08/11/2026
I was highly looking forward to attending a book themed market in my area. I signed up the minute it was posted and was so excited until the host told me I couldn't bring my blind date books because there was already a vendor for that. Now I am seeing several of my fellow bookish vendors posting that they are a part of it and bringing blind dates AFTER the fact....this is so incredibly discouraging in the vendor world. I play by the rules and try to make everything fair but that was a bit of a slap in the face. I truly feel like vendors can all sell similar items and customers will purchase from whoever they like. I would understand at a small curiated market where there is one of each trade but this is a BOOKISH market.
A year ago in September I went to the I Like it HOT festival with SaucyQueen and I learned such a valuable lesson in the vendor world that I will take with me forever. There was an entire building FULL of vendors ALL selling hot sauce. All of them were FRIENDS and got along and had the most fun that day. Markets dont have to be a competition. You can encourage eachother and come together and create a beautiful small business environment.
I hope more market hosts can see this and learn from it especially at a themed market. I've been to sooo many bookish festivals and events and everyone sold similar items but had their own touch to them. You can coexist and be a positive factor.
