Greetings, fellow adventurers! Today I want to share my experience as a vendor at my very first 2-day convention for my stationery shop, Scribblestry. From excitement and anxiety to disappointment and growth, this event taught me more about running a small creative business than I ever expected.

Like many small business owners, I spent years watching convention vlogs on YouTube. Seeing artists selling out products, meeting huge crowds, and creating beautiful booths made me dream about experiencing it myself one day. When I finally had the chance, I went in with extremely high expectations.

And reality hit hard.

But even though I didn’t leave with huge profits, I walked away with something far more valuable: experience, clarity, and a new direction for my business.

Finding the Convention Opportunity at the Last Minute

Confession time: I am terrible at checking emails. I currently have far too many unread messages sitting in my inbox, and that nearly caused me to miss this opportunity completely.

I discovered the convention notice less than a week before the actual event.

Cue the panic.

I was stressed, overwhelmed, hopeful, and determined all at once. I immediately started preparing products, organizing displays, and trying to make enough inventory in only a few days.

One major lesson I learned very quickly?

I absolutely cannot make 20+ handmade notebooks in five days.

I tried anyway.

The result was very little sleep, intense anxiety, and several unfinished notebooks. But despite the chaos, something positive came out of the experience: I created a brand-new service for Scribblestry called Build-a-Book.

Introducing Build-a-Book: A Custom Stationery Experience

One of the best things to come from this convention prep was the birth of Build-a-Book, a semi-customizable notebook service designed for people who love individuality and creative expression.

Customers can choose:

• Book cover designs
• Thread colors for the binding
• Back pocket patterns
• Blank, dotted, or lined pages
• Corner protector colors

The idea behind Build-a-Book is simple: stationery should feel personal.

As someone who values creativity and authenticity, I wanted to create something that allows people to express themselves through the notebooks they use every day. This service will eventually become available online, and honestly, I’m incredibly excited about its future.

The Emotional Roller Coaster of Small Business Expectations

I went into this convention with high expectations and maybe a slightly inflated ego from watching too many successful vendor vlogs online.

When reality didn’t match those expectations, it hurt.

This convention took me through every emotion possible:

• Excitement
• Anxiety
• Pride
• Disappointment
• Motivation
• Exhaustion

Even though the event itself wasn’t extremely busy, I still ended the weekend emotionally drained but strangely liberated. Sometimes failure forces you to look at things honestly, and honesty can lead to growth.

So, let’s talk about what happened during the weekend.

Day 0: Convention Setup & Last-Minute Chaos

One of the best parts about multi-day conventions is being allowed to set up the day before the event starts. I immediately took advantage of that because I knew future me would appreciate having slightly less stress.

My booth space was a 10×8 ft area through the emerging artist package. Even though I knew the measurements beforehand, seeing the space in person helped so much more than imagining it.

I’m definitely a visual learner.

The drive took about an hour and a half, and then another hour and a half was spent figuring out my booth layout. I had an aisle spot, which felt exciting because I could potentially attract people from multiple directions.

Unfortunately, I forgot to bring an extra table covering after discovering I’d been given two 6-foot tables.

Oops.

I also realized I used every single display grid I owned, which immediately sparked thoughts about needing more booth equipment for future conventions. That’s a problem for future me, though.

My main goal with the booth design was:

• Catch attention from a distance
• Encourage people to walk inside
• Create opportunities for conversation

Looking around at the other vendors honestly made me feel incredibly out of my league.

There were:

• Professional ceramic artists
• Jewelry makers
• Clothing brands
• Handbag creators
• Large-scale painters
• Beautifully polished booths everywhere

Meanwhile, I was the only stationery vendor and the only fantasy artist.

For a moment, impostor syndrome hit hard.

But I reminded myself that comparing my beginning to someone else’s middle helps nobody. Everyone starts somewhere.

So instead of spiraling too hard, I went home to “rest.”

Except… I didn’t rest at all.

The second I got home; I immediately started redesigning booth signs to make everything look more cohesive and updated. I was especially excited to showcase the new Build-a-Book service.

Day 1: The Slowest Start Possible

Welcome to Day 1 of my very first multi-day convention as a stationery vendor!

You’d think I got plenty of sleep and a healthy breakfast before a long day of socializing and selling products.

Half true.

I got breakfast from Carl’s Jr. Their French Toast Dips are genuinely amazing and absolutely worth trying at least once.

But sleep?

I got maybe three hours.

My anxiety and excitement were fighting each other all night, and instead of sleeping, I ended up doing chores trying to tire myself out.

I convinced myself it would be fine because surely, I’d be too busy to feel tired.

Wrong.

The convention was painfully slow.

