WEBVTT 00:00:00.499 --> 00:00:03.200 Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:05.339 where we dive into leadership, small business, 00:00:05.519 --> 00:00:08.000 and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:10.320 host and the proud owner of White Beauty Boutique, 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:13.460 a space created to empower women, build confidence, 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:16.140 and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:18.879 an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:21.679 just looking for a little inspiration, This is 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:24.780 your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired. 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:27.920 Join me as we share stories, strategies, and 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:30.320 a little bit of life's chaos while navigating 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:32.899 what it truly means to level up in starting a 00:00:32.899 --> 00:00:35.380 business, relationship, and personal growth. 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.679 So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's 00:00:38.679 --> 00:00:42.539 level up together. Welcome back to Leveling Up 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:44.619 with Lindsay. Today we're diving into something 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:47.380 that is so much more than just an event. It's 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:50.119 a heartbeat of our community. This October 4th 00:00:50.119 --> 00:00:53.100 and 5th from 9 to 2 p .m. we'll be hosting our 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:56.079 fifth annual peony market at the shed location. 00:00:56.659 --> 00:00:59.460 What started with just 20 vendors back in 2021 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:03.399 has now grown to over 70 incredible small businesses. 00:01:03.979 --> 00:01:07.180 But let me be clear, this is not just another 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:10.219 vendor show. The peony market is a labor of love. 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:14.040 It was created with one purpose. to support and 00:01:14.040 --> 00:01:16.780 celebrate small businesses because I know firsthand 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:19.519 the grit, the late nights, the heart it takes 00:01:19.519 --> 00:01:22.480 to chase our dream. Our vendors are moms, dads, 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.760 students, grandparents, friends, and neighbors. 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:28.439 People right here in our community who show up 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:31.260 with their passions and pour themselves into 00:01:31.260 --> 00:01:34.579 every detail. And year after year, they come 00:01:34.579 --> 00:01:37.420 back, not just because it's a market, but because 00:01:37.420 --> 00:01:40.980 the heart behind it, it just is different. Today, 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.620 I'm sitting down with Emily, our event and marketing 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:45.780 director, who has been in the trenches with me 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:48.640 from day one, making this market what it is today. 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:50.680 We're pulling back the curtain on what it really 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:53.359 takes to put this together, why we do it, and 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:55.120 how we've built an event that's not only grown 00:01:55.120 --> 00:01:59.189 in size, but grown in soul. So let's jump into 00:01:59.189 --> 00:02:02.069 it. I'm really excited to talk about this because 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:04.670 it is by far our favorite event of the year. 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:07.090 Don't you agree? I love everything white peony 00:02:07.090 --> 00:02:09.770 does, but this just gets me like next level excited. 00:02:09.830 --> 00:02:12.389 It does. So let's take it back. I want everyone 00:02:12.389 --> 00:02:15.689 to know the why behind the white peony market. 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.430 First and foremost, let's talk about how this 00:02:18.430 --> 00:02:22.150 idea was created. So I actually was on a mission 00:02:22.150 --> 00:02:24.770 to support other small businesses because we 00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:27.780 were growing and the support that we receiving 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:31.139 was like bar none it was amazing but there were 00:02:31.139 --> 00:02:33.199 also behind the scenes really late nights seven 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:35.580 days a week hours from sun up to sundown you 00:02:35.580 --> 00:02:37.659 were right there with me I remember having lots 00:02:37.659 --> 00:02:39.759 of conversations early on and this is like more 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.060 of the beginning of white peony when yes we had 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:43.879 those late nights we were up late unboxing we 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:45.680 were up late thinking what we're gonna do the 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:47.740 next day and things like that and it is truly 00:02:47.740 --> 00:02:49.990 a lot of work and there's not a lot of like maybe 00:02:49.990 --> 00:02:51.689 resources that people are familiar with. So I 00:02:51.689 --> 00:02:53.930 remember you saying very early on, I want to 00:02:53.930 --> 00:02:56.090 help other small businesses. And you're like, 00:02:56.129 --> 00:02:57.789 we should do a market. And I was like, what are 00:02:57.789 --> 00:03:00.050 you talking about? That's normally whenever you're 00:03:00.050 --> 00:03:02.129 like, oh, great, Lindsay has an idea. But that's 00:03:02.129 --> 00:03:03.750 kind of when it started. And when you have an 00:03:03.750 --> 00:03:05.909 idea, you run with it and you aren't going to 00:03:05.909 --> 00:03:07.550 give up. And you're like, I want this not just 00:03:07.550 --> 00:03:09.550 to be a market where people can come and sell 00:03:09.550 --> 00:03:11.550 their goods and services, but how can I genuinely 00:03:11.550 --> 00:03:14.310 help these small businesses grow and be a resource 00:03:14.310 --> 00:03:17.090 during even like the beginning stages of their 00:03:17.090 --> 00:03:20.550 businesses? Yes. cool because you, like I said, 00:03:20.650 --> 00:03:22.050 you were dead set on it and you wanted it to 00:03:22.050 --> 00:03:25.669 be something different and you made that happen. 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:30.500 When we had that initial conversation though, 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.759 I was fueled even further. Like I was ignited 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:38.039 because everyone was instantly on board and excited. 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:40.819 But then we were sitting there and I mean, the 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:44.280 conversation and how this is all prepared and 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:46.580 created was, it wasn't just like one little meeting. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.300 We talked about this like almost every day, all 00:03:49.300 --> 00:03:52.819 day and texting each other ideas. And one of 00:03:52.819 --> 00:03:56.020 the things I was like, okay, I love a farmer's 00:03:56.020 --> 00:03:58.479 market in the morning. ambiance of the shopping 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.139 the ambiance it's just a beautiful weather yeah 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:03.740 you have flowers there might be a little music 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:06.780 if you're lucky you get some fresh produce like 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.539 there's just something so peaceful about a market 00:04:09.539 --> 00:04:11.099 you know all the people that are putting in the 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:13.770 work well I was like You know, they're also vendor 00:04:13.770 --> 00:04:16.089 events, but how do we like put the two together, 00:04:16.269 --> 00:04:19.569 but then really hone in on the people, the makers, 00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:22.769 the businesses behind and highlight them to what 00:04:22.769 --> 00:04:26.209 they deserve. Right. These are people from all 00:04:26.209 --> 00:04:28.490 different walks of life that have spent countless 00:04:28.490 --> 00:04:33.569 hours dreaming, preparing, creating. to create 00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:35.850 these small businesses. And that's another reason 00:04:35.850 --> 00:04:37.209 why you always say white peony is different. 