Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Blanchard.
Hi Kathleen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had been a stay at home mom for several years when I decided that I had to figure out a way to do something in congruence with staying at home. I missed working and seeing people! I had just had my second baby and the postpartum period was isolating and sad. I knew a lot of people who did events and had done a few myself as a vendor, and thought that it might be a good area to get in on! I knew that there was a need for really well advertised and exciting local events, so I put a Christmas one together with 30 vendors at a local mall to see how it would do. The plot twist was that there was a GIANT snow storm the day we had planned to have it and we ended up moving it from Saturday to Sunday, but about 15 of the vendors couldn’t participate so I had to find all new ones. It ended up being around 25 vendors, but was a huge hit for the community.
I ended up coordinating that one again the following year and it grew bigger, and then had the opportunity to start doing shows at the local Fairgrounds in Escanaba. I knew it was a huge investment but that if I did a good enough job with the advertising, the marketing, quality of vendors, as well as the show itself, that it could be a huge thing. I had my first event in the Spring of 2024 there, and it filled up faster than I could have imagined! I did a Halloween event there that year too, and it was the same–I sat down for hours to edit the flyer, put together the marketing, got all sorts of lovely food vendors, and got the local community involved so there was a little bit of something for everyone.
Now I do four shows a year at the Fairgrounds in Escanaba, and I feel so lucky to be able to have the opportunity to do so. It’s gotten to the point that it’s so big that my husband Joe does it with me, and it’s something we do together. It’s hard work and long days, but doing it together we also get to spend that time with each other doing something fun for the community. We raise a ton of money for the Civic Center’s After School Kids Program there. They provide a safe place to stay for kids who are in fourth grade or up–they can do basketball, play in the game room, spend time with friends, help out at the senior center that’s housed in the same building, have snacks, and just exist in a safe, chaperoned place. This is obviously wonderful for the safety of the kids, but is a huge benefit for the kids when winter comes and there’s not very many places to be. The staff there are amazing and make sure they never go hungry, provide sanitary products, deodorant, shampoo, clothes, and even Christmas Gifts. It’s a wonderful program and we always have a fundraiser for them for each event. Kim Peterson, the recreation director is amazing and the program thrives because of her efforts.
For me, it’s all about showcasing the vendors!! I want to make sure they feel like the event is well advertised and organized, that they have individual advertising, and have everything they need, and if they don’t, they know where to go to get it. I started the group Supporting Small Business in the Upper Peninsula in April of 2024, and it’s an extra place where vendors can go to post anything in regard to their small business. It steadily grows organically, and is utilized by both small and big business alike. I also have a group called Events with Kathleen Blanchard where vendors are able to join and we have a huge running list of over 100 local events across the UP with contact information. It is so important to me that we support and uplift these small businesses, because just creating a platform where they’re able to be at the forefront is a huge advantage.
It’s been a wonderful couple years of growth. Each show is more like a giant festival–food trucks, kids activities, special guests like Santa and the Easter Bunny, local artists and crafters, scavenger hunts, local dance teams coming in, fundraisers, doodle walls, and everything in between. It’s a place where you can take your entire family and every single person will have something to do.
It’s even allowed me the opportunity to team up with others and create huge expos that wouldn’t ordinarily come to the UP! I work together with the wonderful Plant Daddy Ashley to put on Plantchella, a huge plant expo that has hundreds of vendors and thousands of plants. It’s the first of it’s kind in the UP and every day we work on growing it that much more.
It’s also allowed me to volunteer and give back to my community. I have been able to volunteer to help with the Makers Market in Manistique, the Curtis Chamber of Commerce, doing marketing for the local school, putting together Galas, doing marketing consulting with the North American Hill Sheep Show (the first of its kind in the US!), and even helping with the Renaissance Faire coming to Manistique in 2028.
