We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Davana O’Brien a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Davana, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

For me, being successful takes a great deal of consistency, patience, and a strong support system as it doesn’t happen overnight. There will be many days of trial and error, but it’s up to you to get up, dust yourself off, and try again. Sometimes it may take one try to get something right but other times it may take multiple tries. The most important part is to never give up. What helps while going through this is having the right support system. The people supporting you, knowing, and believing in your dreams and goals, motivate you to want to be successful. A huge part of my success is my customers. When someone walks into a fully decorated room and sees their dream become a reality, or when they receive an order that started as just an idea and they are happy, that means success to me.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

New York City has been my home ever since I moved from Guyana, South America 20+ years ago. Adjusting to a new life in a new city has been an adventure and a fun one at that. For the past 17 years, I’ve been working in the non-profit industry which I love. But what I love more than my job is creativity and that is exactly what Mira’s Market gives me. Decorating and creating crafts have been hobbies of mine since I was very young. If family members or friends were having an event, I would be there to help with the decor or I would create pieces to enhance the look and feel of the event. This went on until the pandemic. I was fortunate to maintain my full-time job in a remote setting but being at home every day, all day resulted in me becoming bored. I decided to perfect my craft by spending more time creating and this is how Mira’s Market was born.

Mira’s Market is your one-stop shop for all your event needs. As an event planner & decorator, I provide services that range from behind-the-scenes planning to on-the-scene execution to ensure that the event runs smoothly and issue-free. I work with the client to map out their vision and bring a blank canvas to life. I also sell custom crafts such as drinkware, clothing, room decor items, invitations, personalized gifts, centerpieces, ballroom items, bedazzled footwear ware, and much more.

I’m most proud of where my business is today. There were so many days when I wanted to give up because things got tough, but no matter what I had to push through because there’s always a silver lining at the end. Finishing a setup or a piece and standing back to admire all my hard work, thinking “I did that,” makes me feel proud. But what makes me feel even better is when the client sees the finished product. Watching the surprised look on the face, the look of awe and gratitude, the appreciation of what came to life is what ultimately makes me feel proud.

Everything produced by Mira’s Market is done with Love. Many of my customers come as strangers but become family. A wedding becomes a baby shower, which then becomes a Christening and then a first birthday and so it continues. I love what I do, and it shows in everything produced.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

My craft items are all handmade by me. Many of the items I knew how to make previously such as centerpieces and invitations to name a few. Years ago, I started by making invitations with cardstock and ribbon from a paper store and an at-home printer. Today I use my Crucit for intricate designs. Others I have experimented with learning how to make by trial and error and not forgetting good ole YouTube and TikTok. As for the décor and balloon work, a lot of that is just freestyling and constant practicing. When I have free time, I would create balloon pieces to try out new techniques and designs.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

While my business has grown over the years, it has not turned into a stand-alone career yet but who knows what the future holds.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://miras-market.square.site/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miras_market20/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirasMarket20