First post! Who am I, you might ask?
My name is Aggie Cheung — a concept artist turned product designer, and the owner and founder of The Little Red House, where we sell both direct-to-consumer and wholesale. If you've been to Maido, Kinokuniya, Paper Source, or museums in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Seattle, you may have already seen our products in person.
For a while I also did licensing work with larger brands like American Greetings, Little Tiger Press, and Casetify — so if you stumbled onto this post, you might already be a little familiar with my art. (Or better yet, I hope you'll become a fan of The Little Red House!)
Now, let's dive into SDCC — because I just got back!
Back in 2019: The Expectation & Research Phase
2019 was our very first year at SDCC with a Small Press table. Back then, we had no idea what to expect. I asked a few veteran tablers what they typically made, and the answers were remarkably consistent: $4k to $6k, with $6k considered “lucky.”
That number shocked me, because the cost of attending SDCC is high: the hotel ran about $350 a night (roughly $1,600 with tax), the table fee was $600, flights were $300 each ($600 for the two of us), plus food and the Uber from the airport to the convention center.
For context, SDCC runs five days, from Wednesday's Preview Night through Sunday. Realizing I might only make $4k while spending that much to attend was, frankly, stressful.
Time to Do More Research
The deeper I dug, the more I learned: there are always outliers in Artist Alley and Small Press who pull in five figures. So I told myself, “Okay — I'll be an outlier too. Problem solved.”
Of course, it wasn't that easy — but those stories gave me hope. I set my goal: $12k–$14k.
Goal Set! But How Do We Get There?
Since 2018 we'd used spreadsheets to plan our packing, so I had a head start on organizing. We even mocked up our display (though I've since lost the sketch). From there, we worked out how many SKUs to bring — and then dreamed big: if we sold out, how much could we make?
The challenge: this was a brand-new market, and we didn't know what people would actually love.
Fan art or cats? We bet on cats — and won.
Tote bags or prints? We bet on totes — and won.
Stickers or greeting cards? We brought both — and they sold equally well.
Stamps — too new? What if they sold out, since we only had a limited run? We set up a preorder system so people could buy at the show and have them shipped later. It turned out people loved our stamps too.
Overall, we made a series of educated bets, always asking: if we want to hit that big number, what do people already love at our usual shows? Could we lean on the broad appeal of cute art without needing a huge following?
That question led to our biggest discovery.
People Love My Art — Even If They Don't Know Me!
So many people stopped by just because they saw our art — it was incredible. And with SDCC's massive foot traffic, a lot of those visitors became long-time followers. Thank you!
Some already knew me from my Disney WonderGround Gallery residency, and that was so heartwarming — they stopped to say hi, showed their support, and even brought us snacks (which we desperately needed — thank you!).
The 2019 Result
We hit our goal! 🎉 The Little Red House turned out to be an outlier in 2019 too, and we were thrilled — already dreaming about how to do even better in 2020.
But then 2020 happened, and that led to a five-year break from SDCC.
2025: SDCC Small Press — We're Back!
2025 has been a tough year. Sales dropped sharply, and as an artist — and now a mom to a three-year-old — I haven't had nearly as much time to draw. The imposter syndrome I always carry hit harder than usual.
I wasn't sure people would still love my art, or whether my followers were even still with me. I'd been on a break from Instagram, and without much new work to share, my confidence wasn't what it had been five years earlier. Back then I could boldly say, “F*** it — I'm going to be the outlier!” This year, that didn't come so easily — but we planned as if we'd crush it anyway.
My personality deserves some credit here: I worry a lot, but I also know I won't find out unless I try. So — let's try.
We're also not the same small business we were five or six years ago. We've since added inventory management, barcoding, and better systems to track everything, and we carry far more SKUs now.
I may not know exactly where we're headed, but one thing is certain: we're stronger than before.
Our spreadsheets look a lot nicer now too — we've grown up a bit. We still plan as if we'll exceed our 2019 goal… even if, deep down, we're not entirely sure.
Costs have gone up as well. This time I brought my kid along and we drove down, and instead of one helper I had one and a half (yes — that's exactly how it felt 😂).
What Did We Do Differently?
In this AI age, art isn't always seen as premium anymore — but handmade art still is. At SDCC, people genuinely value human-made work. Still, I couldn't be certain that belief would hold up in today's economy.
Let's Do Handmade
So if we wanted to grow beyond last time, we couldn't just repeat what we'd always done. We needed something unique — something higher-priced.
I teamed up with Sarah Sung, my former coworker from Osmo and Yeti Confetti Kids. She threw the ceramics and I painted them, and together we created a set of handmade mugs.
We only managed to make 15, and I was terrified they wouldn't sell (classic me — forever insecure about my work 🙃). But they sold out!
That little win gave me the reassurance I needed: we could still hit our revenue goal.
We Did It — We Hit Our Goal!
Our goal was simple: make a little more than last time. Our costs run around $4–5k, so I hoped to earn at least $2k more than before.
And we didn't just meet that goal — we blew past it. Are we true outliers? I'm not sure. But I'm proud of what we achieved this year:
- I tabled at SDCC with my whole family.
- We earned 20% more than last time.
- People still love my art, and people are still kind. I've still got this.
- Most importantly, people really do love handmade art — even at a higher price. That's a key insight for the future of The Little Red House.
The Trade-Offs
It's not all wins — every big show has its costs. The planning, the crowds, the nonstop energy… after five full days, we were completely burned out. With both my helper and me juggling full-time jobs, recovery wasn't optional.
The sudden five-figure cash flow is exciting, especially in this economy. But it also meant clearing our entire August schedule, which left us with a month of very little income — and we even skipped our biggest wholesale event of the year because we couldn't risk the burnout. Realistically, that was another five figures in opportunity cost.
So was the intense five-day rush worth it? I don't have a perfect answer yet. But I do know this: SDCC gave me the reminder, the proof, and the hope that my art still matters — and that's something no spreadsheet can measure.
At the end of the day, SDCC wasn't really about the sales or the numbers. It reminded me why I started drawing in the first place — to connect with people, to bring a little joy, and to share something handmade in a world that often feels automated. Even with the exhaustion, the trade-offs, and the doubts, coming back after five years showed me that the love for art is still there — both mine and yours. And that makes me excited to keep going: one show, one drawing, one connection at a time.
Thank you for reading, and for being part of this journey with me. Whether you've followed The Little Red House since the early days or just stumbled across my art for the first time, your support means the world. Every hello at a show, every message, every little snack drop at the table keeps me going more than you know.
Here's to more drawings, more handmade art, and more chances to connect. 💛
— Aggie