Where it started
It started small. Not with a business plan, not with a grand vision — just two people making things to keep busy, stay creative, and entertain themselves. Wood, acrylic, laser cutters, ideas that didn't need permission. The kind of projects you build because it feels good to make something real with your hands.
Those little experiments turned into gifts. The gifts turned into requests. The requests turned into a booth. And that booth became The Tipsy Fox — a maker brand built on curiosity, craftsmanship, and the joy of creating things people actually love.
Markets every weekend
Markets became the weekend ritual. Early mornings, tents that never folded the same way twice, wind that didn't care about your display, and the chaotic charm of vendor life. It was fun, it was exhausting, and it was real.
But the more markets you work, the more you see the cracks. Organizers juggling spreadsheets and last-minute changes. Vendors refreshing their inboxes hoping for updates. Customers trying to figure out where the good booths are. Everyone improvising because there was no system built for how markets actually function.
Why Popup Hub
And somewhere between the sawdust, the laser engraver hum, and the tenth market of the season, a thought landed: We built The Tipsy Fox to share what we made with the world. What if we could build something that helps the entire market world share what they make too?
That spark became PopupHub.ca — a platform created not by tech outsiders, but by people who lived the vendor grind, who knew the pain points firsthand, and who understood that markets deserved better tools — tools built with empathy, not guesswork.
Popup Hub grew from the same spirit that started it all: Let's build something useful. Let's build something fun. Let's build something that makes life better for people like us.
Two brands, one origin
Now, The Tipsy Fox continues as the creative heartbeat — the reminder of where it all began — while Popup Hub has become the digital backbone of modern markets, giving organizers clarity, vendors confidence, and customers discovery.
We started by making things to keep ourselves entertained. Then we shared them with the world. And eventually, we built something that helps the whole world share what they create too.
How Popup Hub works
Hey everyone, I want to take a few minutes to talk openly about how Popup Hub works, why the fee structure is set up the way it is, and what it means for coordinators, vendors, and patrons alike. We totally get it. We are all here running businesses or organizing events because we want to be successful. We all want to maximize our returns, and every single dollar matters. But our goal in building this platform isn't just about transactions; it's about simplifying a notoriously chaotic process for everyone and bringing our local communities together into one massive, coordinated effort.
For those who don't know us personally, I'm Brad, and alongside my wife Sonia, we own and operate The Tipsy Fox. We haven't just sat behind a computer screen guessing at what the market community needs. Sonia and I have been right there in the trenches with you, working beside you as fellow vendors, grinding weekend after weekend. We know firsthand how much work it takes to prepare inventory, how stressful the application process is, and how chaotic market day logistics can get for coordinators.
To keep this massive coordinated effort running, developing, and structurally supported, we've broken the fees down to be as fair and transparent as possible:
- For Patrons: Exploring upcoming events and discovering local talent is completely free.
- For Vendors: Signing up and maintaining your vendor passport is 100% free. There are no subscription fees or listing costs just to exist on the platform. You only ever pay the standard booth fees set directly by the market coordinators when you apply for a space.
- For Coordinators: You get a full suite of live operations tools, mapping capabilities, and vendor management systems. Popup Hub charges a platform fee (3% + $1) per booth payment to keep the lights on. For card payments, this is seamlessly deducted at checkout. For offline payments (cash/e-transfer), the fee accrues to your coordinator balance. While coordinators may choose to factor this small cost into their booth pricing, the platform tools themselves are designed to save you dozens of hours of manual administrative headache.
Because we are all relying on this same ecosystem, this system only works when we all play by the rules. I want to be entirely transparent about something right now: attempts to circumvent the platform—such as failing to mark vendors as paid within the dashboard to avoid the processing structures—hurts the community as a whole. This platform operates entirely on trust. Intentionally bypassing the system directly starves the marketing power, data integrity, and development resources we need to scale this platform. Because of that, circumventing these processes will result in a manual lowering of platform ratings for both the coordinator and the vendor involved. A lower rating flags your profile, decreases your visibility on our global discovery maps, and makes it harder to secure prime event bookings or top-tier vendor applications in the future.
When we keep the system honest, it allows us to tackle the biggest hurdle we all face: the constant, exhausting struggle to get people through the front door. We all know the anxiety of sitting at a booth, looking at the entrance, and praying for foot traffic because patrons are forced to hunt through dozens of fragmented Facebook groups or Instagram pages just to find us.
By funding this ecosystem correctly, we are creating one central place where patrons can go to discover every single local market. It makes finding us easier than it has ever been—and a dedicated mobile app will follow soon to bring those buyers right to our booths.
We've built something incredible here to lift everyone up together, drive real traffic to our events, and make the hustle worth it. Let's keep it fair, keep it honest, and continue building a stronger, more connected market community.
Thank you for your trust, your hard work, and for being a part of this journey.
The Tipsy Fox — Sonia & Brad M.