05/10/2026
The part of pop-up season you don’t always see 💛
The weeks leading up to and through Chol Hamoed were FULL — pop-ups, packing, unpacking, long days, new customers and very tired feet.
Some fairs were wonderfully busy. Others had me thinking, “What am I actually doing here?”😅
One I had tried to get into for years was one of the biggest disappointments.
But a slow day isn’t always a wasted day. At two quieter fairs, lovely shop owners approached me about stocking Em Ceramics. That felt especially meaningful because when I started four years ago, I was the one chasing shops. Now, somehow, the right ones seem to be finding me.
There were also beautiful moments: my mom visiting from South Africa, Zachary exploring the moshavim, friends coming to hug me, help me sell, feed me and give me somewhere quiet to disappear for ten minutes 😂. And seeing someone light up when they find something they love never gets old.
But the biggest thing I felt was how much I missed my family.
Sukkot is my favourite chag. My husband and boys built our sukkah, the kids made the decorations, and I barely got to sit there with them.
That mattered more to me than fitting in another sale.
So next year: fewer pop-ups. One or two really good ones, then home. More sukkah, more quality family time, more chag.
I’m still learning how to grow a business without letting it take over everything else — and trusting that I don’t have to chase every opportunity. If Hashem wants the right ones to find me, they will. 💛
For now: home, laundry mountain, my boys, and a lot of gratitude for everyone who came, bought, chatted, hugged, helped or simply stopped to say hello. ❤️