00:04:37.350 --> 00:04:39.509 It's not just about clothing and shopping. You 00:04:39.509 --> 00:04:41.370 preach that community is important, community 00:04:41.370 --> 00:04:42.970 over competition. And that, again, highlights, 00:04:42.970 --> 00:04:44.730 I think, that aspect of the business that you 00:04:44.730 --> 00:04:47.230 want to run. Absolutely. And I think more than 00:04:47.230 --> 00:04:50.610 anything, I just genuinely wanted to back another 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:53.769 small business with heart and support. And so 00:04:53.769 --> 00:04:58.379 for me, from day one, It hasn't been about, there's 00:04:58.379 --> 00:04:59.839 a lot of different kinds of markets out there, 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:02.500 like farmers markets, vendors markets, the swappers 00:05:02.500 --> 00:05:04.939 or the, what is that called? Swappers meat. Yeah. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:07.899 Never been. I haven't. I actually love it because 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:09.620 I just love spending the morning just walking 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.300 through. But I'm like, for whatever reason, from 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:15.000 the very beginning, I knew that like this was 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:16.980 going to be different and I wasn't going to fear 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:19.100 from that. Like we're not here to do the same 00:05:19.100 --> 00:05:21.980 as someone else or I really wanted to hone in 00:05:21.980 --> 00:05:25.329 on experience. and these small businesses more 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:28.430 than anything. So we started originally with 00:05:28.430 --> 00:05:31.089 about 20 vendors. I don't know, was it? I think 00:05:31.089 --> 00:05:33.089 it was 20. We were excited to get 20. And it 00:05:33.089 --> 00:05:35.350 was a lot of reaching out to people that you 00:05:35.350 --> 00:05:37.050 saw at different farmers markets being like, 00:05:37.050 --> 00:05:38.769 hey, we're doing this. We'd love for you to come 00:05:38.769 --> 00:05:40.410 more to mouth and things like that. And we were 00:05:40.410 --> 00:05:43.709 super jacked to get 20 people. And just the whole 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:47.149 atmosphere behind how it started that day, it 00:05:47.149 --> 00:05:50.790 was like knocked our socks off. It was incredible. 00:05:50.990 --> 00:05:54.629 But we poured So much into that leading up to 00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:57.290 there. And then the day of we just really wanted 00:05:57.290 --> 00:05:59.589 to make sure that our vendors felt the absolute 00:05:59.589 --> 00:06:02.589 love. It just felt different. It felt right. 00:06:02.629 --> 00:06:07.410 It was so good. And I am so beyond proud that 00:06:07.410 --> 00:06:12.069 we are over 70 vendors and actually in our summer 00:06:12.069 --> 00:06:14.889 market. So we have two a year. We have a summer 00:06:14.889 --> 00:06:17.949 market that is only one day. And the last few 00:06:17.949 --> 00:06:20.810 years we have had. How many vendors at the shed? 00:06:21.050 --> 00:06:23.069 There was over 60 at the shed. 60 at the shed. 00:06:23.569 --> 00:06:26.069 And then here at our St. Joe location, we actually 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:28.850 had a bus, thanks to Trobex bus here in St. Joe, 00:06:29.089 --> 00:06:32.110 go to and from the markets. And we had, I think 00:06:32.110 --> 00:06:35.750 it was close to 40, 40 here in St. Joe. So the 00:06:35.750 --> 00:06:38.769 goal here is to bring in these incredible small 00:06:38.769 --> 00:06:41.430 businesses. We have the two spaces. We have an 00:06:41.430 --> 00:06:44.670 incredible community surrounding us. Why not 00:06:44.670 --> 00:06:47.670 help them further? So that is our summer market. 00:06:48.680 --> 00:06:51.579 and motor fall market in October. Our fall peony 00:06:51.579 --> 00:06:54.800 market is a two -day at our shed location only. 00:06:54.839 --> 00:06:57.660 Like I said, there's just something different 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:00.660 about this one. It hits different. It's the crisp 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:04.160 air, the fall, people are back to school, I think 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.040 ready for a fall wardrobe change, starting to 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.199 Christmas shop a little bit or holiday shop. 00:07:10.639 --> 00:07:12.620 there's just something about this fall one that 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:16.199 is the biggest for us and to me it's like the 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:18.199 most incredible. I agree and I think people like 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:19.779 oh hey in Minnesota you get what three or four 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:21.800 months of nice weather a year so people are really 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:23.779 looking to do things outside especially in the 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.899 fall so people are like saving the date they're 00:07:26.899 --> 00:07:28.540 booking hotels because they come from away like 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:31.519 people make this a weekend like event like people 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:33.600 come a long ways for this so it's pretty cool. 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:36.339 I've been asked actually like you know that we 00:07:36.339 --> 00:07:38.319 have like the different craft fairs too and they're 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:40.500 like why is this different and I was like it 00:07:40.500 --> 00:07:44.199 just is and we've had so much incredible feedback 00:07:44.199 --> 00:07:46.120 from our vendors that it is different and we'll 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.300 kind of go through that a little bit later but 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:51.759 now I'm so proud with this two -day fall peony 00:07:51.759 --> 00:07:57.740 market that we're over 70 vendors. And the coolest 00:07:57.740 --> 00:08:00.100 thing is some come both days, but there are some 00:08:00.100 --> 00:08:02.040 that are just on Saturday and some just on Sunday. 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:04.139 So if you are looking like for a whole weekend 00:08:04.139 --> 00:08:06.100 event come both days because truly you're gonna 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:08.660 like find new vendors to shop each day. And the 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:10.819 thing is the traffic it does get a little bit 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:13.500 busy so if you you know you can decide if you're 00:08:13.500 --> 00:08:15.620 gonna spend the full day there on Saturday or 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:17.959 if you're like hey I wanted to do this but I 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:20.240 didn't get to this and maybe have kids with you 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:22.240 Saturday or don't on Sunday like you can come 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.050 both days just kind of go through. connect and 00:08:25.050 --> 00:08:27.509 talk with the vendors. It's so cool. Let's talk 00:08:27.509 --> 00:08:31.310 a little bit about what the process with selecting 00:08:31.310 --> 00:08:33.809 vendors for our market looks like. Take it away 00:08:33.809 --> 00:08:36.450 because you are hands down in charge of coordinating. 00:08:37.029 --> 00:08:39.269 So it's been kind of fun because since the beginning, 00:08:39.289 --> 00:08:41.110 we've had some that have been with us since our 00:08:41.110 --> 00:08:43.450 very first market and they request to come back 00:08:43.450 --> 00:08:46.309 every year because of the heart and the community 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:48.529 and they just feel something so different, which 00:08:48.529 --> 00:08:50.149 we'll talk about in a little bit. But with that, 00:08:50.169 --> 00:08:52.850 we want it to be fair to A, the vendors that 00:08:52.850 --> 00:08:54.830 are coming because we know how much time and 00:08:54.830 --> 00:08:57.470 work and effort goes into. setting up and creating 00:08:57.470 --> 00:08:59.830 products and just being part of an event like 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:01.769 this. Something that's very important for us 00:09:01.769 --> 00:09:03.990 is to make sure we don't have too many of a similar 00:09:03.990 --> 00:09:06.309 type of vendor. Like we want it to be fair for 00:09:06.309 --> 00:09:08.129 our vendors. They put in so much time and everything 00:09:08.129 --> 00:09:10.190 is very specialized. So we want it to be fair 00:09:10.190 --> 00:09:12.350 for them as they come and set up and sell their 00:09:12.350 --> 00:09:15.070 goods. And we have definitely had duplicates. 