Pop Up Passes Baton

Popular vendor market Pop Up in the Pines changed hands last week. Crystal Eads-Brown, owner of Marie and Marcele Boutique, began the markets with her mother, April Nayman, in the fall of 2020. This year, she decided to reprioritize her time and put more into the boutique and her family. “It was a very hard decision for us,” says Crystal, who has put together about 50 pop-up markets since the beginning.

Crystal says the best part of the markets is “the community it’s created,” from making friends to rooting for entrepreneurs. “For several people it was like a stepping stone for their business. They’ve had so much growth, some of them are in stores now or even have their own brick and mortars,” she says.

Crystal put Pop Up in the Pines up for sale and had offers within three days, and it only took a week and a half to sell. The new owner is Jillian Husinko, a regular pop up attendee.

Jillian is a military spouse who wanted to find a way to be more involved with the community. Because of her work schedule, that something needed to be on weekends or after 5 p.m., making the markets the perfect fit. “I thrive on getting to know people,” she says. Jillian is currently working on a schedule and plans to continue working with Hatchet Brewing Co. for mini markets, while exploring ideas for summer night markets and maybe even a German Christmas market.

“The events have always been successful and I’m looking forward to continuing them,” says Jillian. “I love that it offers something for everybody.” Vendor applications are currently open; see the new website for more.