Tuesday, May 8, 2012

weekend show wrap up

Thank you for all of the well wishes about my Sunday show!  This was a brand new show for me that I found out about through the Wisconsin Arts and Crafts Fair Directory.  The directory shows have a good reputation, and this was a small juried show, so I was optimistic.  But you never know how these things will go.  Thankfully it did not disappoint.  We had steady traffic all day, and I had steady sales as well.

For my 2011 shows, I used three card tables, which is about 8 feet across.  For 2012, I decided to add two smaller tables in the front, making an open square.  For anyone who may be considering this type of set up, the booth sizes for this show were 8"x8" and it JUST fit.  I had enough room to sit behind the display, but that was about it.  Many shows have 10"x10" booths so it will work for most shows.
I know that my sign was drooping a little bit.  I did fix it early in the show.  It's just a tiny bit taller than my tables so I really have to secure it well from above to get it at the right height.

I didn't feel like doing a mock set up at home with the new tables, but I didn't want to invent it all on the spot either, so I drew up a plan ahead of time.  This worked really well.  I didn't have to think about how to arrange inventory on the new tables at all when I got there.  I put my new flowers, pins, rings, hair pins, and magnets on this left side.

Remember how I wanted to base my card displays?  I did, and it was so much better.  I did not tape down these displays or my easels, which I normally do even for indoor shows, but I will next time.  There was only one minor incident with a tip over, but it's better to be safe then sorry.  Also, remember how I talked about building up my card tabs so you could see them over the card sleeves in the display box?  I did, which was a tedious task, but it was worth it and will be even more so for future shows as I create more cards to fill all of those tabs (I only have about 8 filled categories right now).

I did sell the 2012 card.  I would like to make more with this design in the future.

Overall, I was really happy with this set up.  I loved the extra room with the new tables.  It wasn't too crowded, which was good because I'm planning to add boxed card sets and possibly some small canvas button art for my holiday shows.  All of the vertical displays really helped draw people into my entire display.  I have talked about vertical displays before, but I really can't stress this enough.  The more of them I add to my booth, the more people look.

I'm sure that I'll get questions about this so I'll put it out there now: the music note boxes are just overturned Dollar Store plastic crates covered with fabric.  I didn't glue the fabric down or anything, just tucked it into the crate.  It worked really well.

I got a lot of compliments on the new flowers.  I didn't sell too many of them, but it added a lot to my display, so I think that I'll keep it.

It feels good to have a successful open house and one successful show done already for 2012.  Here's hoping for more successful shows this year!

Has anyone else done a show recently?  Share your experiences and tips!

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I included this post in Erika's It's a Wrap Link Party - 5/14/2012.

19 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the successful show! Your table looks great. I haven't done a craft show in ages - my art didn't have much local appeal. :(

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  2. That looks great! I love your square-shaped display. So far, I have just been using one six-foot table. I would love to add more.

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  3. Dear Rose, It looks like you are working hard and everything is falling into place. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  4. I'm so glad to hear you had a great show!
    Your set up looks awesome and the new displays look great too!
    I agree about going vertical...it really helps!
    I use my empty totes I bring my products in for vertical displays much like you did with the Dollar Tree crates...works great!

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  5. Your set up is very organized! Customers can find exactly what they want with ease! Congratulations on a successful show!
    I personally like a 10 x 10 space, but then my stuff takes up a lot of room. 8 x 8 is about as small as I can handle. I do like a booth set up around the perimeter.

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  6. Rose! I love the flowers!! And the dollar store bins - how clever! Congrats on a successful show! :)

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  7. Yay- I'm so glad the show was a success. It's always tricky working with a new display design, but I'm glad it went well for you.

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  8. Congrats on a successful day. Your booth looks great, I would have definitely stopped if I saw it.

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  9. Congrats on a good show! I've only done pop-up shops so far as the whole set up for a craft show seems like a big hassle for me (no car and no place to store tables or displays at the moment). But it's good to see how you did it and that it worked well. :)

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  10. I'm glad it went well! Your booth has the perfect amount of stuff in it: the tables are full, but they're not overwhelming.

    I actually have a show this Saturday. It's the first of 4 outdoor markets I have on deck between now and October. And this actually reminds me that I need to start applying for holiday shows...

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  11. I'm glad your show went well! Your display looks great! Did you hang out in front instead of behind it since it was U shaped? I'm so shy that I tend to hide although I know I shouldn't. Anyway, your display would have brought me over to check it out!

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  12. I'm so happy things went well for you. You have so many nice things and I'm sure that people recognized that right away. Your tables look awesome.

    Have a terrific day. :)

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  13. Congrats on a great show and sales!!
    I like the U-shape of your booth - it feels welcoming :)

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  14. We don't have such interesting fairs like you guys have. But this made me wanna go wander the handmade and vintage markets more if I tend to have some time.

    ANDWHATELSEISTHERE | SHOP

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  15. Your setup looks great! It's good to hear it went well for you.

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  16. Your setup looks great! I've yet to do a craft show, but it's something I'd like to look into in the future :)

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  17. great to see that the show went well, and your comments are numerous! I noticed the flowers right away - they're adorable. It just might be something that attracts people to your tables. Great organization too, with the tabs for your cards. Just like a store would have! Very attractive setup! {:-D

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  18. What a great table design - some lovely work there!

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  19. Rose, this is the same setup I use at a show--same tables, too. It seems to work when you don't have a lot of space (which is often). Your space looks attractive and interesting. One thing you might consider doing with your tables so that the sign doesn't sag is to lift the tables on bed risers.

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