Very few people came through the entire day. The crowd leaned much older, with only occasional younger attendees wandering through. It felt nothing like the bustling convention vlogs I’d watched online.

This event was in Pasadena, California — a beautiful and expensive city — so I truly believed it would be packed and successful.

Instead, I spent most of the day fighting stress, confusion, and impostor syndrome.

Still, Day 1 wasn’t a complete failure.

I made a few sales, and two moments stood out the most:

• My very first Build-a-Book order
• Selling two handmade knit/crochet headbands

Both were newer products, so seeing people genuinely connect with them made me incredibly happy.

After eight long hours, though, I still hadn’t made anywhere near my financial goal. I didn’t even make back half of the vendor fee.

I went home exhausted, discouraged, but still holding onto hope for Day 2.

Day 2: Better Crowds, But Hard Truths

I woke up telling myself Day 1 had simply been a fluke.

Surely Day 2 would be busier.

Thankfully, my booth was exactly how I left it overnight. Since I didn’t have a proper booth cover, everything had been left exposed, which definitely stressed me out a little.

This time, though, I remembered to bring my banner to help attract more attention.

I’ve considered redesigning my banners ever since updating my logo, but for now, I’m trying to work with what I already have instead of endlessly buying new supplies.

The second day did feel different.

There were:

• More younger attendees
• Slightly larger crowds
• Better conversations overall

And financially?

I made about twice as much as Day 1.

Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough to cover the vendor fee.

Technically, I lost money attending the convention.

But oddly enough, I didn’t leave feeling like a failure.

Instead, I felt proud that I showed up for myself and my business despite the fear, anxiety, and uncertainty.

This was my first real experience vending at a multi-day convention, and even though it didn’t go how I imagined, I learned more in those two days than months of planning could have taught me.

And honestly?

I’m still planning to return for their upcoming 3-day convention in July.

Apparently, that event is much busier, so I’m looking forward to documenting that experience too.

How Small Business YouTube Vlogs Distorted My Expectations

I genuinely love watching small business vlogs.

They’re inspiring, motivating, and comforting. But they also unintentionally distorted my expectations of what vending at conventions would actually look like for me.

Watching creators:

• Sell hundreds of dollars in products
• Constantly interacting with customers
• Have packed booths all day

…made me believe I could achieve similar results immediately without recognizing the years of work, branding, audience-building, and experience behind their success.

This convention became a reality check.

If I truly want Scribblestry to succeed, I need to approach it more seriously and sustainably.

For the past few years, I’ve focused heavily on improving my mental health, which was absolutely necessary. But during that time, I neglected improving my business systems, marketing, and product quality consistency.

Now I finally feel ready to focus more intentionally on building a stable future for myself and my pets.

As someone who was late diagnosed with AUHD (Autism + ADHD), I’m still learning how to manage my energy, creativity, and limits in healthier ways. I’m realizing that I simply cannot run my business the same way fast-paced creators do.

And that’s okay.

Some creators inspired me to slow down and rethink my direction entirely, especially businesses that shifted toward more sustainable and fulfilling models instead of endless hustle culture.

So now, I’m redirecting Scribblestry back toward its original purpose.

The Future of Scribblestry

Scribblestry was never meant to be just a stationery shop.

At its heart, it’s about storytelling, creativity, fantasy, and self-expression.

Going forward, I want to focus more on:

• Developing my original characters
• Writing stories
• Expanding the Scribblestry world
• Creating stationery inspired by those stories
• Offering customizable products that help others express themselves authentically

I’ll also be adding:

• Character profile pages
• World-building content
• More lore and storytelling elements
• New stationery collections
• Book-lover accessories

There’s still a long road ahead, especially when it comes to finding my target audience and growing on social media.

But for the first time in a while, I feel like I have direction.

I even created a content upload schedule to help myself stay consistent — something my autistic side is extremely excited about.

Now comes the hard part:
Actually sticking to it.

Final Thoughts on My First 2-Day Convention

My first multi-day convention didn’t end the way I originally imagined.

I didn’t make huge profits.
I didn’t sell out.
I didn’t have nonstop crowds.

But I did:

• Complete my first 2-day convention
• Launch a new customizable notebook service
• Receive compliments on my craftsmanship
• Learn valuable lessons about business expectations
• Gain clarity about my future direction

And honestly, that matters too.

Sometimes success isn’t measured in sales alone. Sometimes success is simply showing up, learning, adapting, and continuing forward despite disappointment.

This experience reminded me why I started Scribblestry in the first place:
To create meaningful, creative products that encourage individuality, imagination, and adventure.

So, here’s to new beginnings, slower growth, and building a business that actually fits the life I want to live.

And as always…

Let’s get started and adventure on!