Our Awesome Small Business Saturday Adventure!

Small Business Saturday started exactly the way all heroic adventures begin.
With an alarm going off at 6:30 am.

Now, in theory, I set the alarm the night before. In practice, the noise that came out of my phone at 6:30 caused me to wonder why the heck would someone ever set an alarm that early. Klee and I sat up, bleary-eyed, attempting to understand the meaning of life, the universe, and why our bodies felt like we had been training for a marathon in our sleep.

Art display featuring a variety of paintings, jewelry, and small artworks set up for a pop-up show at a cozy venue. — This was our test set up at home. It had been a while since we’ve done a pop-up and wanted to see if we still had the chops to pull it off.

Step one: coffee and tea.
Because without caffeine, we would still be face-down on the floor wondering what day it is.

Once the magic bean potion kicked in, it was time for that classic pop-up scramble… grabbing all the last minute stuff we definitely didn’t forget about (but obviously forgot about). You know, the essentials:

Price tags
Tape
Zip ties
More zip ties
Even more zip ties
Because you just never know when you’re going to need to fasten something to something in a way that makes no sense but absolutely works.

Then came the loading of the car: art, jewelry, displays, our traveling walls, and enough supplies to impress NASA. Klee stayed home for a bit to take care of a few things while I drove the first load over to Clifford’s.

Display of various pieces of artwork, including paintings and magnets, set up at an art event.

Anna, the owner of Clifford’s, is a legend. She had everything prepped, spots ready, energy high, and made the whole setup process actually feel doable at a time when no one should have to speak to another human without a second cup of coffee.

I unloaded, started building my walls (a workout that should absolutely count as CrossFit), and got our table started. Now, this is the part of being an artist most people never see… the lifting, hauling, balancing, troubleshooting, and trying not to stab yourself with a rogue hook. It’s a whole adventure. But if you don’t have fun with this part, you will quickly lose your mind, so I choose fun… mostly.

Artist pop-up event display featuring colorful artwork on panels and a jewelry table, with a vendor preparing in a brightly lit space decorated with string lights.

Once I grabbed Klee, we tag-teamed the finishing touches. Transforming a blank space into a mini art world is honestly one of my favorite things. It’s like a creative puzzle, except all the pieces are shaped weird and occasionally sharp. Then I noticed something.

I forgot the calendars. I only have 10 left… and I left them at home (face palm).
Yep. The calendars I literally made a whole collection for… sitting at home.
And while we’re at it, a bunch of tags for the art didn’t make it into the bags either.

Classic show day energy.

But that’s show life. Something always gets left behind, misplaced, or mysteriously disappears into the void. The trick is to roll with it, and luckily, Sunday is round two, which means I get redemption. And calendars.

And then… the show began.

So. Many. Incredible. Artists.
Seriously, the level of talent in that room was ridiculous in the best way possible.

A group of three people, including a woman with glasses and a child, stand together in front of a display of various handmade items and candles at a pop-up shop. The backdrop features rolls of textured fabric and signs promoting small business shopping. — Our awesome creative friends were set up right across from us!

People started trickling in, and every single person was amazing. Great conversations, great energy, great support. We met so many awesome humans who connected with the work, shared their stories, laughed with us, and took home art and jewelry that now gets to go and live its best life.

There’s something magical about watching your creations leave with someone who truly loves them. It’s one of those moments where you’re reminded why you do this whole wild artist-life thing in the first place.

By the end of the day, we were tired, happy, and full of gratitude for every person who came out, every artist who showed up with their heart and creativity, and everyone who supported this fun little pop-up that became a whole community moment.