It’s transformed my life in so many ways–new friends, opportunities I never could have imagined, and a chance to make a difference in our immediate community in a very profound way. I am so thankful for everything that it has turned into, and I could never have imagined that those 25 vendors at the mall in 2021 would ever turn into something so transformative. Having my husband on board has been the biggest blessing, as I wouldn’t be able to do anything without his help. He is my biggest supporter. I have the strangest most random job in the world, but whatever crazy idea I have, he’s right behind me helping me bring it to life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It most certainly has not! As with anything, it’s been lots of trials and errors. I have dealt with extremely angry vendors where you have to smooth out situations which is never fun. And it usually happens once per show! When you get over 3000 people in a building together, you just have to anticipate that something is going to happen and prepare for your response. I’ve also had to call the police several times–for car accidents on the premises, health emergencies, and on and on it goes! You have to be resilient doing this because you have three groups of people. The vendors, the people coming in, and the people you’re working with as independent contractors like the local chambers, radio stations, and news networks. It is by no means an easy road but if you’re able to handle it with a humble heart and kindness, anything can be smoothed over. Involving the whole community is truly the key, as everyone is willing to step in when things go awry!
This year I also got a full time job as the office manager at my kids’ school. Talk about time management! I still do all four shows, work full time, and then have three kids and a dog too. It’s a lot of balancing and while it’s really hard at times, I have family and friends who lift me up and motivate me to keep going when things feel hard.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My business is finding people to spotlight and lifting them up! I put on huge vendor shows where we get a hundred or so vendors and invite the community in to come shop.
I am proud of the community that I’ve been able to cultivate. When you asked for several pictures, I truly struggled which is why this hasn’t been done sooner! I am the person taking the pictures behind the camera, lifting everyone else up, and making sure that the attention is hyperfocused on the incredible vendors, artists, and crafters who do the shows. I help a lot and do a great deal of consulting, but I don’t know if people would know who I am just from a picture! I have two groups that serve as a forum for assisting the people who do my shows year-round, the Supporting Small Business Group and the Events with Kathleen Blanchard Group. I am a busy mom of three and I can’t always respond, but they know they’re able to go to either of those groups and advertise for free in an organic market, and they can also find events to do with the correct contact information year round.
When I first started coordinating events, people always told me to keep everything tight to my chest. Don’t give out lots of information of other events, make sure people only do MY events, etc. But that is not the way we roll!! The groups that I put together are for anyone and everyone to utilize. I want anyone to be able to come to the event and be able to have the five star treatment as a vendor. If anyone messages me saying that they need help finding other events, I help them to the best of my ability. If we have another expo going on at the same time, I reach out to make sure their flyer is on our door too. It’s about community, and kindness make sure that we are leaps and bounds ahead.
The shows are wonderful themselves–I always describe it as a Christmas Vacation style outing, where everyone piles into the car and goes to the mall. I want my events to be that way for people! I want everyone to have something to do, and I always make sure that we have so much going on so it’s not just that vendors are selling, but the community is truly enjoying themselves. Face painting, scavenger hunts, stickers, coloring tables, craft activities, Santa, the Easter Bunny, and on! It’s all extra **and free!!** things to really enhance their experience.
How do you think about luck?
I think meeting the right people at the right time. Allison Peterson did my very first event with her business ByAllison906. She messaged me maybe three months after and told me we should do an event for the Civic Center, that her mom was the recreation director for the city of Escanaba, and she thought we could really make some magic. We did lots of events for the Civic Center, and it grew to be so big that we outgrew the building.
Kim Peterson is amazing–she has helped my business grow to leaps and bounds, and introduced me to the right people. The crew at the fairgrounds is also wonderful. The guys work so hard to upkeep the building and have always treated me with such respect. The Delta Chamber helps get the word out of my business, and everyone speaks so positively and has been so kind that it’s turned into other opportunities to give back and serve.
I’m endlessly lucky to have my husband Joe. He is an insurance agent so he does all my liability insurance, lifts an exhaustive amount of tables, spends 16 hours working with me on event days, and is the best dad to our kids. He is my favorite person and I couldn’t do anything without his help and support.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://facebook.com/eventswithkathleen
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/19hhESxZ1X/?mibextid=wwXlfr