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:17.350 Oh, absolutely. There is a way that we go about 00:09:17.350 --> 00:09:19.389 it, you know, and there have been a couple of 00:09:19.389 --> 00:09:22.649 lessons learned. Yeah. But there are like we 00:09:22.649 --> 00:09:24.289 have a couple of different candle companies, 00:09:24.450 --> 00:09:27.269 but they're incredible. And it's always, always, 00:09:27.269 --> 00:09:29.070 always, always, and I'm going to scream this 00:09:29.070 --> 00:09:31.830 from the rooftops. It's always community over 00:09:31.830 --> 00:09:35.169 competition. And that is one message that we 00:09:35.169 --> 00:09:37.929 have definitely communicated with all of our 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:40.470 vendors that work at the peony market or are 00:09:40.470 --> 00:09:42.789 part of the peony market, because there is zero 00:09:42.789 --> 00:09:45.330 tolerance for any kind of drama or negativity 00:09:45.330 --> 00:09:47.730 across the board. And that's a message that was 00:09:47.730 --> 00:09:50.210 very strong in the beginning. And actually I 00:09:50.210 --> 00:09:54.549 am confident in saying that is like. the culture 00:09:54.549 --> 00:09:56.830 of the P &O market is you're just not going to 00:09:56.830 --> 00:09:58.570 get that. Well, and they know it. Like we're 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:00.590 very clear in all our communication with the 00:10:00.590 --> 00:10:02.309 vendors. I'm very clear like, hey, there may 00:10:02.309 --> 00:10:04.190 be a couple more candle companies, but I think 00:10:04.190 --> 00:10:06.309 you're different and this is why, or I feel like 00:10:06.309 --> 00:10:08.529 you still be a good fit. Yes. And we over communicate, 00:10:08.570 --> 00:10:10.450 which is not a bad thing. And that's one of the 00:10:10.450 --> 00:10:12.289 most positive feedbacks I've gotten from vendors 00:10:12.289 --> 00:10:14.769 is your communication is fantastic. Like we get 00:10:14.769 --> 00:10:17.210 emails weekly. If we have questions, like you 00:10:17.210 --> 00:10:19.669 get back to us so quickly, there's no questions. 00:10:19.710 --> 00:10:21.309 There's nothing left. Like they don't feel like 00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:22.870 they're left in the dark about any information. 00:10:22.789 --> 00:10:25.389 about our events and that's really cool because 00:10:25.389 --> 00:10:26.509 sometimes you can feel like you're bombarding 00:10:26.509 --> 00:10:28.450 people with emails but no people love that and 00:10:28.450 --> 00:10:31.769 I think you do a really incredible job at I have 00:10:31.769 --> 00:10:34.889 to give you props because dealing with this many 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:38.190 different people is a task in itself and free 00:10:38.190 --> 00:10:40.509 I've talked to a couple other businesses that 00:10:40.509 --> 00:10:43.289 have held events with like multiple businesses 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:50.080 a part of it's a That is one thing with Emily. 00:10:50.259 --> 00:10:52.580 She cares so deeply of the wellbeing of every 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:55.480 single vendor that's a part of our markets. So 00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:58.220 I think you can feel that. And I think, so with 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:01.179 your emails, they're very informative. They are 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:04.500 very like one step ahead. Yeah. And we hone in 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:06.179 on, like you said, the zero drama. Like we make 00:11:06.179 --> 00:11:09.059 that very clear. Get along with people, have 00:11:09.059 --> 00:11:11.820 fun, like collaborate, connect with other vendors. 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:14.799 One of the coolest things about that is it's 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:15.029 like, it's like, it's like, it's like, People 00:11:15.029 --> 00:11:16.850 have done that. And there's so many relationships 00:11:16.850 --> 00:11:18.750 that have been formed between different vendors. 00:11:18.929 --> 00:11:21.269 They go and do things together. They pop up together. 00:11:21.309 --> 00:11:23.250 They invite each other places because they've 00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:25.149 met at Peony Market. And they've taken that serious. 00:11:25.230 --> 00:11:27.429 They've made really amazing connections with 00:11:27.429 --> 00:11:29.309 other vendors. OK. That was going to be kind 00:11:29.309 --> 00:11:31.570 of my next question. Sorry. No, no. It's good. 00:11:31.669 --> 00:11:34.289 It's good. Because reflecting back on the growth 00:11:34.289 --> 00:11:36.389 of our Peony Markets, because of the growth, 00:11:36.450 --> 00:11:38.470 it hasn't diluted our mission, is what I was 00:11:38.470 --> 00:11:40.009 going to say. Don't you agree? As we've grown, 00:11:40.490 --> 00:11:43.230 the mission and heart have stayed the same, or 00:11:43.230 --> 00:11:47.419 even deepened. And I believe that it is so beneficial 00:11:47.419 --> 00:11:49.600 for everyone, like I said, community over competition, 00:11:49.799 --> 00:11:54.000 to collaborate. If you're going to win in a bigger, 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.960 greater sense, if you, yes, hone in on your skill, 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:00.279 hone in on what you're selling, hone in on your 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.320 product or your service. But if you take it to 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:06.139 another level and turn to your neighbor, and 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:08.100 you are like, I'm going to connect with you, 00:12:08.100 --> 00:12:10.279 I am also going to support you. I'm going to 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:14.440 create a new friend, an outlet. our peony markets 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:18.539 have turned into, not only on the outside, but 00:12:18.539 --> 00:12:21.440 internally on the back end, such a community. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:24.779 It's cool on social media following these businesses 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:27.340 and they are shouting out other vendors or being 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:29.059 like, I can't wait to partner up with this person 00:12:29.059 --> 00:12:31.240 and do things. So it's been so cool. And I think 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:32.860 that was kind of a message from the beginning. 00:12:34.199 --> 00:12:37.500 One thing that I know as starting my own business 00:12:37.500 --> 00:12:40.500 is you get very involved in the trenches of like, 00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:42.679 am I doing this right? I got to get this done 00:12:42.679 --> 00:12:45.500 in time. I got to hurry. I got to do this. You're 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:47.360 so focused on your details and how you can improve 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.700 and do better and connect with your own customers. 00:12:49.860 --> 00:12:52.980 It is very easy to forget the value and the benefit 00:12:52.980 --> 00:12:55.120 and just reaching out to a fellow business owner. 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:58.059 And that is a message that we kind of tried to 00:12:58.059 --> 00:13:00.799 hone in on from the beginning to encourage that 00:13:00.799 --> 00:13:03.279 amongst. And I think that is why. the culture 00:13:03.279 --> 00:13:05.899 has really just grown so deep, and I hope it 00:13:05.899 --> 00:13:10.120 continues to. My goal, I love more than anything 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:14.480 when my friends meet. each other or like they 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:17.120 connect. And I think that kind of shown the peony 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:19.980 market too in a very different way. So if anything 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:23.220 I think as we've grown the mission has gotten 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:27.720 even like greater. I know that we are very intentional 00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:29.679 with this upcoming fall market. We've got some 00:13:29.679 --> 00:13:33.039 big ideas and goals and minds but it's not for 00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:36.789 us. As White Peony, it literally is for our businesses. 00:13:37.009 --> 00:13:40.029 And we continue to accept new vendors, which 00:13:40.029 --> 00:13:42.450 is really fun. We try our best to expand and 00:13:42.450 --> 00:13:44.629 grow into a capacity that we are able to. But 00:13:44.629 --> 00:13:46.429 like I said, we're very selective just to make 00:13:46.429 --> 00:13:48.870 sure it's fair. And we have a wide variety of 00:13:48.870 --> 00:13:50.789 vendors and goods and services for customers 00:13:50.789 --> 00:13:52.730 to shop to to make it a full experience for them. 00:13:52.909 --> 00:13:55.169 I can't wait till Sunday. I just have all the 00:13:55.169 --> 00:13:59.090 land in the world. Hundreds and hundreds of vendors. 00:13:59.809 --> 00:14:03.740 I would too. I totally would. The preparation 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.879 for something like this, I wanted you guys listeners 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:11.080 to know and understand and feel the heart behind 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.879 our peony markets because they are different. 