Behind the Scenes: 12 Weeks, Two Cities, and the Heart of a Small Business Holiday Season

If you’ve ever wandered through a holiday market and felt the magic, the twinkling lights, the scent of cider, the cozy bustle, you probably weren’t thinking about what it took to build each booth. Which is exactly the point.

The beauty of a holiday market is that it feels effortless. But behind every “effortless” moment is a whole lot of planning, improvising, hauling, sanding, painting, late-night worrying, and at least one emergency Home Depot run.

This year, we built not one, but two full seasonal residencies:
✨ Five weeks at the DowntownDC Holiday Market
❄️ Seven weeks in Boston for the Boston Snowport Holiday Market

Twelve weeks. Two cities. Two teams. One brand. And a whole lot of power tools.

The Part No One Sees: The Build

Before the first earring is ever merchandised, there’s plywood. There are paint trays. There’s a U-Haul that absolutely needs to be returned by 10:00am or there’s a late fee.

There’s my dad drilling perfect holes into display walls with the precision of someone who has decided that “retirement” really means “full-time operations manager.” There are paint swatches everywhere because the color needs to feel warm in December light but not too warm under tent LEDs.

At Snowport, we built a full booth in the middle of Boston Seaport with winds that said good luck. At DowntownDC, we built a tent that was still wet from the night before.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not clean. And yet, it’s kind of everything.

The Packing Stage (aka: Tetris for Degreed Professionals)

500+ pairs of earrings.
Gift boxes.
Trays.
Lighting.
Heaters.
Toolkits.
Snowport needs duplicates. DC needs restocks. Both need love.

At some point, I became logistics. And UPS became my entire personality.

The Team: The Real Heart

In Boston, we have A.J. and the most joyful, hardworking Snowport crew. In DC, our DowntownDC team consists of me, my mom and dad, plus a few amazing friends who help at pop-ups since we somehow have three or four happening on any given weekend. 

They’re the ones who greet customers in the cold. They’re the ones who make it all work. I’m just the one trying to keep everyone afloat. 

The Moments That Make You Cry (in a Good Way)

A grandmother choosing earrings for her granddaughter’s first holiday concert.
A mother and teenage daughter picking out matching hoops and laughing in the mirror.
A woman gifting herself something because she finally can, and she deserves to.

This is why we do it. This is why the early alarms, late nights, and endless errands matter. Because jewelry is personal. And holiday gifting is emotional.

We get to be part of people’s stories

What I Hope You See When You Visit

That this booth—in Boston or DC—wasn’t just set up. It was built. With hands. With intention. With family. With community. And maybe with a little bit of chaos—the good kind.

So if you stop by this season, know this:

Behind every display tray is a late-night brainstorm.
Behind every pair of earrings is craftsmanship and history.
Behind every warm greeting is a team that genuinely cares.
Behind every small business is a story still being written.

And we are so happy you’re part of ours.

Visit us at the DowntownDC Holiday Market from November 21–December 23, or Boston Snowport November 7–December 28. 

If you don’t want to leave Old Town, we don’t blame you! Come see the collection that made us famous in DC at our Old Town, Alexandria Boutique at 1003 King Street Wednesday-Saturday from 11:00am–7:00pm and Sunday 12:00pm–5:00pm.

SEE ALSO: Alexandria, meet Nomination — Italy’s most iconic bracelet, now at Eliana Curated