The Finders Keeper Autumn/Winter Edition Recap
July 10-12 2026
I had a fantastic time at The Finders Keeper market in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago. If you missed it don't worry! I'll be back at this market soon, so read on for details on how to find us there next time.
Here's a recap of our time at this amazing design market!
Bump In
Thursday 9th July 2026
It's so lovely to do big events like this when they are close to home. I only have a 1hr travel time from our home studio in south east Melbourne to The Royal Exhibition building in Cartlon, Naarm. It was lovely not having to worry above a huge full day drive like with some other events I do.
Our bump in time was 3pm. I was put on the other side of the building this time so had to navigate how to get in from that side and where to go to unload. But once I got through the city traffic everything was smooth sailing!
Until I discovered one of my framed art prints shattered during the drive. Sad! It couldn't be saved unfortunately. To top it off my wooded card display stand had a cracked shelf. But that was easily fixed by some blue tack thankfuly.
Despite those couple of set backs, setup was pretty chill and I left around 6pm. All the heavy lifting and organising was done and I was starting to get very excited about the upcoming market!
Day One
Friday 10th July 2026
The market doors were set to open at 4pm for day one and I spent the morning finishing up some last minute signage and packaging products. I was running slightly light to put the finishing touches onto my setup and had a little hiccup in the car park. Parking complexes in the city tend to be cramped and in my state of stress from running late I decided I could fit in a tiny car space to save time looking for a better one... I could not in fact fit. My car got stuck on a metal corner and I ended up having to scrape the whole side of my car to get unstuck. So stressful!
Never the less, the show must go on! I ended up finding a way bigger park one level up and sat for a good 5 minutes to calm down. The final touches of my setup actually helped me reset my headspace so I was calm and ready to meet everyone once door opened!
The Friday crowd was by far the most easy going bunch! It was the quietest day which meant I could actually have longer conversations with cool people. Getting to know you all and actually absorbing your genuine reactions to my art was so rewarding.
Day Two
Saturday 11th July 2026
I know from experience that Saturdays are usually the busiest for a 3 day event, at least for me. So on day 2 I was locked in and ready to roll! The Saturday crowd didn't disappoint. It was a constant rush and I stayed busy the whole day chatting about my work and sharing how my sun catchers work.
It was amazing to see many familiar faces come back to buy from me again. I feel so lucky that so many of you love my work enough to come back for more! My favourite is the stories you all told me about what you did with your purchases. From who you gifted my cards to and how they reacted, to where you put your sun catchers and how much you love the rainbows. Please never stop telling me these things! I absolutely eat it up and it fuels me to keep making new things.
I was excited to get a surprise visit from some friends in the arvo and they were lovely enough to take over for me while I ran for a bathroom break. Honestly so grateful! If you were one of the handful that bought something from them, thank you!
All in all day 2 was the best day of sales for me. I went home very tired but with my heart so full!
Day Three
Sunday 12th July 2026
On the last day, we always kick off with low sensory hour at 9am. The lights are dimmed, there's no music and tickets are capped to keep crowds small. It's by far the least overwhelming hour of the weekend and I highly recommend booking those tix next time if you need less overwhelm while you shop.
I was perfectly on time for low sensory hour with 15 mins to spare... until I got into my booth and realised I left my phone in the car which was parked a 10 minute walk away. Of course I left the device I rely on to take payments behind. I ended up being about 5 mins late. But those who were checking out my work while I ran to get my phone were very understanding and patient so thank you!
It was lovely slow morning after that. No big rush of people like on Saturday and I could take more time to really chat with customers. I find it much more personable that way. Rather than just a cold transaction.
My brother, Harley came by after lunch to help take some photos and video of me during the market. He was also a legend and bought me coffee and cake for an afternoon pick me up! He's often helped me at markets over the years so some of you will have met him and purchased only from him. Very grateful he took some time out of his day to help out and give me a quick break. I also had a surprise visit from a cousin who was there shopping with a friend.
Bump Out
Sunday 12th July 2026
As an introvert, it takes a lot of energy out of me to be social and chatting to people all day long. So by the end of the day I was exhausted from 3 days of socialising. Don't get me wrong, I love it! It just takes me a long time to rest and recover after. Needless to say I was pretty zombie-like during pack down.
It took me 1 hour and 30 mins to pack down everything and then another 30 to get my car and load everything in. For me thats a record! I'm always so slow and am usually one of the last people left so I was pretty excited to go home to rest earlier than I thought I would.
Overall this was successful event for The Bubbly Type. I quite didn't hit my sales goal but came close-ish and I'm happy with that given it's winter and that has always been a slow time for sales.
When will The Bubbly Type be back at Finders Keepers?
I'm excited to announce that I'll be back at The Finders Keepers market in October!
The Finders Keepers Market
Dates: 9-11 October 2026
Location: The Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton, Melbourne
Tickets: $7 (book in advance to save)
I can't wait to be back! I'll have a brand new Christmas range of cards to show off there. Plus new sun catcher designs are coming soon and I'll have them ready for this market. Hopefully I'll see you there!
Stay bubbly,
Nicole xx