Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Ebens.
Hi Jennifer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
There are three of us that do these shows together. Karen Henschke, Kari Scott and myself (Jennifer Ebens). We met as vendors at other local shows. Our friendship grew, and we all liked being at the shows, so we decided to try running them. When we started seven years, we all had direct sales companies that we were working as additional income, young kids, and hectic lives. While the kids have grown, not much else has changed. We have moved to different locations several times and are now at the Holiday Inn on 13th Fargo, ND, for all our shows. Our first season (Sept-May) started very small, with only 32 tables, including our own. We are beginning our eighth season, and our shows have closer to 70 tables or more. We started with whole weekend shows and have moved to only one day for most months. Over the years, we have also cut out a few shows and added others. Some have been with us from the very first show, and many others have joined and stayed on over the years. Our shows have become more like getting together with family each month than a job.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We have sometimes struggled to find affordable locations to keep our vendor’s costs as low as possible. We run this like a business, so we also have bills to meet each month. The shutdowns in our area due to Covid were very hard on us all. We were unable to hold shows in the busiest part of the season. We also had to cancel shows for the first time in seven years. We have grown as a team over the years. We all have our roles and our strengths as part of that team. The three of us always support each other, making any struggles worth the trouble. We have also formed strong bonds with many vendors and found wonderful friendships in them over the years. We honestly look at it like it is a family.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The three of us women work hard to make our shows successful. I am not sure what makes us different from other shows. Our vendors have told us that we are well organized and that the shows are fun. We try hard to make everyone at the shows happy. Many people sign up and sell at our shows for extra income. We want them to be successful. I am proud that even with our busy lives, we have created an event many others love to be a part of each month. I am proud that we can provide our vendors and crafters with a place to expand their businesses. I love that we can make an event each month (some months two) that feels like family. When you love what you do and those you get to do it with, you never really feel like it’s work.
Here is a list of this season’s shows if you are interested: September 24th, October 22nd, November 6th, Nov 19 &20th, December 4th, December 11th, February 4th, March 11th, and April 15 &16th. All our shows are held at the Holiday Inn on 13th Ave Fargo ND.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
We all understand that we put these shows together to help provide artists, crafters, bakers, and direct salespeople with an environment in which they can succeed. We do them not only for our businesses but we do for all our vendors. There are endless hours spent ensuring we have a good balance of companies, advertising, and the show’s layout. I do believe that being part of J2K has changed my life for the better. We work hard for our shows and vendors.
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