Blog Post #9: Why YumYumRunner™ Exists — My Love Letter to the 757

I grew up around flea markets and farmers markets. Not as a visitor. As part of the rhythm. My grandparent ran a flea market, and some of my earliest memories are tied to early mornings, folding tables, familiar faces, and people who built something with their hands and showed up week after week hoping it would be enough. I watched how those spaces worked—not just economically, but emotionally. They were places of pride. Of survival. Of community.

I didn’t come from money. I didn’t inherit connections, funding, or a safety net that made risk easy. Everything I’ve taken on with YumYumRunner™ has come from me. From my time, my energy, my belief, and my refusal to accept that the people who create with heart should be the first ones pushed out as the world moves faster and louder online.

I am building this as a mother who is paying attention.

This world is moving at a speed that doesn’t wait for small businesses to catch up. If you’re not right there—on the screens, in the feeds, visible and consistent—you disappear. And I don’t want to live in a world where events fade away, tents stop popping up, and creatives quietly shut down because they couldn’t keep up with systems that were never designed for them in the first place.

I want my kids to grow up in a world where small businesses still exist. Where dreamers still have a chance. Where showing up for your local artist, baker, woodworker, or maker is something you pass down—not something you talk about like it’s nostalgic or outdated. I want them to see how powerful it is to stand behind people who are brave enough to create something of their own.

I know I can’t change the entire world or force people to think differently.

But I can make a difference.

And I’m going to do everything in my power to do exactly that.

YumYumRunner™ is not being built to replace flea markets, farmers markets, or local events. Those spaces are sacred to me. They are the foundation. This platform exists to support them—to drive people to those events, not away from them. To give vendors visibility before, during, and after the tents come down. To make sure their work doesn’t disappear just because the weekend ended.

Visibility matters. And it needs to be equal.

That’s why YumYumRunner™ will never be a free-for-all where the loudest or wealthiest rise to the top. As we grow, the marketplace will stay organized by regions, so vendors aren’t drowned out as the platform expands. Growth should never erase the people who helped build it. Expansion should feel intentional, not overwhelming.

Delivery is part of the future—but only when the marketplace is stable, strong, and serving vendors the way it’s meant to. Delivery exists for one reason above all else: access. Access for customers who want to support local vendors but physically can’t attend events. People with mobility limitations. Health issues. Busy lives. Delivery also creates local job opportunities and prioritizes vendor safety—keeping the process transparent, fair, and community-based. Delivery costs will be covered by the customer and calculated by mileage. No pressure. No hidden fees. No shifting the burden onto vendors.

I know vendors are apprehensive. I’ve heard it directly. Burnout is real. Trust is thin. Too many platforms have promised support and delivered stress instead. Vendors have every right to be cautious.

That’s why I’ve been doing more than building a website.

I’ve been spending my weekends pounding the pavement. Showing up at markets. Talking face-to-face. And most importantly—listening. Listening to the exhaustion. The fear. The quiet moments where someone admits they’re thinking about giving up. Listening to creators who don’t even believe anyone would care about what they make.

And I won’t let them disappear quietly.

Outside of the digital space, YumYumRunner™ will be physically involved in the community. This is not a hands-off platform. This is a presence. A commitment. We are building toward a community hub—a place where creators big and small are welcomed, not intimidated. A space to learn how to promote their work, understand the digital world, and feel guided instead of lost. A place where someone who’s never done a market, never built a website, or never believed in themselves can walk in and be met with encouragement instead of judgment.

This is about belief.

Belief in the people who don’t have the means to show up at markets yet. Belief in the ones who feel invisible. Belief in the ones who are tired but still creating anyway.

YumYumRunner™ is not just a platform.

It’s a movement rooted in showing up, slowing down when it matters, and refusing to let the people who create with heart be left behind.

I will not stop.
I will not give up.

Because this matters.
Because they matter.
And because the world my children grow up in depends on people being willing to fight for it.