Sundaylace Creations 3652 Days Ago... One small step a day to big results ~

August 16, 2025

Sundaylace Creations 3652 Days Ago...

One small step a day to big results

When I look back on where Sundaylace Creations started, it’s hard not to get a little emotional. We all see the shiny “after” pictures of businesses with big booths, matching banners, and long lineups. But the truth is, every Indigenous bead artist and small business owner has a beginning — and most of the time, it’s messy, stressful, and held together with hope.

For me, that beginning was in 2014. I packed up my bead booth and traveled all the way to a powwow in Prince Edward Island. I was so excited to set up, see my nephew dance, and maybe make enough sales to cover my gas money back home. But let me tell you — I didn’t plan it out well. I forgot to book a hotel, so I ended up sleeping in my car that weekend. I thought, “Eh, it’ll be easy to just find a place when I get there.” Spoiler: it wasn’t.

I sat behind my booth, nervous, unsure, and praying people would stop and look at my work. All I wanted was to be part of the community, to belong, and to share my beadwork. At the time, it felt like such a struggle. But as my Uncle Fudd always says: “Hard times are good times, because you’ll always remember them.”

And he was right. That powwow is burned into my memory — not because it was perfect, but because it was hard.

Fast forward 10 years: today I have my own bead store, Sundaylace Creations. I’ve gone from sleeping in my car just to make it to a powwow, to running a business that helps Indigenous beaders across Turtle Island get the supplies they need. Looking back, I wish I could tell that girl sitting behind her booth: “One day you’ll have all the beads, you’ll have your own store, and you’ll be helping other beaders who feel the way you do right now.”

To the New Beader Starting Out

If you’re just starting your beading journey or setting up your first vending booth, I see you. I know the fear of wondering if anyone will buy. I know the exhaustion of packing everything up only to sell a few pairs of earrings. I know the sting of comparing yourself to the vendors who seem to “have it all figured out.”

But here’s the truth: we all started small. Every successful Indigenous beader you admire today has a story just like mine — a booth that barely made sales, a powwow where they wondered if it was worth it, a time they almost gave up.

What matters most is that you don’t stop. Every sale, no matter how small, is proof that your art matters. Every conversation at your booth is planting a seed. Every tough day is building the strength you’ll need for the long run.

My Advice for Powwow & Market Beginners

Don’t give up after one bad weekend. Sometimes the crowd isn’t right, but the next powwow could be your best one yet.
Network more than you sell. The people you meet will come back for your beadwork later, even if they don’t buy right away.
Keep your setup simple. You don’t need a fancy display to start — your beadwork speaks for itself.
Celebrate every sale. Even if it’s just gas money home, that’s still proof that someone values your work.

Ten years ago, I couldn’t see what Sundaylace Creations would become. But today, I’m so proud — not just of the growth of my business, but of every Indigenous bead sister who keeps going even when it feels impossible.

Your season will come. Be proud of your beginnings, because one day you’ll look back and see how far you’ve come. Remember to always take pictures for these moments too!

✨ Bead with a happy heart, sis. And when you’re ready, I’ll be here to make sure you never run out of supplies again → www.sundaylacecreations.com