01/24/2026
MY SH*TTY START AT THE MARKET
I left Montreal to live in a small town for the summer, looking for peace.
Nature, rivers, lakes. Just what I needed.
What I didn’t expect was how quickly things can turn when you stand your ground as a woman.
That Saturday, after having friends over for the weekend, we went for brunch and then to the local market. I saw a cream and soap stand that had mostly Native American traditional items included. Walking over to their table, I asked the man if he would mind, truly thinking I was being polite, if it would be a bother to sell my limited-edition Ayurvedic creams and rent my very own table. Creative freedom that summer was my goal, having worked a lot on pre-production.
I met this 65-year-old man, looking rugged and dressed like a Native, being white and red as day, which happens when you are out in the sun a lot and an angry person :). He started speaking to me in super high-waisted jeans and a 70’s bandana with a sh*tty feather in it, talking about the Maharishi and having met him in person. He told me the Maharishi spoke to him and that he does not need to meditate because he is a cosmic individual who is too connected to blah blah blah.
Just to be clear, Maharishi is a title, not one single person. There have been many Maharishis throughout history.
I zoned out at some point and went into nodding mode. As we all do when the bu****it meeter has reached it's point. Why did I ever ask a complete stranger for his approval? I will never do that again.
After that, he tells me that every girl who wears T-shirts with something written on their breasts is asking for negative attention and that they are all secretly wh**es. I respond with a smile and no filter, this is a lifetime of work and I try my best to embody this. To begin, this is a perfect example that I will explain to you as a feminist. If a man is wearing a football helmet in the street, we should have the right to punch him in the face, because if he is wearing a helmet, he is asking for it. I wanted to be absurd for the sake of drop-kicking this stupidity in the head, not him, but the idea and the ignorant words spoken after ten minutes of meeting this new person.
The first day I started selling my Ayurvedic creams at the market took a lot of courage to put into action. It was freeing, fun, but challenging. When I get to the market, I see my friend Alex. Yay, a new friend in a new town and a sales buddy for the day. He offers me part of his table and shows me he is selling plants to transplant, peppers, tomatoes, you name it. Perfect. We are not competitors, we can chill and help each other out.
I decide to go for a walk while the time of day is dead. Coming back, I see the man who rents out the tables. He was smelling my sample, and I came to the conclusion he was interested in buying. So I started interacting and pitching him my products. All of a sudden, he bluntly tells me he is not interested at all in my products but in the rumour that was going around. The rumour stated that I was putting cannabis in my 100 percent natural Ayurvedic creams.
Hmm. I wonder who this came from. Fu***ng weird guy that thinks he is Native Indian. Damn it.
I left Montreal to find peace in nature, and look at what is happening. Now someone started false rumours that I am selling Ayurvedic cannabis creams. To be perfectly honest, that would have been a very pricy and time-consuming cream to make.
Other members of this very cute small town were contributing to the rumours and neglecting a fellow artisan to join their very prestigious club, when they didn’t know me, I had never met these people, and when I did, I was very kind and polite. I didn’t want to join a club. I wanted a space to sell my products. I am an entrepreneur just like you. We all are entrepreneurs and artisans here. Why not encourage each other.
The weirdest part was that he was so much more established than me. He was selling dream catchers, incense, clothing, you name it. So why be so competitive and mean.
I take pride in my studies, the knowledge I gained, and the complexity and artistry that I have put into my creams, exfoliators, and spa products. Dedicating myself to inner and outer beauty with a soul calling. Lots of studying and lots of time dedicated to learning and experimenting.
The next week at the market, I find out I was not allowed to share a space with Alex at his table of vegetables. I am new here, and people are being ignorant teenagers and simply looking for drama.
Why not tell me last week. I felt as though I was in the Twilight Zone. They would hardly allow me to rent a table the Saturday after because I was causing so much movement. Am I renting a space at Burning Man or Coachella. I was super upset and felt like I had to dumb myself down to speak to people with many more years on this earth who should be mature and fair. But older doesn’t mean wiser. Gang mentalities do exist and people to this day are still experiencing bullying, even as adults.
They went on to invent stupid rules that did not exist in the market rules and regulations. They exist in their ideas of justice, judgment, and punishment but not in the real world of legal paperwork.
I kept my cool and dealt with it, expressing my frustration, anger, and hurt in a constructive and positive way. Always coming back to facts and practicing detachment.
I had a friend close by who grew up in this area. I told him about my experience and he demanded to speak to the president of the market. What an angel she was. I got my magical table. She put her table beside me to make it a point that this behavior is wrong. I was so happy to have my angel beside me to shield me from this man, and he did keep his distance.
I sold for a very nice profit that day. I was very grateful for the help I received. You see, the light always conquers. Take the good with the bad or turn the bad into good. It’s all an experience, and the truth always shines through.
I had a great summer at that market. I made friends, and it ended up being a good time. One of the lessons I found was this: if you stop at every dog that barks along the way, you will never reach your destination. If you are stuck and need help, angels will come and help you!!!
Written by Melika Emira Baccouche
