A Peek Behind the Scenes

Welcome to the latest installment of Delightful Gems.

We're taking a brief break from our Let's Talk About Beads 101 series to give you a peek into what goes on behind the scenes at D's Delights. You may or may not know that D's Delights is a one-woman enterprise. That means that the same person that makes the jewelry, sources the materials, comes up with designs, creates all of the content, packs orders, applies for vendor opportunities, and works all vendor events - ALONE. 

There is a considerable amount of thought and effort that goes into every aspect of running this business. A major aspect that might not considered is the table layout for in-person markets. Table setup starts long before arriving at the venue.

Those who have been following my page know that I’m all about organization, planning, and preparation. I have a fear of being unprepared and planning/organization are my happy place.

Let’s start with what to bring. I opt to bring the majority of my products to most markets because I’m always worried that the one thing I don’t bring, will be the thing people are looking for 🤦🏽‍♀️. My business model is one where I have my products made before I offer them- I’m not trying to get caught up have to make a piece each time I need to fill an order. Even if something happens to me and I can’t create for a while, I have products available.

After deciding what to bring, you gotta know how you’re going to transport it. I’m in NYC, so there’s usually limited parking and loading spaces near the venues. Also, I vend alone - it’s just me, myself and I. Sometimes my hubby will drive me and help unload but that’s not always the case. I need to pack as much as I can, in as few bags/carts/containers as possible AND the bags/carts/containers must be items that I can move by myself in one trip, maybe 2.

Planning for the unexpected encompasses a lot. I carry extra hygiene items, battery packs, packaging materials, tools, stringing materials, and display aids.

Finally comes the table plan. I sketch my table setup ideas. This help me see if my vision is feasible. It’s one thing to think it, but “seeing” it makes it more realistic. This allows me to make a reasonable determination of whether or not my ideas are feasible. It also helps to bring my anxiety level down a couple of notches.

All of this thought and preparation that you don’t see leads to the completed table setup that you see at vendor events 💜.

I hope this peek behind the scenes providing a little more insight into what goes into running a small business. I also hope it helps you see all of the hard work that small, handmade business-owners do.