Rise Up Designs

One of the things I genuinely love about doing markets is the people. I love meeting customers, talking about what I make, watching someone discover something they didn’t know they needed, and getting that immediate feedback you just don’t get from an online shop. The part I could live without? Packing. Loading the car. Unloading the car. Setting everything up. Breaking everything down. Loading it all again. Then getting home and realizing you still have to unload. 😂 After doing markets for a while, though, I’ve learned something that has made that process a little easier: You don’t have to take everything you own. Every market has its own personality. Something that flies off my table at one market might barely get looked at somewhere else. At another market, people may head straight for my Blind Date with a Book collection. Somewhere else, it’s gift sets, totes, bookmarks, or something completely different. So this year, I’ve started paying much closer attention. What are pe...

Yesterday was my first fall market, and honestly? It was a really good one. Sales were good. I was paying attention to what people were picking up, what I need to make more of, what was catching their attention—all those little things you learn when you’re actually standing in front of your customers. But I also learned something else. Take care of the person behind the booth. I live in Texas. I know it’s hot. And I thought I was prepared. One of my market rituals is packing a little cooler full of bottled water. Yesterday I brought about eight bottles, and I was drinking water throughout the day. The market organizers were wonderful about making sure vendors had water available, too. Hydration? Check. Or so I thought. Around 2:00, as I started packing up, I suddenly got really dizzy. Not “whoa, I stood up too fast” dizzy. Sit-down-right-now dizzy. Eventually I had to call in reinforcements—aka Dad and my cousin—to finish packing my booth and drive me home. And that was my ...

One thing markets have taught me is that growth is not always about bringing more. More products. More displays. More signs. More things packed into every available inch of the table. Sometimes growth looks like learning what to leave behind. When I first started doing markets, I wanted to bring everything. I thought the more choices I gave people, the better chance I had of making a sale. And honestly, that made sense to me at the time. But after doing markets for a few years, I’ve learned that too much can become overwhelming—not only for the customer, but for me too. A crowded table can make it harder for people to understand what I sell. Products can get lost. My best items may not stand out. And instead of creating a warm, inviting space, the booth can start to feel like I simply brought everything I own. Now I try to be more intentional. Before I pack for a market, I ask myself: Does this product fit the direction of my business? Does it work with the rest of my displ...

One thing I’ve learned over the past few years is that customers don’t just buy products—they remember brands. As summer markets turn into the busy fall and holiday season, I’ve been looking at every part of my booth asking one question: “If someone walks away without buying today, will they remember my business tomorrow?” This year I committed to making my brand more visible. Not by spending a fortune… But by using tools I already own. I already had my Cricut. I already had my heat press. So I started creating branded table linens, adding my logo to different covers, refreshing my display, and making sure my business name is visible from every angle. Because when someone tells a friend… “You have to check out that booth…” I don’t want them wondering what my business was called. I want them saying: “It was Rise Up Designs.” Your booth is more than a place to sell. It’s your storefront. Every sign… Every table cover… Every display… Every logo… They’re all working for...