This past weekend The Colonel’s Grace was set up at the Vintage Market Days in Bristol, Tennessee. In a normal year we do about 8 pop-ups/year; this year was a little bit different for us and we scaled back a bit after I had surgery. It had been 5 months since I had done one and I forgot just how much work it was!
It was also so nice to connect with the owners of the event, other vendor friends that I hadn’t seen in a few months, and the shoppers as they came out in droves to enjoy the experience. Christmas set ups are always really fun because people are so excited to be shopping and getting into the swing of the holidays and the atmosphere is contagious.
It’s so exciting to watch a space transform from nothing into holiday magic! I was one of the first vendors to arrive for set up on Tuesday so the building was still extremely empty. From Tuesday through Thursday, a big empty warehouse morphed from open square footage to 75 different shops, food trucks, and delightful vignettes to welcome the several thousand guests that were expected to come through.
As I pulled up to my 10x20 space, I had no clue how it was going to come together; I never really have a plan. I always admire the owners that come in and have it all together but I’ve never been able to fully do that. So I offloaded everything into the middle of my space and
said a quick prayer that I’d be able to figure it out in time.
It took me until Thursday afternoon, but I finally got everything into its home for the weekend. I’m never fully ready by the time the doors open on Friday morning but this weekend I was pretty close (except for the quart of paint that had spilled in the back of my SUV on the way there and was causing more than a little angst).
My absolute favorite part of the shows that we do is interacting with the customers. Getting to know them, chat with them, watch them respond to my products is extremely rewarding and makes all of the work worth it. Because we offer faith-based items, it’s always touching to learn how the verse or hymn or item connects with the person.
One customer had sung In the Garden at her grandfather’s funeral; it was his favorite hymn and she could remember him playing it on his guitar as a child.
One customer was buying a gift for a good friend who had just lost her son; the reminder that “the Lord is great and greatly to be praised” from the Psalms was something she felt like would be the perfect reminder for her friend as she worked to move forward. Another lady had recently lost her husband and was moving and wondering how she was going to go forward in a life without him. As we stood there and chatted and her eyes filled with tears, I promised her I would pray for her. I have daily since that conversation.
I realize every show that faith is a bridge builder. It connects people who might otherwise remain distant. Faith, at its essence, encourages empathy and compassion. It has the power to dissolve prejudices and misconceptions, fostering an environment where individuals can lean on one another and appreciate our shared human experience. I gain so much every show from being part of these interactions.
This weekend, as I stood there and listened to this sweet lady, I realized just how much my soul needed these experiences. Removing my focus from “me”, forgetting about what I’m doing and what all I need to do. Taking the time to pause and think of others instead of getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of life, especially this time of year. So as I listened to her tell me her story, the line behind her begin to grow, and it didn’t matter. The Lord had put her in my shop at that moment to talk with her and allow me the opportunity to pray for her. As she walked off, I looked up at the next woman in line, apologizing for her wait as I turned toward her: I was met with tear filled eyes and a bright smile and before I could finish my sentence, she thanked me for taking the time to listen.
Each pop-up, I walk away with a new sense of purpose. A renewal of heart as I think back over conversations and individual “blips” that make the moments turn into weekends. I pray for my new friends and remember just exactly why it is that I do what I do, even if the Monday after a pop-up, I can barely move due to old injuries not handling the concrete quite like they used to!
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