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:15.940 I wanted you to hear what it takes to put on 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:18.320 something like this. I think it's very interesting 00:14:18.320 --> 00:14:20.340 for different people. I want you to know a day 00:14:20.340 --> 00:14:24.460 in the life of a market vendor and a small business 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:27.440 starting up or maybe somebody who travels a lot 00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:29.799 who has other jobs that literally is pouring 00:14:29.799 --> 00:14:33.919 their heart and soul into this. you to understand 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.379 that like this isn't just about going to some 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:40.840 little market fair, craft fair type thing. There 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:46.100 is so much more to this. So let's walk from January 00:14:46.100 --> 00:14:49.080 1 and on and what takes place in all of the prep 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:50.919 work on our behalf. And then we're going to talk 00:14:50.919 --> 00:14:53.759 a little bit about the vendor. So January 1, 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:56.840 what happens? It happens before that. So fall 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:59.690 market is October. I think we do like our 12 00:14:59.690 --> 00:15:01.309 days of giving in November, take a little bit 00:15:01.309 --> 00:15:03.250 breather. And then I think actually maybe it 00:15:03.250 --> 00:15:05.230 is right after Christmas, January 1. I'm like, 00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:07.450 all right, spring or summer market, let's go. 00:15:07.450 --> 00:15:10.090 What's going? Messaging previous vendors typically, 00:15:10.389 --> 00:15:11.830 letting them know this is the dates we've locked 00:15:11.830 --> 00:15:13.850 in. We'd love to give you guys first dibs because 00:15:13.850 --> 00:15:16.429 we've been a very valued vendor before. That 00:15:16.429 --> 00:15:19.110 and like after a market's the gratitude that 00:15:19.110 --> 00:15:22.159 is like, I don't know, just like our. everything 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:25.159 is so full of gratitude because it is so much 00:15:25.159 --> 00:15:27.559 work but we're like did that just happen? I know 00:15:27.559 --> 00:15:29.399 and I actually have vendors that grab me they're 00:15:29.399 --> 00:15:31.460 like when's your spring market like put me down 00:15:31.460 --> 00:15:33.440 right now can I pay for a deposit right now like 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:35.419 the people are so fired up because how like much 00:15:35.419 --> 00:15:37.500 fun it is. Yes so immediately after our market 00:15:37.500 --> 00:15:41.840 it is so important to us for every individual 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:46.740 to be heard and be seen and to know that their 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:49.460 efforts and their work really mattered and made 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:51.500 a difference. Yes, you're right. So follow up 00:15:51.500 --> 00:15:54.039 thank you email right away because that's so, 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:55.679 so, so genuine. We're so grateful of all the 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:57.580 time and the efforts and just everything they 00:15:57.580 --> 00:16:00.340 put into it. January 1st, we get rocking on summer. 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:03.399 It's like brainstorm central. We pick our date. 00:16:03.460 --> 00:16:05.059 We say, how can this one be different? How can 00:16:05.059 --> 00:16:06.500 it be bigger? How can it be better? What can 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:08.620 we do? One thing that's super fun, are you going 00:16:08.620 --> 00:16:10.639 to find a DJ at any other? farmers market. No, 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:12.799 you're not at peony market. We actually have 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:15.320 the best music ever. We'll have like a DJ or 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:17.600 a live band or someone singing like just that 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:20.360 really creates a fun atmosphere in itself. We 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.620 try to have food and like drinks available for 00:16:22.620 --> 00:16:24.720 people who like to maybe have a coffee as they're 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:28.100 shopping or enjoy a burger for lunch. Absolutely. 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:31.460 Like we reflect back and really hone in on how 00:16:31.460 --> 00:16:35.080 we could have done it better. So I'm honestly 00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:37.279 every year it feels like we've leveled up a little 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:40.440 bit more, but we always take moment to look back 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.799 from prep time the day before to the day or days 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:47.159 of and ask ourselves like what could we have 00:16:47.159 --> 00:16:49.419 done a little bit better not only for customers 00:16:49.419 --> 00:16:52.759 on the shopping side but mostly for our vendors 00:16:52.759 --> 00:16:55.179 and like how to benefit them a little bit further 00:16:55.179 --> 00:16:56.940 and as things you don't think of like calling 00:16:56.940 --> 00:16:59.240 you making sure we have porter potties and like 00:16:59.240 --> 00:17:02.139 things that are really valuable and maybe like 00:17:02.139 --> 00:17:04.599 are easily forgotten but are so important to 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:07.190 make the day run smooth Literally what you were 00:17:07.190 --> 00:17:11.839 saying, Em, is we... Look at every part of an 00:17:11.839 --> 00:17:15.319 experience, not only from a customer standpoint, 00:17:15.900 --> 00:17:18.380 when somebody comes up. And I don't really like 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:21.099 say customer, our community. I don't know what 00:17:21.099 --> 00:17:24.740 to say. It sounds so salesy. Because I want it 00:17:24.740 --> 00:17:27.539 to be such a great experience. So if someone 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:30.559 was to walk up to our market, drive up, come 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:33.460 in, what does it feel like? What does it smell 00:17:33.460 --> 00:17:36.440 like? What is it? What can you hear? Like all 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:39.829 the senses. And I want you to just be like, you 00:17:39.829 --> 00:17:42.589 can feel the freaking love from everybody. I 00:17:42.589 --> 00:17:44.809 want you to not just walk up to a vendor booth. 00:17:44.930 --> 00:17:48.369 I want you to feel the absolute personalities 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:50.509 behind who you're talking to. I want to knock 00:17:50.509 --> 00:17:54.269 your socks off. And then on behalf of what matters 00:17:54.269 --> 00:17:57.329 to us more than anything is our vendors and how 00:17:57.329 --> 00:18:00.349 they feel and how that looks like. So we go step 00:18:00.349 --> 00:18:02.869 by step. And then we're like, how can we make 00:18:02.869 --> 00:18:04.670 this experience a little bit different every 00:18:04.670 --> 00:18:08.039 time and a little bit better every time? I think 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.519 the coolest thing, it starts that vendor set 00:18:10.519 --> 00:18:12.819 up in the morning. So vendors get there pretty 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:15.339 early. We have it to a science now where we space 00:18:15.339 --> 00:18:17.359 out when vendors arrive, when they can unload, 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:19.400 unloading times, all that kind of stuff, which 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:21.339 is so much work in itself to plan and prepare 00:18:21.339 --> 00:18:23.220 and make sure it's a very smooth transition for 00:18:23.220 --> 00:18:25.160 everyone. But we get a group of people there 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:27.160 in the morning that help unload vendors' cars, 00:18:27.299 --> 00:18:29.500 help set up tents. And that has been one of the 00:18:29.500 --> 00:18:32.200 biggest things, the gratitude from vendors. They're 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:33.539 so grateful because sometimes they're there by 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:35.799 themselves and they have tons of boxes or heavy 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:37.970 tents. weights and they need help setting up 00:18:37.970 --> 00:18:40.170 and we are at their car we are helping them unload 00:18:40.170 --> 00:18:42.789 and it's amazing. So bless my kiddo's hearts, 00:18:43.089 --> 00:18:47.369 my husband's and our families and friends. I 00:18:47.369 --> 00:18:50.710 have a couple of very best friends that literally 00:18:50.710 --> 00:18:53.450 the morning of market show up the same time I 00:18:53.450 --> 00:18:58.289 do at our fall market at 601 or 555 or whatever 00:18:58.289 --> 00:19:01.910 that is to help me guide these markets. Our goal 00:19:01.910 --> 00:19:04.910 to make the vendors their lives easier, the small 00:19:04.910 --> 00:19:09.329 business owners, is organization. We've changed 00:19:09.329 --> 00:19:11.869 that a little bit. And I'm so proud of what it's 00:19:11.869 --> 00:19:13.130 developed into. I think every year we learn. 