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I'll admit...I actually really enjoy being a vendor at a crafts show. Last year, I did over a dozen, some weekends with two at a time! While it was hectic, I really enjoy presenting my products to the public. Folks are still just as wonderfully friendly, and they reinforce my commitment to delivering a quality product at a fair price.
One thing I actually spend a LOT of time putting together is my booth. Presentation is so important in drawing in a crowd, and since the Pacific NW doesn't have too many primitive shops, it's really vital to grab their interest quickly. I've read just about everything I can find on how to present your products, but I do have a bit of a quandary. I sell a diverse grouping of products, and sometimes I even get together with a friend or two to have a larger booth full of different items. The best method I can think of is to separate the items with stand alone areas so as to give the shopper more of a 'store' like experience. Scarves/hats over here, bags there, and primitives everywhere else.
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This year I'm venturing into selling more ornaments, as I have a couple of shows that seem to do well with inexpensive items. So how shall I display them? In the past, I've put out my alpine trees and themed them. Last year, one had only snowman ornaments and one had Santa, reindeer and related items. Sometimes when I didn't have so many ornaments left, I merged them onto one tree. This seemed to work at some shows, as it kept the items at about eye level. However, this year, I'll be having a larger variety of ornaments and am trying to figure out the best way to show them off. Build a display piece with hooks and keep them all together? Put them in baskets around the booth? Or stick with my tree idea. One thing I know I'm changing is to put bed risers on my tables to elevate them. Nothing bugs me more than having to bend down to see something, since my knees are weakening with my advancing age, LOL! Anyway, if you have a great display idea for me, please share! Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can really help a girl out!
.JPG)
I'll admit...I actually really enjoy being a vendor at a crafts show. Last year, I did over a dozen, some weekends with two at a time! While it was hectic, I really enjoy presenting my products to the public. Folks are still just as wonderfully friendly, and they reinforce my commitment to delivering a quality product at a fair price.
One thing I actually spend a LOT of time putting together is my booth. Presentation is so important in drawing in a crowd, and since the Pacific NW doesn't have too many primitive shops, it's really vital to grab their interest quickly. I've read just about everything I can find on how to present your products, but I do have a bit of a quandary. I sell a diverse grouping of products, and sometimes I even get together with a friend or two to have a larger booth full of different items. The best method I can think of is to separate the items with stand alone areas so as to give the shopper more of a 'store' like experience. Scarves/hats over here, bags there, and primitives everywhere else.
.JPG)
This year I'm venturing into selling more ornaments, as I have a couple of shows that seem to do well with inexpensive items. So how shall I display them? In the past, I've put out my alpine trees and themed them. Last year, one had only snowman ornaments and one had Santa, reindeer and related items. Sometimes when I didn't have so many ornaments left, I merged them onto one tree. This seemed to work at some shows, as it kept the items at about eye level. However, this year, I'll be having a larger variety of ornaments and am trying to figure out the best way to show them off. Build a display piece with hooks and keep them all together? Put them in baskets around the booth? Or stick with my tree idea. One thing I know I'm changing is to put bed risers on my tables to elevate them. Nothing bugs me more than having to bend down to see something, since my knees are weakening with my advancing age, LOL! Anyway, if you have a great display idea for me, please share! Sometimes a fresh set of eyes can really help a girl out!
I would love to share what I have done in the past. first yes I used a tree and displayed one of every ornament I was selling on the tree. Then on a table actually I had like three of these built or I put them on different tables
ReplyDeleteI took a wooden square heavy if you have lots of heavier ornies to display. A large dowel screwed to the wooden square and other smaller dowels like branches at an angle to shape like a tree each dowel held several of one ornament am I making sense LOL. I kept a box of my ornaments under a table and filled the dowels as the ones would sell off of it.
I even did a tree skirt under them and did a star on top!! I had one lifted on a box for height on my table top and the others just sitting on the table
Brenda
Hey Ilene,
ReplyDeleteBack in the day when I did craft shows, I too did tons of ornaments. My husband took a piece of peg board, built a frame around it, and attached it to my table with nuts and bolts, or you could use a C clamp to hold it in place. My customers loved to be able to see all the ornaments in one location, at at eye level too! I tried them in baskets, and found that they got scratched as people picked them up and then dropped them back in the basket, or dug through them...:) Good luck and hope you come up with a great idea!
Well Ilene, these gals have good ideas too, but what you've been doing sounds good to me too. My hubby thinks he wants to start doing craft shows now... oh boy. I dunno:)
ReplyDeleteLots of good ideas here. My hub made me a 'tree' from a piece of cedar limb and anchored it into a pine base so it could sit on the table. I hung the small stik'n raggins on it and it worked out well and looked primitive too. Enjoyed your blog.
ReplyDeleteTried to become a follower but Google isn't cooperating at the moment. I'll try again later...
ReplyDeleteYour booth looks wonderful, and keeping things at eye level is important. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI think you booth looks great. I like the ornaments on trees but Jody's idea sounds good. Some people don't like to dig around for things and having them right there are eye level, neatly hanging on hooks would be a good idea. I know I tend to go for things that are easy to get to.
ReplyDeleteKim
Enjoyed reading your blog today! You do have a wonderful array of items.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Susan
Thank you everyone! I appreciate all of your ideas. I had thought about doing the peg board thing like Jody suggested (I found a lighter weight one in plastic), but I may cover it with fabric or something to keep it at least a little prim looking! And I love your idea Brenda of decorating the piece with a tree skirt too! You all are so great to help me out!
ReplyDeleteIlene
Hi Ilene,
ReplyDeleteI was told that people don't buy ornaments off a tree...now don't ask me why but I always try to use grid and put them at eye level in one area. I am not sure really what works better. It seems like every time I do a show it is always a bit different and a learning experience.
Good luck...one of my shows is next week!
Barb