Show me your sales or demo booth

[Daswulf]

Had a couple things going against me on getting a nice display setup today. The layout was a mystery, turned out to be an odd corner spot with shelves too small to even utilize, I was a bit rushed to get price tags on everything, and my help was mainly babysitting until things were about up and running. I'm not arguing but I'll work to do better. I found more things I need to do to make for better display. ( and I need to make a cart for easier load in and out of these types of places. I was pretty winded carrying a bunch of loads a long way. ) I was really behind on getting smaller forged stuff done. 

All in all it was a good event and I'll work to improve it next time. 

[Marc1]

Das ... your display is scary!

The roses make it friendlier though

[Daswulf]

Well.. it was the "Freaky Fair" hehe. 

 

[ThomasPowers]

perhaps the one with the cutlery headdress could hold a "Whats for Dinner?" sign...

[Daswulf]

Or " Who is for dinner?" sign. 

[ThomasPowers]

Volunteers for dinner?

[George N. M.]

Here are some photos of my booth and my layout.  These are at Society for Creative Anachronism events.  For a general public event I would probably have something of a different mix of items displayed.

[Daswulf]

Nice setup George. Thanks for sharing. 

[George N. M.]

The booth is based on an illustration of a 16th century Dutch merchant's booth.  It is 6'x8'.  One drawback is that the canvas my late wife used to make the cover is NOT water proof.  Hence, the plastic tarp visible in the next to last photo.  I am planning a Mark II version which will be 8'x10' or 10'x10' since most spaces at events are 10'x10'.  Also, I plan to add some sort of shade awning on the front since it offers customers shade and keeps the merchandise cool in the sun.  I have found that a unique booth helps bring people in.

I am wondering whether the traditional layout of a counter in front is the best design.  It has been used for thousands of years but I wonder if a layout which draws potential customers into the booth may be better.  Thoughts?

Also, I wonder about displaying horizontally versus inclined displays or vertical displays.  Things need to be accessible to the public but a simple table layout can get crowded.  As you can see in the later photos I have used some inclined boards to display some of the pendants.  They have the advantage of taking up less table space and displaying the translation of the inscriptions.

[ausfire]

Das, your display looks great. I don't know how you ca part with some of those old friends like the mantis and scorpion etc. Those ring-gear candle sticks are really cool. Was I right about the roses? I reckon they would have sold out quick.

Nice display too, George. I like your themed signage. Cool.

[JHCC]

On 6/2/2018 at 10:04 PM, Daswulf said:

Or " Who is for dinner?" sign. 

"Honey, I'm dinner! What's for home?"

[Al Stephens]

Right off the bat. I will say I've not worked at lot of retail craft shows, of any kind, and the one's I did , I never felt  went particularly well. However I have worked wholesale shows for about 20 tears. Following are a few of my observations about them.

If you have a 10' wide booth, a prospective buyer is past you in 3 steps. That's how long you have to catch their eye. 

Most peoples "scan" area is about 3' off the floor, or ground, to about 6" high.

Eye catching color, or shapes help. Even the shadow cast by things will catch peoples eye. Chose colors that will contrast your work well.

Allow enough area  around an object so customers can focus on that object without being distracted.

I always liked an area that I could invite customers into, then they are in "your house". You can have a conversation with them, find out what they are looking for, and point them to things they might have missed in their "scan".

The better the light, the better customers can see.

Keep your space clean and clutter free. You want customers to see your work, not the boxes you brought it in.

Good luck to all,  Al

[Daswulf]

Aus, it's never easy parting with my creations but it feeds the new ones. I actually took the culture I keep on my porch but didn't have the space so he stayed in the trailer. I didn't sell any big items but wish I had made more scorpions since I could have sold more of those.  I only sold 2 roses actually. Then another when I got home lol. The rest won't last long. 

Al, thanks for the perspective on setups. When I have the room I have better plans on how I'd like to set up. This was setup a bit busier then I would have liked. I had more tables but no room. 

[Hans Richter]

No sales booth, only a try-out of the future demo/mobile set up. Hope all the stuff will fit in the trunk of my middle class station car. Will use the pictures as an part list to collect the equipment to have everything on board. If the stuff is too much maybe the next step will be a small trailer. If you have some suggestion about things I may be forgot, please let me know. Cheers, Hans

[Daswulf]

Worst case you could probably rent a small trailer. 

You might want a table for sale items, a canopy,  a chair, a cooler for refreshments and lunch.

Does you vise stand have holes to spike it to the ground in case you are on the grass or dirt? 

[Hans Richter]

Hi Das, thank you very much for the tips. Found this little guy but wait for the new company car with trailer hook.

[Commercial link removed]

Regarding the sales items I still have to build up some stock pile. The canopy is a big parasol. A chair as no bad idea.

Bye, Hans

Edited June 4, 2018 by Mod34
Commercial link removed per TOS

[Daswulf]

The kit looks great. You should do just fine with that. Forge looks like it is firing nicely. 