00:19:13.710 --> 00:19:15.430 So it's never going to be perfect, but we're 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:18.150 on a mission to make it better. So like you said, 00:19:18.309 --> 00:19:20.670 you organize what time different vendors come 00:19:20.670 --> 00:19:23.630 and why that makes a difference for some versus 00:19:23.630 --> 00:19:26.109 not. You know what I mean? The family, the friends, 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:29.789 our kiddos that come, and these teenagers are 00:19:29.789 --> 00:19:33.839 ready. We've got like... two to six kiddos at 00:19:33.839 --> 00:19:36.559 6 a .m you guys they have such good attitude 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:40.099 they come in and they are sweatshirts on and 00:19:40.099 --> 00:19:43.460 ready to go just to help everyone unload and 00:19:43.460 --> 00:19:49.140 they are the kindest souls too it is it's true 00:19:49.140 --> 00:19:52.799 and like My daughter's had her best friends and 00:19:52.799 --> 00:19:55.700 their friends, and it's just been so cool. And 00:19:55.700 --> 00:19:58.839 I'm so appreciative for them. I usually bribe 00:19:58.839 --> 00:20:01.039 them with a little extra breakfast, maybe an 00:20:01.039 --> 00:20:03.700 Elani or a little energy drink or coffee. But 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:07.039 whatever it takes, we got to do it. So I definitely 00:20:07.039 --> 00:20:10.000 make sure that they are taken care of. So let's 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:12.359 take it back a step further. from the very beginning 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.859 of how this prep, like the organization from 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:18.740 it. So yes, from January one, we're planning, 00:20:18.880 --> 00:20:22.359 we have meetings every single month for a long 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.259 time. And we're constantly messaging back and 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:27.180 forth, all these ideas. And then once it gets 00:20:27.180 --> 00:20:29.779 up to like two months before, I mean, we have 00:20:29.779 --> 00:20:31.819 a lot of discussion about like, where are we 00:20:31.819 --> 00:20:33.819 at? What are we going to do different? How can 00:20:33.819 --> 00:20:36.180 we tweak things, updates with communication with 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:38.779 the vendors and whatnot. But then what really, 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:42.670 really matters is. Emily goes through this incredible 00:20:42.670 --> 00:20:45.269 process. When a vendor reaches out to us to sign 00:20:45.269 --> 00:20:48.009 up, what does that look like? Because like just 00:20:48.009 --> 00:20:49.849 walk from that. We're trying to make it simple. 00:20:50.029 --> 00:20:52.589 It's affordable. Like we do have a fee for our 00:20:52.589 --> 00:20:54.470 vendors, but let me tell you, we're not here 00:20:54.470 --> 00:20:56.990 to make a dime off of anything like that. That 00:20:56.990 --> 00:21:00.009 was never, ever, and never will be part of our 00:21:00.009 --> 00:21:02.670 mission. It literally, like we have, like you 00:21:02.670 --> 00:21:04.650 said before, we do a port -a -potty, we do marketing, 00:21:04.849 --> 00:21:08.230 we do printouts, we do all of these things to 00:21:08.230 --> 00:21:11.099 make sure this is successful for these small 00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:13.400 businesses. But okay, kind of go through that 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:15.359 from the beginning. Yeah, so if a vendor, a new 00:21:15.359 --> 00:21:17.140 vendor reaches out, I kind of ask a little bit 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:18.819 more information about the goods you'd be selling 00:21:18.819 --> 00:21:20.920 or the services that you'd be providing. Make 00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:23.200 sure it's unique in a sense that it's something 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:25.200 different enough that we don't have already a 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.500 vendor attending. I have a program or a software 00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:30.779 that I put in the questionnaire and a link to 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:32.940 reserve your spot. They can pay their fee and 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:35.039 all that stuff right through this link. I send 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:37.779 it to them. They reserve their spot and they 00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:39.900 fill out all the forms necessary and then they're 00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:42.279 good to go. Yep. All good to go. So easy for 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:43.759 them. It's streamlined. They get a receipt right 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:46.140 away. They get a confirmation email and then 00:21:46.349 --> 00:21:47.869 Again, it kind of goes through all the information, 00:21:47.890 --> 00:21:49.509 what to expect, and letting them know that more 00:21:49.509 --> 00:21:51.390 details will be coming. We keep communicating. 00:21:51.549 --> 00:21:53.490 I keep giving them updates. I keep asking them 00:21:53.490 --> 00:21:55.390 to help spread the word, because the more people 00:21:55.390 --> 00:21:57.369 that know about it, the more they benefit from 00:21:57.369 --> 00:21:59.430 it. And social media is such a cool tool for 00:21:59.430 --> 00:22:01.549 advertising and marketing. It is so cool. But 00:22:01.549 --> 00:22:04.170 I love, through this process, how you connect 00:22:04.170 --> 00:22:06.349 with these vendors. You connect with them. And 00:22:06.349 --> 00:22:08.269 it is so cool to get to know them. And then by 00:22:08.269 --> 00:22:10.769 getting to know them and what they offer, then 00:22:10.769 --> 00:22:13.670 we kind of decide where they're going to go schedule 00:22:13.670 --> 00:22:17.519 -wise. So you try. really hard. We always tell 00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:20.220 everyone there's no guarantee of a spot, of where 00:22:20.220 --> 00:22:21.960 you're going to be located or whatnot. But you 00:22:21.960 --> 00:22:24.880 do a really great job. Emily pours her heart 00:22:24.880 --> 00:22:29.180 into this as far as selecting what times everyone's 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:31.359 scheduled to come in, where you're going to be 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:33.460 located, and whatnot. Yeah, we ask anyone if 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:35.200 they have special requests. So maybe if someone 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:37.420 has paper products they want to be against the 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:39.039 building so it doesn't blow away, or if they 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:40.500 have fresh cookies they don't want to be facing 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:42.680 the sun, things like that. And we've learned 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.220 a lot. Yes. bigger booths or a lot of stuff, 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.019 they need more time to unload. So I just ask 00:22:48.019 --> 00:22:50.059 for all those requests ahead of time. And then 00:22:50.059 --> 00:22:52.160 we definitely do our best to accommodate everyone's 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:54.220 requests. And especially with the unloading times, 00:22:54.339 --> 00:22:56.119 because I know how much time and effort and work 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.279 goes into that. Yeah, because sometimes we have 00:22:58.279 --> 00:23:01.279 vendors that are like, if I could get here. earlier 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:03.460 we'd be here. And then there's some that are 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:05.720 like actually my setup only takes about 15 minutes 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:07.299 because then we kind of spread everybody out 00:23:07.299 --> 00:23:10.059 and again we may not be able to like culminate 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:12.920 every single tiny detail but we absolutely pour 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:15.819 our hearts into doing our very best. We are there 