Our Best Market Yet: Mother's Day at Legacy Hall

If you've been following Port of Joy Co. for a while, you know we've been doing more markets this year, and I can officially say...we've had our best one yet!

Our Mother's Day market at Legacy Hall in Frisco was our most profitable market so far, but honestly, the sales weren't even the best part.

What made this market stand out was all the conversations we had. So many people stopped by our booth to smell our candles, ask questions, tell us about their favorite scents, and give us feedback. As a small business, those conversations are incredibly valuable because they help us understand what people are looking for and what we can improve.

Our setup finally felt right

Every market teaches us something, and I think we finally found a booth layout that really worked.

We used our tables in an L shape, which made it easier for people to walk into the booth instead of just passing by. It also gave us separate areas to display different products instead of having everything squeezed together.

Some of my favorite things from our setup were:

-Our high shelves, which helped add height and made the booth look much more inviting.

-The decorative items that draw attention to our booth.

-The location we were assigned was huge! that can give you a great shot of sells or just flop. location is key.

-The wooden display for our keychains. It kept everything organized and made it easy for customers to browse.

-The placemats we placed under our candles. This might sound like a tiny detail, but they helped keep the candles from sliding around every time someone bumped the table or walked by. Definitely one of those little things that made a big difference.

It's funny how every market ends up teaching you that it's usually the small details that make the biggest impact.

Keeping everything clean

Since we were handling both products and cash throughout the day, we kept a disinfecting spray at the booth so we could quickly sanitize our hands and wipe down products when needed.

It was one of those simple things that gave us peace of mind and helped keep everything feeling fresh throughout the event.

 

Doing a market with a two-year-old...😅

This market also came with an extra challenge because we brought our two-year-old son with us.

If you're a parent, you probably already know where this is going. Thankfully, we came prepared.

We took turns watching him so one of us could always help customers while the other kept him entertained. We also packed plenty of activities, and they honestly saved the day. His water doddle Mat was probably our MVP. He spent a lot of time happily "painting" on the floor, and since it only uses water, there wasn't any mess to worry about.

We also brought his Race Track Rack and a bunch of little cars, a helpful montessori book which kept him busy between snack breaks and little adventures around Legacy Hall. 

Was it easy? Not always. Would we do it again? Absolutely.

What customers loved

One of my favorite parts of the day was hearing what people thought about our products.We also gave the gift to our giveaway winner for spring, she visited the booth and it was so nice seeing her reaction. 

We got some really helpful feedback about creating more bundles, which is definitely something we're going to keep working on.

As for our best sellers...

🏝️ Maldives Bungalow (our large candle) was the clear favorite.

🌴 Brazil Tropical was another scent people kept coming back to.

☕ And Colombian Coffee was a huge hit, especially with coffee lovers who couldn't stop smelling it.

One thing we noticed was that our accessories, like candle snuffers and other candle care items, were much harder to sell than our candles and wax melts. That's good information for us as we continue planning future markets and deciding what products deserve more space on the table.

Looking back

Overall, this market was such a fun experience.

We met amazing customers, connected with other local vendors, had meaningful conversations, received valuable feedback, and thanks to all the foot traffic at Legacy Hall, so many new people discovered Port of Joy Co.

Every market teaches us something new, and this one reminded us why we love showing up in person. Seeing people experience our scents for the first time, hearing their stories, and watching them find a candle they genuinely love is something that's hard to replace.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth, supported our small business, or simply took a moment to say hello. We're so grateful for every single one of you, and we're already excited for the next market!