Overview

A recounting of our experiences at a local day-care event from the invitation and preparations to the event and our reflections. Covering our setup decisions, interactions with the attendees and staff, sales, and lessons that have been learned including what worked well and what could be improved for an event of this size/type.

Applications, Payments & Planning

On June 9th, 2025 my friend asked me if I wanted to vend at their event their daycare was hosting. I said sure and that was that. I asked what the cost was and it was free! All I had to do was show up!

Before the Event & Setup

I found out the day before the event that I didn't need to bring a table, which was super awesome. I think initially I thought the event was outside but it was inside. I didn't bring cash for this event, expecting people would probably pay with card.

I honestly did the bare minimum for setting up - like spinner with only 1 pin per hook. I also didn't bring any grid cubes since I didn't expect to get a ton of sales. The looking was most of what I expected, so spending extra time setting up a more complicated setup was not really worth it as awful as that sounds.

It was Hawaiian themed and if I had thought about it, I would have dressed more for it. It's literally in the name! They did provide a table cloth though, so that was cool and it helped match with the theme.

The Event Itself

This event was really short and focused on the families that used the daycare. I had no expectations since the cost was $0 to me, so it was more my time than anything. I was a little caught off guard with kids running up to the table and grabbing stickers. One ran off and it was at that point I realized it was probably in my best interest to just be nice to the kids. I went ahead and let every kid who wanted one pick out a sticker. I think I probably gave out 20 free stickers, but in the end it was worth it to see how happy they were. 

I sold 3 full size plush and 1 hair claw at the event, which if you ask me is pretty good. I know my prices are pretty high for the average consumer anyways. The event was only for like 3 hours or something, so it wasn't super long.

My daughter is older and it definitely made me think about how much I both miss and don't miss kids this age. The staff was so sweet and many of them came to look at my stuff. I think that if I had a young kid right now and had to send them somewhere, this would be the place.

My friend suggested that I should do more daycare events until I mentioned how much free stuff I handed out. It's worth getting in front of a local audience, but the sales were not really there for me in the long run. Cons have spoiled me in that regard, but really I had a good time and the kids were so happy.

What Worked & What Did Not

The location was easy to get to, load-in (and out) was quick. I didn't have any real problems with anything. I saw staff helping another vendor get things to their vehicle, so if I had needed help, seems like I would have had it.

I probably should not have brought my pins. I mean, it was a daycare lol.. what was I thinking? The plush were the show stoppers for the kids as well as the hair claws. Most of the kids were so young that they couldn't even put their hair up if they wanted to. Hair clips probably would have been worth making for an event like this though.

I order enough stickers to be able to give them away for free whenever I want without suffering too much. I do regret not having my contact information on the stickers, but at the same time that's a me issue. Many parents did take my card so the networking worked.

Conclusion

I had a great time networking and showing off my products. It was nice they let me attend and if invited back, I would probably go again (although I'd be way more prepared lol).

The Details (TLDR)