Craft Show Display: First 10' x 10' set up

The 39th Annual Hand of Man Art & Craft Sale was held this past weekend.  Being the largest show in Peterborough, it was the best opportunity to test LeilaBel Anne products in my local market.  What I want to or think will sell may not be what does sell, so this show provided a great learning experience.  Merchandising, product development, salesmanship...participating in a show improves all that.

For The Hand of Man, a corner booth is what LeilaBel Anne reserved.  A corner booth allows attendees to see a vendor's items from two sides (as opposed to one side with a regular booth).  The more products people can touch and see up close, without having to walk inside a booth, the better chance a sale will be made.  Even if they don't buy, I have an idea of what they like based on what they look at.  I saw your lingering eyes even if you didn't notice me.  Sometimes you can learn more about a customer by just observing.  Here is how I filled my first 10' x 10' space:

Every time I browse Pinterest or other blogs, I am inspired by the creativity of other vendors.  If you need to be inspired for your own show, I'm here to help.  Here is my set-up in more detail.  I've added more close-up images at the bottom of this post.

The walls
Most shows do not allow vendors to attach anything to the walls.  My solution: create pockets that hang from the top bar.  Using scrap and stained fabric, I created columns of pockets to hang my scarves.  These pockets allow the hangers to be hung at various heights.  I think I need to patent this idea.  :)

The table L-R
LBA Product: Name banners
Using antique church windows, my husband added hinges and small eye hooks to hang my name banners.  Some banners were also hung on the front of my table cloth.  For my 'show special' letters, I used a basket that may have held cutlery or tea bags in its previous life.  Note: The church windows are the backdrop for most of my product photos in the LBA Etsy shop.

LBA Product: Magnets
Using metal picture frames from Dollarama, my loose magnets can easily be picked up by customers to view more closely.  NEW to shows are my packaged magnets.  Filling a small rotating display was not the best idea because too much 'table real estate' was given to these items and they didn't move as well as expected.  On the last day, I removed half of the bags and added more hair accessories.  *Pat on the back!  The accessories were sold and more attention was given to the magnets.

LBA Product: Grab Bags
The grab bags were filled with gift tags, magnets, and a hair clip.  For the first two days, they were displayed in a vintage cradle under my clothing rack.  Since I didn't have room on the table, I just put them there as an afterthought.  For the last day, I gave them prime real estate in the middle of my table.  The bow clip on top of the bag was added last minute to add extra cuteness to an already cute bag.  I don't even think I made a profit on my grab bags, but I like the idea of having a sample set of LeilaBel Anne goodies at a low price.

LBA Product: Hair accessories
Using two wine racks stacked on top of each other, I clipped on my felt flower pins/hair clips.  On the table, I simply laid out clips and elastic headbands so each style was easily seen.  I wanted people to pick them up and notice the handmadeness and quality of my product - since my flowers are not bought from a supplier.  My brother, who assisted me at the show, merchandised the felt hair pins with the scarves on the wall to show how you can UP-STYLE a scarf.  Brilliant idea!

LBA Product: Scarves
I don't take credit for how my scarves were displayed.  My brother was in charge of the back wall, dress form and mannequins.  There was also a clothing rack for people to look through.

EXTRAS!
Candy and cards - Similar to my last show, I used tiered trays for my business cards and candy.  A 'Thank You' sign complemented the display.
THE Lamp - My inspiration.  Out of the 2600+ people who attended the show, only 2 made a point to talk about my lamp with me.  I enjoyed discussing how it was the inspiration behind the look of LeilaBel Anne.
Bunting - I made a simple bunting/banner to balance the front of my table cloth.
Why Super Cute? - On the back of my postcards, I explain 'Why Super Cute?'  I framed one of my cards and paired it with my Asian statue for an added cute touch to my table.

Here are more photos from this weekend's show.


And that is an overview of my first 10' x 10' booth.  Maybe you have been inspired for your own set-up.  I'd love to see photos!  Send pics to LeilaBelAnne@gmail.com and I'll post them on my Facebook page.

Stay SUPER CUTE!

-j.anne

Side note:  [#nofilter] Each morning, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to speak because my lips were sssooooo swollen.  I couldn't even smile.  I don't know what caused the allergic reaction, but it was bad.  I gave myself at least 2 hours before start time to allow the swelling to go down.  I'm grateful that my lips did not look freshly botoxed when we opened.  But don't they look good! :)  All glossy from Vaseline.  Vaseline - the 'I don't know what to do, so I'll put on Vaseline' cure-all.

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