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:17.579 the night before sometimes late with your husband 00:23:17.579 --> 00:23:20.119 or spray painting like numbers and we're arguing 00:23:20.119 --> 00:23:22.759 about like how much more space we need and it's 00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:26.019 fun and it's playful banter but it's just it's 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:27.619 a lot of work and it's the reality of it like 00:23:27.619 --> 00:23:29.730 we're there late to make sure it's easy for for 00:23:29.730 --> 00:23:31.970 vendors in the morning. Let me just tell you, 00:23:32.109 --> 00:23:33.869 and then we got to talk about vendors. When market 00:23:33.869 --> 00:23:38.369 is over and things are quiet and we clean up 00:23:38.369 --> 00:23:41.369 the whole week after and put things back in order, 00:23:41.509 --> 00:23:44.670 and I mean it takes a week, you sit back and 00:23:44.670 --> 00:23:47.170 you kind of just are like, look. Like you hit 00:23:47.170 --> 00:23:49.589 the chair or you hit the pillow and you're like, 00:23:50.150 --> 00:23:52.730 did we just do that? I know. I know. It's a lot. 00:23:52.970 --> 00:23:55.650 It's a lot in such a good way. But you know what? 00:23:55.930 --> 00:23:59.089 This year, I think about the video. I think it 00:23:59.089 --> 00:24:01.559 was last fall market. My mom and dad, I think, 00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:04.299 came, my husband and daughters. I think it was 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:07.619 you and your kiddos. Yeah. And I think Autumn 00:24:07.619 --> 00:24:09.799 and her husband were there at one point. And 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:12.339 everybody the night before, I think it was like 00:24:12.339 --> 00:24:16.799 8 PM, 9 PM, whatever it was, were all rearranging 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:20.940 the world at the shed, trying to do some last 00:24:20.940 --> 00:24:23.940 minute details. Because what starts for us behind 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:27.930 the scenes market morning we're up at 4 a .m. 00:24:28.150 --> 00:24:30.829 working on things and I'm at the shed at 6 and 00:24:30.829 --> 00:24:35.109 it is go time. We have learned from the beginning 00:24:35.109 --> 00:24:37.630 that we don't come in early thinking that we're 00:24:37.630 --> 00:24:40.430 gonna work on something like everything has to 00:24:40.430 --> 00:24:44.269 be done by Friday period because when we get 00:24:44.269 --> 00:24:46.710 there in the morning for our vendors they deserve 00:24:46.710 --> 00:24:49.450 our attention first and so everything else there's 00:24:49.450 --> 00:24:52.910 no time for it. Okay so vendors, the booths, 00:24:52.910 --> 00:24:56.690 the communication, meeting these humans behind 00:24:56.690 --> 00:24:58.549 their small businesses and the work that they 00:24:58.549 --> 00:25:01.250 do. Let's talk a little bit about the vendor. 00:25:01.309 --> 00:25:04.910 I want the world to know, and I wish that I would 00:25:04.910 --> 00:25:08.150 have asked and I will in our future, ask a vendor 00:25:08.150 --> 00:25:11.569 or a small business to be on here and talk about 00:25:11.569 --> 00:25:13.710 what it takes. And you know what we're really 00:25:13.710 --> 00:25:16.269 good at? We have done some interviews and with 00:25:16.269 --> 00:25:18.470 videos we'll post on our social media. So please 00:25:18.470 --> 00:25:21.170 follow Pioni Boutique. Please, please follow 00:25:21.170 --> 00:25:25.059 our Pioni Market Facebook page. Instagram page 00:25:25.059 --> 00:25:27.539 Emily did create to help this. That's new this 00:25:27.539 --> 00:25:29.660 year, too. We want people to always have a place 00:25:29.660 --> 00:25:31.880 they can go to know the happenings, the dates, 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:34.720 the vendors that will be there. So it's peonymarket 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:37.519 on Facebook, and then peonymarketmn on Instagram. 00:25:37.619 --> 00:25:39.079 There we go. So check it out. So we'll give you 00:25:39.079 --> 00:25:41.119 some behind the scenes of some of our vendors 00:25:41.119 --> 00:25:43.700 and do interviews with them, because here's the 00:25:43.700 --> 00:25:48.519 deal. My goal and my mission is for you listeners 00:25:48.519 --> 00:25:50.900 and our community to meet these incredible people. 00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:54.779 the time and the effort and we know from white 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:57.079 peony i know from a business owner i know from 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:01.319 a creative i know what it takes and it is a lot 00:26:01.319 --> 00:26:04.680 of freaking work oh my goodness do you want to 00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:06.420 let's take it way back i don't think i've actually 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:08.839 talked about this ever in any of these podcasts 00:26:08.839 --> 00:26:14.390 before white peony was created emily Do you remember 00:26:14.390 --> 00:26:17.690 what me and my mom used to do? My mom and I would 00:26:17.690 --> 00:26:25.809 create signs and holiday pots. And we had this 00:26:25.809 --> 00:26:30.750 big sale, like holiday sign sale, and with greenery 00:26:30.750 --> 00:26:33.230 and different things in my garage. I don't think 00:26:33.230 --> 00:26:35.390 I knew that. You didn't? I wonder if I could 00:26:35.390 --> 00:26:40.250 find pictures. OK, so long story short. We're 00:26:40.250 --> 00:26:42.829 well aware what it takes to like set up, you 00:26:42.829 --> 00:26:46.069 know, and white peonies started. We actually 00:26:46.069 --> 00:26:48.109 did, I think our very first vendor event, I think 00:26:48.109 --> 00:26:50.750 it was at like Ducks Billiards, a big like thing 00:26:50.750 --> 00:26:53.789 or one of them. No brewery. Yeah, it was a brewery 00:26:53.789 --> 00:26:57.170 in Annandale. That's where it was. My gosh. I 00:26:57.170 --> 00:26:59.029 was there. I don't think we could move after 00:26:59.029 --> 00:27:03.450 that. Here's at the end of the day, please know 00:27:03.450 --> 00:27:08.279 that these people in our community, moms, They 00:27:08.279 --> 00:27:11.180 are children. They are grandparents. They are 00:27:11.180 --> 00:27:13.480 sisters, brothers, friends, neighbors, everyone 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:17.420 in between. It starts with a dream. It starts 00:27:17.420 --> 00:27:20.940 with a dream, moves forward with passion. And 00:27:20.940 --> 00:27:25.720 you show up to a vendor event or our peony market 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:29.519 with grit and damn determination. Excuse my language. 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:33.019 Because it is a lot of work. And there have been 00:27:33.019 --> 00:27:36.640 moments. We were faced with a little bit of weather. 00:27:37.980 --> 00:27:40.279 markets one was incredible we're gonna talk about 00:27:40.279 --> 00:27:45.299 this here rain in my heart actually stopped and 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:47.359 i like couldn't breathe that first time because 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:50.119 i know how much work these people put into their 00:27:50.119 --> 00:27:53.140 products and services and i was like it was not 00:27:53.140 --> 00:27:55.980 about me i just wanted to i was so concerned 00:27:55.980 --> 00:27:59.339 with how what they were gonna do with their product 00:27:59.339 --> 00:28:00.980 and how they were gonna yeah because it was when 00:28:00.980 --> 00:28:02.960 we were setting up the morning oh my gosh okay 00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:06.089 let's take that back We had a morning, I don't 00:28:06.089 --> 00:28:08.509 know if it was the second year, third year, third 00:28:08.509 --> 00:28:12.190 year maybe. And in the morning, it was torrential 00:28:12.190 --> 00:28:14.609 downpour, you guys. And never in my mind did 00:28:14.609 --> 00:28:16.589 it, you know, being new to all this, did that 00:28:16.589 --> 00:28:19.990 cross, it didn't cross my mind at all. And it 00:28:19.990 --> 00:28:22.829 rained, torrential downpour. Like it rained so 00:28:22.829 --> 00:28:24.569 hard. We had to put boards in the parking lot 00:28:24.569 --> 00:28:26.589 after the walk -in. Oh my god. There was puddles. 