I recently returned from Atlanta, Georgia, visiting the Atlanta Market, and it was so much fun. If you’re unfamiliar with the market, The Atlanta Market is a wholesale trade center for gifts, decor, lifestyle, and food. The market features over 8,000 brands across all buying categories housed in three buildings. 

The purpose of my trip was to meet with many of my existing vendors, building and strengthening those relationships while getting the opportunity to meet and learn about new vendors and incorporate their products into our gift designs. 

The show is massive, and even though I was there for seven days, I still couldn’t see it all. It’s a lot to see! Everything I use in my gifts, from containers to stationery to candles to bath salts to tech gadgets, it’s all there in one of those three massive buildings. The only problem with the enormous market is that there isn’t a shoe made that is comfortable enough for all the walking and standing you get to do. Every day my feet felt like they weighed 100 pounds each! By the end of the week, they were numb, and that’s no exaggeration.

I attend the show with a set game plan of what I am looking for and what I want to accomplish by the end of the week. But then I always pass by a vendor I’ve never seen before with items I’ve never seen, things that would look AMAZING in our gifts, and the spiral begins. I love the opportunity to use my five senses to experience the items, which is very different from shopping online or speaking with the vendor on the phone. Getting to touch, see, taste, and smell takes shopping for products to a whole new level and gets my creative juices flowing. I found myself having to document the gift idea before moving on to the next showroom. 

One of my favorite parts of visiting the Atlanta Mart is being able to preview the new and upcoming trends. It helps me know what to look forward to on my next visit. Holiday and spring trends were the attraction of this trip. 

Thank you to Atlanta Market for a fantastic time and for sending me back with so much inspiration. See you in January!