5 Things I Learned While Running My Solo Pop-Up at Bow Market

The Sweetest Thing Shop
Nov 26
5 min read

It’s been less than a month since closing The Sweetest Thing Shop pop-up at Bow Market in Somerville, MA. Those two months flew by in a blink of an eye! We left with a feeling of

pride, happiness, sadness, and pure exhaustion. Running every aspect of a brick and mortar was a journey. A fellow entrepreneur asked me to share the things we learned along the way, so here it goes!

THE SWEETEST THING SHOP - The first solo brick and mortar pop-up shop!

A snapshot of the inside of The Sweetest Thing Shop!

1. Imposter Syndrome Doesn’t Go Away…You Have to Outrun It!

*quietly walks to the podium and adjusts the mic* Hi! My name is Nyn and I often suffer from imposter syndrome!

I remember my first week at Bow Market and meeting the different shop owners. Despite running my own business for many years, I struggled to fully acknowledge…I actually “owned” my own shop. I had to quickly reset my brain and remind myself of all the work it took to get here. I learned that the goal isn’t to eliminate imposter syndrome; it’s to drown it out with action.

Every time I opened the shop, fostered a new relationship, created another TikTok video, or answered an important email… it reminded me that I deserved to be there. With my head held high, I accomplished a massive goal of my lifetime!

2. Slow Days Can Hurt Your Confidence…But They Can Also Teach You To Strategize

I’ve popped up at many outdoor markets in blistering heatwaves, pouring rain, and 20 mph winds, with no customers in sight. Regardless of the weather or time of year…you’re going to have slow days. I usually found myself zoning out or doom scrolling on my phone. But it's a completely different vibe when you’re sitting alone inside your small store space.

When foot traffic was light or sales felt unpredictable, I had to fight the fear that the economy was swallowing my business whole. Instead of spiraling, I remembered to pivot! As a stay-at-home mom, this became a fundamental time to ACTUALLY get work done alone. The perk of having an entire store meant I could bring some small tasks with me each day to work on.

I’d label new candles, finish earrings, adjust displays, assess my inventory, and chat with my neighbors about their businesses. I utilized it for creating social media content and planning future events. Slow days became strategy days to improve upon my business!

3. Being a Mom-Entrepreneur Means Carrying Roles No One Sees

Customers see the finished space, the beautiful products, and the happy online posts. But they don’t see the long nights pouring candles, the stress over low-funds, securing last minute childcare, or the internal pep talks before unlocking the front door. I learned that doing it solo is hard, but it’s also the reason I feel so deeply connected to my business.

The fact is black women are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other demographic. From 2014 to 2019, the number of businesses owned by Black women grew by 50%. Contributing approximately $98.3 billion in revenue between 2019 and 2023 to the US economy. However we face significant barriers in securing capital and having fewer support networks. Which can make sustaining and scaling a business significantly harder.

Because of those barriers…our pop-up was fully funded by us! Every dollar invested came from previous online and in-person sales. We also chose to self-staff meaning we were juggling so many responsibilities. The immediate mom guilt I felt was an additional hurdle. Within a week of opening, I developed a chronic eye twitch from all the late nights. Thankfully my husband, family, and friends did everything in their power to be there for me. Support matters to any small business to successfully grow!

Beautiful sunlight shining through our storefront.

One of our fun weekly Sip & Scented Candle Workshops!

4. Community Will Save You from Burnout…So Location Matters!

I learned VERY quickly that community isn’t just “nice”—it’s necessary! The coolest part of Bow Market is the built-in microcosm of entrepreneurs, customers, and community. People who fully understand the hard work and sacrifices it takes to follow your dreams. My store neighbors were just a few steps away at all times. Which made it easy to walk over, catch up, and ask questions. From borrowing paper towels, to moving fixtures, to sharing advice on sales. We really bonded through laughter and midday coffees! When doubt crept in, we’d give each other pep talks and when needed...candy. LOL! This dynamic translated to our relationship with customers in the community as well!

Now the week before we opened I panicked! All I could see was my empty store with no one shopping inside. I had to remember why I chose to pop-up in Somerville, MA. We’ve participated in events in the city, including The Somerville Flea for five years. Doing so helped nurture and grow some of our longest customer relationships.

Somerville residents are very vocal about inclusivity and supporting local businesses. They appreciate handmade goods, curated services, and bespoke experiences. In a time where the economy can be quite precarious, we’re always thankful customers walked into our store. Random customer pop-ins were a welcome experience, where we connected about upcoming life events! Those interactions mattered just as much as our sales revenue. It meant we could depend on each other for community and share a safe space in The Sweetest Thing Shop.

5. My Craft Is More Valid Than My Doubt

The biggest lesson?! My work is great. People connected with it. They bought it, gifted it, and remembered it. I learned to trust my creativity, my brand, my process, and the vision that brought me to pop-up in the first place. Annnddd yes I meant to toot my own horn! LOL!

When I envisioned my own store space, I also envisioned stacks of cash that I could endlessly spend on decor. That…was…not…my…reality! LOL!

With a limited budget, I utilized what fixtures I had and what products I could successfully make. Researching layouts and shelving that maximized what little square footage I had to work with. We purchased wholesale products to support our products, specifically from women-owned and U.S. based makers.

Much like our outdoor tent space, we wanted to create a warm, relaxed, boho-Caribbean inspired oasis. A place that united my crafty spirit, artsy background, cultural story, and love of emerging fashion trends.

We really just wanted you to “come home” and discover a treasure trove of candles, jewelry, décor, and awesome gifts. We didn’t want to display things in a typical linear retail fashion…which didn’t make sense to everyone. We had a few people come in and ask “what do you sell?”. But I got over that quickly. Especially when even more people came in to say “wow..i feel so comfortable here”, “omg it’s beautiful in here”, “can i just come hang out?”, “i want to buy it all”!

Everything we stocked in the store, were all the sweetest things we love! The sweetest things we’d buy and hope you’d want too! Trusting in that…scary as it may be…was the key to our success!