-Up Shop here in the Bay Area at the ‘Niles Antique Faire and Flea Market.’  I went into this knowing that it was an experiment, more than actually selling items.

Waking up at 1:45am to get to the venue to set up was torture. But, I was very happy with how the shop turned out visually.

I didn’t end up selling a whole lot, but I met some great people, handed out a lot of cards, and hopefully made a few new followers and customer.  It was a mixed bag, of course.

For one, I need to rethink where I have my next pop-up shop. This venue was definitely not quite the right fit. For another, I need to re-approach how and what merchandise I offer at the pop-up shop. It is a very different market than selling online through etsy.

The day was  very long. By the end of the day (2:30am-4pm!) my brain and legs were both jello from the lack of sleep and fatigue.

The first part of the day went smoothly, but of course, when I am exhausted and can’t see clearly, the day goes to pot.

When we were starting to pack up the wind picked up. At one point it picked up my tent (even with weights!) sending it flying and knocked over the rack of dresses. This would of been manageable, except for the fact that it landed on top of a $90 full length mirror–snapping the frame in half and shattering the mirror.

Then, my dad shows up with his pickup truck and gets caught in a traffic jam. Eventually (inevitably) almost getting arrested when he got in a fight with a police officer.

You can imagine the words coming out of my mouth at this point! It was an ending to end all endings.  I was glad to finally slip into bed at the end of that day.

All in all, even with the horrid finish, this was a learning experience.  I have gotten a lot out of it and hope to bring it to good use with my future pop-up shop endeavors!