A recap of my first One of a Kind show, including the products that surprised me, what sold best, and what I'll be changing for future markets.

My first One of a Kind show is done... and honestly, nothing went the way I expected.

In April, I exhibited at One of a Kind for the first time, and I went into it with about two weeks to prepare.

That's right - TWO. WEEKS. 

Naively, I applied to this show back in February thinking that was lots of time for the April show. I was put on the priority waitlist pretty quickly and assumed I wouldn't make it into the line up. But two weeks before opening night, I received a call saying they had a space open up.

So, naturally, I took it.

In retrospect, this was perhaps not the most relaxing way to spend my first show... but I'm glad I did it. 😂

What has hit me the most since the show isn't actually what sold.

It's how much support it took to make the whole thing happen on such a short timeline without completely losing my mind (or dropping the ball in every other area of my life).

My partner, my friends, my mom, and my mother-in-law all stepped in to work shifts, prep food, take care of Arlo, run last-minute errands, listen to me spiral, and basically hold everything together in between.

I genuinely couldn't have done it while keeping the rest of my business (and my brain... lol) going without them.

So, here's a little roundup of what my first One of a Kind show was actually like and everything it taught me.

The Biggest Surprises

There were a few things I absolutely did not expect going into the show.

👉 Best sellers changed every day.

I assumed I'd have a pretty consistent group of best sellers throughout the show.

Nope.

Every day had a different winner.

👉 A card I'd never sold before suddenly became a best seller.

One of my favourite things about markets is that they can completely change my assumptions about a product.

A card that had never really sold before suddenly became one of the best sellers on its day.

And that's exactly why I love getting products in front of people in person. Sometimes you just can't predict what someone will connect with.

👉 People wanted Halloween... in April.

I knew I liked my Halloween products... but apparently, so did everyone else.

Even though One of a Kind took place in April, my Halloween products were surprisingly popular.

Honestly, I respect it.

👉 Over 100 people chose to shop with me.

This one probably means more to me than any individual best seller.

More than 100 people stopped at my booth and chose to buy something from my little business.

That's pretty wild to think about.

The Best Sellers Each Day

Here's what topped the charts each day:

Day 1

• Greeting Card: You're Not Over the Hill (Quite Yet)

• Bag Charm: Frightened Fran

Day 2

• Greeting Card: You're Not Old, You're Retro

Day 3

• Bag Charm: Peter, Paul and Perry

• Sticker Sheet: The Roots

• Greeting Card: Another Year of Adventure

Day 4

• Greeting Card: Happy Birthday Pal

And while the daily best seller changed, there were a few bigger trends that became clear when I looked at the overall numbers.

What Actually Sold

Have a Lovely Birthday was the overall card bestseller.

This wasn't really a surprise.

Have a Lovely Birthday does really well in stores, online, and at markets, so it's becoming pretty clear that this card has found its people.

Apparently, people do in fact like having lovely birthdays.

People LOVE sticker sheets.

The Roots outsold The Woofs by a touch, but both sticker sheets were incredibly steady sellers throughout the show.

This was a good reminder that people don't necessarily need a big reason to buy something.

Sometimes they just see a bunch of tiny things they like and go, "Yep. Mine."

Fran and Peter, Paul and Perry nearly sold out.

The overall best-selling products were my Fran bag charm and my Peter, Paul and Perry bag charm.

Both were best sellers on separate days, and because I'd made a TON of them for the show, they both came very close to selling out.

This was especially exciting because these are two very character-driven products... and apparently people have opinions about which little weirdos they want to take home with them.

Apparently, I am not the only one who wants to read in peace.

This sticker was one of my favourites going into the show, and it turned out to be a customer favourite too.

I can't say I'm surprised.

We all deserve to read in peace.

And then there was Felix.

Felix was my worst-selling bag charm overall.

Which is honestly a little heartbreaking because I had the most fun writing Felix's story.

He does have a life beyond the bag charm, though, and I've realized that while people seem to like Felix as a character, he just doesn't quite hit in this particular format.

So I'll probably be laying Felix's bag charm to rest soon.

RIP, Felix. You were fun while you lasted.

The Ever After Club Makes Its Debut

One other exciting thing happened at this show: The Ever After Club made its debut.

The Ever After Club is my collection of greeting cards featuring Sven and Sally, two bears who go through life together.

The collection is all about celebrating life's major milestones—from weddings and anniversaries to new homes, babies, sympathy, and everything in between.

It was really exciting to finally introduce them at a show, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this collection goes.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time

Of course, no market recap would be complete without a list of things I would absolutely do differently next time.

1. I'd restructure my prices.

I want to bake taxes into my market pricing and use nice, even numbers.

Not because there's anything wrong with my current pricing, but because it makes cash transactions so much easier.

If you've ever stood at a busy market trying to calculate change while three people are waiting behind you, you understand.

2. I'd rethink my booth layout.

For this show, I had more of a "step into the booth" setup.

And honestly?

People don't always want to step in (which, same).

I'm already thinking about ways to bring some of my displays and racks closer to the front so people can interact with the products without feeling like they have to physically enter my booth.

I'm curious to see how that changes the way people move through the space at future markets.

3. I'd bring fewer vinyl stickers and more ceramics.

This one was probably the clearest product lesson for me.

Vinyl stickers are currently my least favourite product to make and they were also my least popular product category at this show.

Ceramics, on the other hand, are one of my favourite things to make, and they generated a LOT of interest.

The Biggest Takeaway

My biggest takeaway from One of a Kind wasn't actually about what sold.

It was about what people were excited to see next.

People were incredibly interested in my ceramics, even though they weren't a major part of my product lineup yet.

And they were also very excited about my puzzles, which were coming later that spring.

That was really encouraging because they're also the products I most want to make.

And that's probably the biggest lesson I'm taking away from this show:

Sometimes your customers give you permission to lean harder into the things you already want to be making.

So that's what I'm going to do.

More ceramics. More puzzles. More weird little characters. More things that make me excited to walk into my studio and start working.

Thank You ❤️

More than anything, I'm incredibly grateful for everyone who stopped by my booth, bought something, shared a tip, told a friend about my work, or lent me a helping hand.

And especially to the people who helped me survive those two weeks of frantic preparation.

My first One of a Kind show was chaotic, exhausting, surprising, and a little bit terrifying.

But it was also really, really fun.

I'm working on my market lineup for the rest of the year as we speak, and I can't wait to see you around.