00:28:26.990 --> 00:28:30.150 I forgot about that. OK. And I remember standing 00:28:30.150 --> 00:28:34.940 there numb. Like people were showing up, our 00:28:34.940 --> 00:28:37.079 small businesses, our vendors were showing up 00:28:37.079 --> 00:28:39.339 with their trucks, with their families. They 00:28:39.339 --> 00:28:42.779 were unloading and setting up tents in the torrential 00:28:42.779 --> 00:28:46.859 downpour, the rain. And I just, I went out and 00:28:46.859 --> 00:28:48.940 I was coordinating, you were coordinating, Matt, 00:28:49.039 --> 00:28:51.019 I think was coordinating. We were talking with 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:53.160 them, but then I remember coming into the shed 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:56.960 and standing there numb. Like, I didn't think 00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:58.339 of that. Like, what are, what are we going to 00:28:58.339 --> 00:29:00.940 do? Not only what are we going to do, but Are 00:29:00.940 --> 00:29:03.700 these people for real? Like they're still setting 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:06.319 up. They're pushing through. Like you talk about 00:29:06.319 --> 00:29:09.160 grit. Yeah. I literally remember standing there 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:12.180 numb, looking outside. Our employees are running 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:13.839 in and out, trying to help people and coming 00:29:13.839 --> 00:29:16.799 in, stopping wet with umbrellas, trying to like 00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:19.140 bring them towels, whatever we had to do. And 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:22.319 I remember being like, is this for real? And 00:29:22.319 --> 00:29:25.299 then I was like, Are they seriously still setting 00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:27.299 up in all of this? And it got me kind of choked 00:29:27.299 --> 00:29:29.819 up because I was like, wow. There were a couple 00:29:29.819 --> 00:29:32.480 of people that just could not continue, which 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:35.319 I completely understand. But those who stayed 00:29:35.319 --> 00:29:37.859 in those above all, whether they left or stayed 00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:42.240 and had the best attitudes, that was a lesson 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:44.880 that we weren't going to really, we're going 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:47.519 to take that standard and use that going forward. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:50.539 Yep. Yeah. Right. It all matters. And oh my gosh, 00:29:50.680 --> 00:29:52.660 that day was like a complete let's learn. But 00:29:52.660 --> 00:29:55.559 let me tell you what did happen. Because of everybody's 00:29:55.559 --> 00:29:58.200 attitudes, the universe listened. I am a firm 00:29:58.200 --> 00:30:02.380 believer because at like 10, 30, the sun came 00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:06.160 out and we had the best day we ever could have 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:08.500 asked for. Absolutely. I remember walking around 00:30:08.500 --> 00:30:11.470 and being like. Wow. Are you OK? These vendors, 00:30:11.910 --> 00:30:14.750 above all, weather, rain, shine, wind. We had 00:30:14.750 --> 00:30:17.289 an incident with that. And our team handled it 00:30:17.289 --> 00:30:21.230 like champions. I was in tears because our vendors 00:30:21.230 --> 00:30:25.190 handled it like everybody came together. There's 00:30:25.190 --> 00:30:28.170 just something to be said about this type of 00:30:28.170 --> 00:30:30.369 event our peony markets are where you connect 00:30:30.369 --> 00:30:33.289 and they turn into kind of our family They do 00:30:33.289 --> 00:30:35.190 and everyone supports everyone which is so cool 00:30:35.190 --> 00:30:37.210 You have each other's back like for the win like 00:30:37.210 --> 00:30:38.829 people are helping pick up each other's things 00:30:38.829 --> 00:30:41.730 Like it's just it's really cool. So when we talk 00:30:41.730 --> 00:30:45.970 about from a vendor perspective What makes it 00:30:45.970 --> 00:30:48.349 different than the rest and the feedback that 00:30:48.349 --> 00:30:51.509 you've maybe received I would say the organization. 00:30:51.509 --> 00:30:53.920 Yeah Yep feedback that received from vendors 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:56.799 that it's different from the rest is the organization 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:01.460 the personal and heartfelt touches of course 00:31:01.460 --> 00:31:03.940 they can feel we genuinely care and they appreciate 00:31:03.940 --> 00:31:05.640 that they're not scared to like email and ask 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:07.579 questions that they have questions someone said 00:31:07.579 --> 00:31:09.380 this is the most put together event i've ever 00:31:09.380 --> 00:31:11.500 been part of i love it all thank you so much 00:31:11.919 --> 00:31:14.019 Another quote from our vendor is, I'm so excited 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:15.980 to be a part of this market. I love everything 00:31:15.980 --> 00:31:18.200 that white peony represents. So again, that just 00:31:18.200 --> 00:31:20.359 shows that all the hard work that we put into 00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:22.880 making it a community show and they can feel 00:31:22.880 --> 00:31:25.000 it. That's good. That's exactly what we're doing. 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:27.380 All the work, you know, the selling of products 00:31:27.380 --> 00:31:29.579 is one thing, but like if everybody could feel 00:31:29.579 --> 00:31:31.700 and understand the bigger picture is actually 00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:34.079 the win. Right. And I've had multiple people 00:31:34.079 --> 00:31:36.079 be like, tell me your dates now, like get me 00:31:36.079 --> 00:31:38.079 on the wait list. Like I need to be a part of 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:40.759 this because it's just, it's so cool. Now, as 00:31:40.759 --> 00:31:44.190 far as our customers go for our fall peony market. 00:31:44.690 --> 00:31:48.349 If you're interested in coming from out of town 00:31:48.349 --> 00:31:50.329 or if you're local and you want to see what the 00:31:50.329 --> 00:31:52.869 heck this is all about, you're going to get food 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:56.529 and drinks and experiences. We have like permanent 00:31:56.529 --> 00:31:59.529 jewelry and hair tinsel, right? You're going 00:31:59.529 --> 00:32:01.450 to get products and vendors from all different 00:32:01.450 --> 00:32:03.730 walks of life and different things from candles 00:32:03.730 --> 00:32:07.859 to... our list. We have homemade signs, we have 00:32:07.859 --> 00:32:11.259 doll clothes, we have homemade jewelry, clothing 00:32:11.259 --> 00:32:14.000 and accessories, cookies, lots of baked goods, 00:32:14.240 --> 00:32:16.200 you guys, canned goods. Let me tell you what. 00:32:16.200 --> 00:32:19.440 We have nautical bowls. Seriously, I always find 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:21.700 something for myself. Usually it's like a, what 00:32:21.700 --> 00:32:24.680 do you want to say, like a homeopathic type product. 00:32:25.460 --> 00:32:28.000 I usually get a candle. Usually I find many gifts. 00:32:28.339 --> 00:32:30.960 And usually I find a Christmas, a holiday gift 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.559 or two, or just for like a teacher or a thoughtful 00:32:33.559 --> 00:32:35.720 gift for a neighbor. I remember the one time 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:37.920 Tara wasn't able to come, one of my best friends. 00:32:38.099 --> 00:32:40.039 Did she give you a list? No, I think I had to 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:42.420 beg for her because I was like, she missed out. 00:32:42.900 --> 00:32:45.339 I think a lot of people do get a lot of Christmas 00:32:45.339 --> 00:32:47.000 shopping done because it's cool. It's a cool 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:48.900 way to support small businesses and unique things 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:51.160 that you won't find other places. I agree. But 00:32:51.160 --> 00:32:53.980 for customers and vendors, both of you, we have 00:32:53.980 --> 00:32:57.380 a few new things in store this year. Little touches 00:32:57.380 --> 00:32:59.759 that we hope will absolutely elevate than ever 00:32:59.759 --> 00:33:04.420 before. I have never felt so excited. And I know 00:33:04.420 --> 00:33:07.740 I say this to some degree every year, but I really 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:09.819 mean it. I've never been so excited about this 00:33:09.819 --> 00:33:11.559 fall market. It gets more exciting every year 00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:13.220 because we do different things. And I do want 00:33:13.220 --> 00:33:15.660 to say too, like this event is made for getting 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:17.579 groups of friends together. Like get your ladies 00:33:17.579 --> 00:33:19.920 to go shop. It can be family oriented. Like you 00:33:19.920 --> 00:33:22.140 could bring your kids. Like it is really for 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:25.380 anyone, anyone. We also partner locally with 00:33:25.380 --> 00:33:27.799 a place for lunch and drinks afterwards if you 00:33:27.799 --> 00:33:30.920 want to go. So coffee before coffee before. Yes. 00:33:31.059 --> 00:33:34.730 So make it a day experience. your excuse to get 00:33:34.730 --> 00:33:38.569 away for the day. Enjoy the fall weather. Come, 00:33:38.730 --> 00:33:40.569 like Emily said, with yourself, with your friends. 