We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Soto-Lopez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

Overcoming adversity is something that I’ve dealt with all of my adult life. My path was simple in the beginning. I graduated high school, married my high school sweetheart, moved to New Jersey and started a family. I worked easy jobs like daycare, banks, insurance etc. Basically, anything Customer Service related. In Jan 2008, my life was irrevocably changed. My son was diagnosed with Acute Lymphblastic Leukemia. I had been told I was being dramatic, it was just a cold, it was the dry air causing his nose bleeds, kids like to nap, and little boys always have bruises. You name it, every excuse they could come up with was thrown at me. Until I decided to take him to the hospital because what else did I have to lose. Upon arrival, his skin had yellowed, he was bruising all over, and little petechiae started showing through. The look of utter pain on his face and all throughout his tiny 2.5 year old body showed me that I had failed him as his mother and his protector for not knowing, for not bringing him sooner, for not demanding more testing, for not speaking up and advocating better for him. We had a whirlwind 3 years of chemo where against all odds he ended up surviving. Albeit, with severe developmental delays, brain damage, and wear and tear on his body. They didn’t know what damage would be done or how he would be affected after weekly chemo, monthly bone marrow aspirations, and all the other medical procedures because every kid is different. After his diagnosis, I decided I would never let him down again. I worked small jobs on the weekends so I could go to all of his treatments. I tried to go back to school so that when he was finished I could get a good paying job and support him. None of that mattered though – I had failed him again. I couldn’t keep a job, didn’t keep my marriage, and never finished that associates degree. They don’t want someone that has baggage and can’t be at work regularly. They don’t want someone with a kid that has severe medical issues. Job after job came and went nothing longer than a year. Fast forward to 2019 – I started to do crafts to try to give myself a creative outlet. I had remarried in 2016, had a daughter in 2017, but after my Dad passed away (2018) – I had lost all spark, so this was me trying to find myself again, be a better wife and be a better mom. Some came easier than others and instead of trying to do all kinds of crafts that I saw on Youtube or signing up for another MLM, I started making Epoxy Tumblers. It really came easy and my friends and family were very supportive. I started doing craft markets when the outdoors started opening up again, and I was finally successful. Bringing in extra money, while still being a stay at home mom. I did multiple craft markets all over northeast San Antonio. I would see what worked, what didn’t work, what people liked, how they enjoyed my crafts, but it wasn’t enough or sustainable. The tumbler market got over saturated and people were undercutting other crafters just to get the sale – not even concerned that they weren’t making any profit. I decided why not host my own market. I was good at planning, I saw what worked and what didn’t, and I had the perfect location in mind. Business started off slowly, and I’ve built up with several regular and returning vendors. I found my second permanent location with indoor facilities, and we are currently working to have this be a family event that everyone is excited to attend. I still stumble every now and then like most people; however, I will never fail again the way I had before because I have a loving husband, two wonderful children, family that supports me like no other, and vendors that trust me to organize and create an event that families want to come back to again and again.

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

I got into this industry because I saw how some other markets were doing, and I just thought I could do it better for the vendors. I wanted to be sure everyone had the best opportunity to sell. It’s not just about me making money, I want these vendors to come and make good money by making sure I have a limit per category, and we all advertise together, and I move them around each market. Moving vendors give shoppers the opportunity to see crafts they may not have noticed if they were only coming for one specific vendor. I try to host some kind of charity booths at most of our shows like local high school teams, All Star teams, young entrepreneurs, and pet adoption fundraisers. Monthly craft markets help small businesses get face to face with customers that they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to get unless they spent large portions of their profits on brick and mortar storefronts, or advertising. Most crafters don’t make enough money to hold a storefront so a monthly market at a good venue helps them sell better. I’m most proud of the vendors that I have. They work tirelessly to fill inventory, show up, and put on a good show for new/returning customers. It makes me feel good that I’m helping support not only my family, but their families as well. Tri-City Market Days, is a throwback to nostaglia of my childhood. My mom was a floral designer, and I spent many craft shows under the table, or “selling” (mostly spending her earnings) with her. I have good memories of those days, and I now am making those memories with my daughter as well.

One thing I would like readers to understand/know is that just because we all have a bad taste in our mouths from predatory MLM companies, doesn’t mean that all small businesses deserve the same treatment. Small businesses are just that – some thing that helps people make some extra money. It may be in addition to their regular jobs, or just an opportunity to bring in money for those that can’t work a regular 9-5. It also could just be that someone needs a creative outlet and the funds they make from selling their art allows them to make more art. This could be someone’s therapy and hope for the future. If you can support big businesses that don’t even pay their employees livable wages, why not visit a local craft or farmer’s market and purchase from them once in a while? When people purchase from me – that money goes right back to my kids activities, and medical needs. The same goes for a lot of our vendors.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Best source of new shoppers and vendors is going to be Facebook and Instagram. The more people that share and like our page, or check in when visiting help build the algorithms and shoot our ads out to other people in the area with similar interests. Additionally, you can never beat word of mouth. We love having shoppers come and share about the event and then plan to come to the next one and we hope to have more through the holiday season.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell all of my vendor booths on my GoDaddy website. It is a legit website that I pay for with payment protections, and also gives shoppers a place to visit to learn about future markets. I hate seeing posts about vendors that got scammed using venmo or cashapp so I refuse to use those for vendor booths. When my vendors ask my opinion on where to sell I always tell them to create a facebook page, and their own website. Websites like Etsy and amazon take advantage of the actual creator by charging so much that they barely make their profits after shipping and advertising costs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tricitymarketdays.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/tricitymarketdays
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tricitymarketdays