My final market of 2024 was the Picks & Giggles Classic Christmas Market at Oshawa Centre — and this one gave me A LOT to reflect on.

This market ran for eight weekends, and I chose to participate in the very last one. Partly because I thought the final weekend might be strong… and partly because I had already committed to other events earlier in the season.

The booth fee came to $562.74 for the two days.

The space was advertised as a 10×10, but when we arrived, vendors were actually given much more room. It was held inside a very large former Bay location in the mall — the same space that’s often used for seasonal pop-ups like Spirit Halloween — so it felt open and flexible. We had a lot of freedom with our setup, which I really appreciated.

The space itself was decorated beautifully. There were carolers walking around, different activities happening throughout the day, and the overall ambiance felt very festive.

At the same time, because it was such a large department-store-style space, it did still feel like a big area that needed to be filled.

It was also peak Christmas season.

Etsy was busy. Ornaments were selling online. I had introduced my floating ornaments this year — they take more time to make, but they’re worth it.

So I went into this weekend hopeful.

Day one?

About $200 in sales.

And when your booth fee is over $500, that first day hits a little differently.

But then something interesting happened.

A vendor across from me suggested I rethink my layout. She mentioned that customers are often more comfortable not having to physically walk into a booth. My usual setup requires people to step inside to see everything.

She suggested facing everything outward instead.

At that point, I had nothing to lose.

So that night, Yann and I reworked the entire booth. The next morning, we came early and finished repositioning everything so customers could walk around three sides of the booth without ever having to “enter.”

And day two?

Almost $600 in sales.

We ended the weekend at $798.88 gross.

I sold more ornaments than I’ve ever sold at a market before — which made me genuinely happy.

Ornaments do very well for me online, but bringing them to markets has been a learning curve. Seeing them move like that felt encouraging.

Now technically speaking, yes — I profited.

But when you factor in time, materials, transportation, two full days during the busiest season of my year, and the opportunity cost of not being home fulfilling Etsy orders…

The profit wasn’t huge.

And that’s where the reflection comes in.

This market also charges a $5 admission fee — something I mentioned in my previous Picks & Giggles recap. To be fair, there’s usually a lineup when the market opens in the morning, so people are clearly willing to pay it.

But I do sometimes wonder how much that admission fee affects casual foot traffic.

Being held at the Oshawa Centre mall was interesting too. On paper, a mall location feels like it should be a huge win.

More traffic.
More visibility.
More opportunity.

However, the market space was only accessible through an outside entrance. It wasn’t directly connected to the inside of the mall.

So even if someone was shopping inside and saw signage, they would have to leave the mall, walk outside, and then re-enter through a separate entrance to access the market space.

In talking with other vendors, that seemed to be a shared observation. It felt like the market could have had significantly more traffic if there had been a direct interior connection.

And again — that’s not criticism. Just reflection.

Other vendors I know perform really well at this market. The event itself is thoughtfully put together.

I just don’t know if Oshawa is my market.

Over the course of 2024, I’ve started noticing that my products tend to perform better in the city — at places like Shops at Don Mills or Trinity Bellwoods (even though that one can be hit or miss too).

My travel-themed products are specific.

They don’t speak to everyone.

And that’s okay.

But because they’re specific, I need to be strategic about where I show up.

Family came out to support — my sister and the kids, my friend and her little son, my aunt (which was such a sweet surprise), and my mom too. That meant a lot.

I had great conversations. I always do. I love talking about travel and design and how each destination comes together.

But at the end of the day, this is a business.

And while this was a good experience, I don’t think I’ll be returning next year — simply because the numbers don’t quite justify the cost for me.

And that’s okay.

Every market in 2024 taught me something.

This one taught me about layout psychology, opportunity cost, geographic alignment, and evaluating true profitability.

And I’m grateful for that.

Until next year ♡