00:33:40.789 --> 00:33:43.470 If you want to do family, Sunday is different 00:33:43.470 --> 00:33:46.650 from Saturday. So like Em said, there's different 00:33:46.650 --> 00:33:48.910 vendors on both days. And then on Sunday we have, 00:33:49.289 --> 00:33:50.430 this year we're going to have a bounce house 00:33:50.430 --> 00:33:52.150 for the kids. I'm so excited. It's a new business. 00:33:52.150 --> 00:33:53.529 They're going to bring, kind of promote their 00:33:53.529 --> 00:33:54.890 business. And they're going to bring some bounce 00:33:54.890 --> 00:33:57.210 houses and some fun things for kids to do. We 00:33:57.210 --> 00:33:58.890 usually have some fun kids activities of our 00:33:58.890 --> 00:34:01.170 own too. So Sunday is tailored more to like kids 00:34:01.170 --> 00:34:03.670 and families. Oh, I just thought of one thing 00:34:03.670 --> 00:34:05.829 too. This is going to be different because we're 00:34:05.829 --> 00:34:09.250 partnering with Toi, which is a training facility, 00:34:09.289 --> 00:34:12.050 a training facility behind our shed location 00:34:12.050 --> 00:34:15.570 kind of. And he's like, I want to be there and 00:34:15.570 --> 00:34:18.489 open our facility to those who maybe aren't there 00:34:18.489 --> 00:34:21.070 to shop. So maybe the guys, all the guys can 00:34:21.070 --> 00:34:23.269 come through our market. We have plenty of whole 00:34:23.269 --> 00:34:25.469 families that come, but if you're dropping off 00:34:25.469 --> 00:34:27.610 your wife and her friends and you guys want to 00:34:27.610 --> 00:34:29.969 have fun, there is so much to do. And we're going 00:34:29.969 --> 00:34:32.760 to post the details, but if you are interested 00:34:32.760 --> 00:34:35.940 in guys and maybe those who aren't interested 00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:38.300 in the shopping part of things. We have an experience 00:34:38.300 --> 00:34:40.699 for you all as well. So that's gonna be so fun. 00:34:40.699 --> 00:34:42.300 Keep an eye out for that for sure. Bring your 00:34:42.300 --> 00:34:45.079 friends. Sunday might be family oriented. Come 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:47.900 both days different vendors. Absolutely and like 00:34:47.900 --> 00:34:49.960 significant amount of new vendors. Like it would 00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:51.880 be worth making a two -day trip in my opinion. 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:54.269 I agree. I am so excited. When she talks about 00:34:54.269 --> 00:34:56.869 this, it excites me. And I don't even know. I 00:34:56.869 --> 00:34:58.110 don't even know. I have the list of vendors in 00:34:58.110 --> 00:34:59.789 front of me. I think I have messaged our team 00:34:59.789 --> 00:35:01.949 every day this past week. And I said, you guys, 00:35:02.070 --> 00:35:03.530 the vendors this year are so good. You guys, 00:35:03.610 --> 00:35:05.989 I'm so excited. Oh, she actually has, for real. 00:35:06.269 --> 00:35:09.989 And as a little wrap up to all our fall peony 00:35:09.989 --> 00:35:13.840 market vendors that are prepping. Beyond measure 00:35:13.840 --> 00:35:16.800 like right now the hours the time everything 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:19.159 that you're putting into it I want you to feel 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:21.739 our love and I want you to feel the community's 00:35:21.739 --> 00:35:24.599 love and I want you to know it will be worth 00:35:24.599 --> 00:35:29.139 it you so matter and I think if everyone knew 00:35:29.139 --> 00:35:32.699 all that goes into this if Everyone knew the 00:35:32.699 --> 00:35:34.519 heart the passion the soul the time the money 00:35:34.519 --> 00:35:38.000 the effort the sleepless nights the long days 00:35:38.000 --> 00:35:41.739 It's such a powerful thing. So whether you're 00:35:41.739 --> 00:35:44.389 a vendor I see you. I hear you. I'm excited if 00:35:44.389 --> 00:35:46.389 you're someone who interested in coming to our 00:35:46.389 --> 00:35:49.610 peony market I challenge you guys all to meet 00:35:49.610 --> 00:35:52.409 one another go up. Yes You're looking at product 00:35:52.409 --> 00:35:54.250 and sometimes you just want to shop quietly and 00:35:54.250 --> 00:35:57.449 that is absolutely okay But I challenge you to 00:35:57.449 --> 00:35:59.929 get to know one person that maybe their product 00:35:59.929 --> 00:36:02.590 resonates with you a little bit differently Maybe 00:36:02.590 --> 00:36:04.690 there's something that truly is going to help 00:36:04.690 --> 00:36:06.389 you whether it's health wellness or whatever 00:36:06.389 --> 00:36:08.650 that looks like Maybe it's something that you're 00:36:08.650 --> 00:36:11.230 just blown away by like the detail of something 00:36:11.230 --> 00:36:13.940 what or Or the person, maybe you're like, hey, 00:36:14.300 --> 00:36:16.079 they're making candles, but I love your shirt. 00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:22.019 Or vice versa. That's what the stay is all about, 00:36:22.179 --> 00:36:24.860 connecting with people. I agree. And for me personally, 00:36:25.019 --> 00:36:26.719 I've got to know a lot of these vendors really 00:36:26.719 --> 00:36:29.119 well. So for my son's birthday, I reached out 00:36:29.119 --> 00:36:30.980 to Michelle with Sweet Loom Bakery and Shime 00:36:30.980 --> 00:36:35.000 Cookies. And I was looking for a back -to -school 00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:36.820 sign for my son who went to kindergarten. I reached 00:36:36.820 --> 00:36:38.659 out to Jamie with Christiansen Customs, and she 00:36:38.659 --> 00:36:40.780 made me a back -to -school sign. So it's things 00:36:40.780 --> 00:36:42.539 in your everyday life that you're looking for. 00:36:42.880 --> 00:36:44.280 I go through this vendor list first, because 00:36:44.280 --> 00:36:46.360 I love A, supporting small businesses. These 00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:48.340 people are amazing, and their quality of their 00:36:48.340 --> 00:36:51.530 stuff is so good. than ever is such a time to 00:36:51.530 --> 00:36:53.849 support these small businesses, right? Emily, 00:36:53.909 --> 00:36:56.110 thank you so much for sitting down with me today 00:36:56.110 --> 00:36:58.170 and pulling back the curtains on everything that 00:36:58.170 --> 00:37:01.769 goes in to our peony market. I'm so grateful 00:37:01.769 --> 00:37:04.070 for you, our team, and most importantly, the 00:37:04.070 --> 00:37:06.610 incredible vendors who pour their heart and souls 00:37:06.610 --> 00:37:09.829 into making this weekend so special. To everyone 00:37:09.829 --> 00:37:12.469 listening, I hope you felt a glimpse of the love 00:37:12.469 --> 00:37:15.090 and dedication that makes the peony market more 00:37:15.090 --> 00:37:18.869 than just an event. It's community. It's connection. 00:37:19.250 --> 00:37:21.090 It's families, friends, and neighbors showing 00:37:21.090 --> 00:37:23.590 up with their passions, their creativity, and 00:37:23.590 --> 00:37:26.250 their dreams. We would absolutely be honored 00:37:26.250 --> 00:37:29.010 to see you all at our fifth annual Fall Peony 00:37:29.010 --> 00:37:32.710 Market, Saturday, October 4th, and Sunday, October 00:37:32.710 --> 00:37:36.210 5th, from 9 a .m. to 2 p .m. at the White Peony 00:37:36.210 --> 00:37:39.780 Shed location. Come shop, come support, and come 00:37:39.780 --> 00:37:41.760 meet some of the most amazing small businesses 00:37:41.760 --> 00:37:44.219 you will ever know. And even if you're unable 00:37:44.219 --> 00:37:47.099 to attend, you can still be part of this movement. 00:37:47.659 --> 00:37:49.800 Share our posts on social media, follow some 00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:51.659 of these incredible small businesses and help 00:37:51.659 --> 00:37:54.539 us spread the word. Your support, whether in 00:37:54.539 --> 00:37:57.519 person or online, means more than you will ever 00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:00.210 know. Because when you choose to support small, 00:38:00.570 --> 00:38:03.110 you're not just making a purchase. You're fueling 00:38:03.110 --> 00:38:05.869 a dream, strengthening our community, and becoming 00:38:05.869 --> 00:38:08.190 part of the heartbeat that keeps this market 00:38:08.190 --> 00:38:11.869 alive year after year. So mark your calendars, 00:38:12.030 --> 00:38:15.030 grab a friend or five, or share it with someone 00:38:15.030 --> 00:38:17.780 who could maybe come with you. Together we can 00:38:17.780 --> 00:38:20.619 make this fall peony market the best one yet. 00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:23.800 We cannot wait to welcome you all. Thank you 00:38:23.800 --> 00:38:25.719 for listening. If you found this information 00:38:25.719 --> 00:38:28.500 helpful, please share it with a friend. If you're 00:38:28.500 --> 00:38:30.219 looking for more information on the topics we 00:38:30.219 --> 00:38:32.679 covered, please head to the show notes below. 00:38:33.159 --> 00:38:35.559 And if you wouldn't mind leaving a five -star 00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:38.199 rating and review, this would help this mission 00:38:38.199 --> 00:38:41.440 and our journey to get started. Let's make today 00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:45.019 and every day an opportunity to level up. Until 00:38:45.019 --> 00:38:48.699 next time, keep dreaming, keep striving and keep 00:38:48.699 --> 00:38:49.739 making a difference.