The day after my humbling experience at Watson Farms, I headed straight to Shops at Don Mills for the Toronto Artisan Holiday Market.

And it was honestly night and day.

This was actually a two-day market, but since I had already committed to Watson Farms the day before, I only participated on the Sunday. I paid half the weekend fee — just the one-day rate — and truthfully, I wish I had done both days here instead.

The market ran from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., and from the start, it just felt different. It was busier. People were actually shopping. Conversations were great and — more importantly — purchases were being made.

20 sales in total, compared to the 9 sales the previous day.

And before I even got there, I made one very important decision.

I took my hair out 😜

After being so uncomfortable the day before with it getting blown all over the place, I decided I did not care — I wanted to feel good. So I took out the crochet braids, and I instantly felt so much better about myself haha.

It may seem trivial, but it makes a difference.

When you feel good, you show up differently.

And most importantly?

I surpassed my booth fee and walked away with profit! 💸

After the day before, that felt really, really good.

It was cold — because, November — but I was placed in a pretty good spot, right in front of one of the heaters. It wasn’t working at first (of course 😅), but thankfully one of the maintenance guys came out and fixed it, so I was decently warm for most of the day.

Which makes a huge difference when you’re standing outside for six hours.

My setup felt good. My products felt aligned. And the energy felt right.

And of course, Yann and I kept up our little tradition.

Ever since our wedding, we’ve loved classic cannolis — and it’s surprisingly hard to find really good ones. But whenever we’re at Shops at Don Mills, we never leave without stopping at Eataly for cannolis.

So naturally, we made sure to grab ours before heading home.

Honestly, I really feel like the Shops at Don Mills markets are the ones for me.

After doing multiple markets at this point, I’m starting to clearly see the difference between markets that are well-run but not aligned… and markets where my products truly perform.

While I wish I had done both days here, I had already committed to Watson Farms. And I don’t regret trying it — because you don’t really know until you do it.

Now I know.

Moving forward, I’m leaning into what works.

And for me, right now?

Shops at Don Mills is where it’s at.

Until next time ♡