How to Choose a Craft Fair Display

Indie Wed was a blast! I was paranoid for nothing! Helper-Hubsey and I met a lot of lovely vendors, chatted with happy brides, and even booked a few custom orders. Typically wedding expos will get you business in the future, so those were a nice surprise.

I'll have to report back later with more on the business-y side, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share my experience with choosing a display setup. One thing I appreciated on Saturday was that nobody's table looked remotely close to anyone else's--which is good. I've done shows where several vendors had shabby-chic decor items, and I seriously couldn't remember who was selling what.

So tip #1 is to do your own thing. My "thing" (or, in reality, my cheapness) is to use a bunch of stuff I found at GoodWill, including plates and a curtain panel:

Tip #2 is to have enough stuff on your table to make it look full. I can't believe I'm about to post this, but here's a picture from my very first show ever (weird!):

See the difference? How it's all just... floating around? It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just find a way to organize your items and fill your space. Believe me, it will look MUCH more professional.

Tip #3 is to give customers information. This picture has two things you might want to consider: a price list and a portfolio.

I haaaaate tagging items individually, but I also hate not seeing prices, so instead I post a list of categories with a range of numbers for each. And then I have a little picture book of additional work down there in the corner. You never know what somebody will want, so it's good to have options.

Tip #4 is a little harder, but still needs to be done: Make sure your display has the same aesthetic as your products. Let's zoom in on some necklaces.

This works because the white china is simple, and so is my jewelry. Solid white plates are also classic, which goes with the vintage-inspired feel a lot of my pieces have. Similarly, a vintage picture frame-turned earring holder works well with a filigree headband and Art Deco-style earrings:

Think about how crazytown it would look if I went with a bright pink table cloth and black velvet mannequin heads. Not awesome.

So, to recap: do your own thing, fill up the table, provide information, and have a consistent look. For my fellow show-doers, is there anything else to add? What's your display like? Have you seen any that are especially cool?

[The lovely Heidi at Rowhouse14 did a little write up on my shops today. Pop over and say hi!]