[bubba682]

HANS i gotta say i like that forge its makin me think on which way of building a coal forge.I was thinkin of building a fair size stationary forge but the size you built would give me alot of options of workin inside and out of the shop anyway i got a couple of weeks left in the house renos then i'll decide...

[John McPherson]

One trick to seeing your booth as others do is stand in front, close your eyes, open them for one second, and see what impression you get.

Crowded or sparse, organized or jumbled, colorful or drab, you get the idea.

Dark metalwork needs a light colored background like wood or a solid color cloth. Shiny metal like polished knives and jewelry do well on dark felt.

Get a piece of fabric big enough to cover the table and go all the way to the ground in front, and the sides if you are out in the open. No one needs to see the banana boxes and drywall buckets you brought your wares in.

A couple of items from my friends who work the Blade Show and Highland Games circuit: rubber mats to stand on, and a tall directors chair to sit in to keep you at eye level with the clients. Few things are worse than wet or sore feet, and nothing to sit on but a cheap rental plastic chair that makes you look like a gnome behind the table.

One way to get folks to stop in your 10 foot strip is an eye-catching centerpiece of your very best work. Something that shows just how far you can take your craft. Even if it is not for sale, it gets folks to pay attention, if only for a little while.

A cheap digital photo frame that changes images every few seconds is a good way to show the depth of your range, especially former client commissions and larger work. Driveway gates and whatnot being hard to drag around. A laptop or tablet on the table is asking for trouble, and taking your phone out every few minutes is boorish.

If you have a lot of small items, some sort of vertical display to get them off of the plane of the table: stair step display shelves, rotating racks, display trees, etc.

When you go shopping with your spouse, don't look at the merchandise, look at how it is displayed:  tailored to catch the target clientele's attention. (Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! I am the great and powerful Oz!) 

[Glenn]

Rather than the Blue plastic containers, take some time and build wooden boxes / containers. A little stain to the wood to make it look oldish and well used. Pay attention to the depth of the container, and make them stack-able, with or without covers, that can double as display items or display boards. Make them all the same size and not so large you can not lift them easily when full. The can serve as both carriers and displays on the table.

Always include a cooler with drinks (water) on ice that can be poured into a period correct tankard or other container. Some quick food that will not spoil during the day is very handy. During the summer a wet hand towel for wiping the face or cooling the neck makes a great way to freshen up.

[SLAG]

Consider 'wine' boxes for such product containers. They look tasteful and rustic. (they beat plastic ones by miles).

Big box liquor stores often have too many of  such "crates".

SLAG.

[George N. M.]

Something that I have used for years for tools, coal, goods, etc. are military surplus wooden ammunition boxes.  They have rope handles on the ends and once you sand off the military information stencils and slap some stain/paint on them you have very rustic/period storage boxes that are built to stack and can be used as stools, benches, or a small work surface. 

Also, draping your folding table or other intrusive objects such as a cooler or plastic bins with fabric is excellent camoflage.

[Frosty]

Not bad Das, a little hard to focus on from here and the light colored table cover was a poor choice, brushed or polished steel is hard to see on it. Movement is an eye catcher, especially horizontal movement though any will help a LOT. I'm a fan of velvety green table covers, blankets work well, it's easier to pick items up off a deeper pile fabric. It's also a good background for photos. You can vary the shade a little, say darker green for the brushed critters and an emerald green for the black iron.

George: Nice selection and work. Piling the torcs isn't good, you'd be better off with fewer on display than piling them it distracts from the ones on top as well as hiding the buried ones.

If you hang pendants, brooches, etc. they display well, use a cloak material hung on a curve to represent a person's body. Same with the torcs, they would look well on a fabric covered cone small neck diameter. The armature to hang the material on for this type vertical display is easy to make from small PVE pipe and it can be taken down easily for transport or changes. The cloth simply drapes over the top held in place by clips or simple wedges in the open ends of the pipe. You can mount lights or things that move to attract interest on the frames. Hmmmm?

Hans: Nice set up you have there. The only suggestion that jumps out at me is to make the stands for the table/bench wide enough you can fit your forge or anvil stand in it. Flip the table upside down and nest the forge in it. This will take up less room and make the forge more stable going down the road. My tripod anvil stand lays on it's side over my anvil like a cage. I've stopped bringing my vise to demos but that's my fault, the collapsible stand just isn't solid enough even spiked to the ground. I have a portable stand designed I just haven't built it.

Frosty The Lucky.

[George N. M.]

For demos I have sometimes used a medium sized machinist's vice attached to the heel of the anvil with a bolt up through the hardie hole to secure it.  It's not ideal because it cuts down on the available work area of the anvil and eliminates using hardie tools.  However, at demos I am usually making small items which do not require the whole anvil or the use of a hardie.  One advantage is that the vice is secure and the mass of the anvil and stand keep it from moving.

Frosty, I agree about the torcs but haven't yet come up with an alternative that I like.  I often have a neck form around which I wrap with a shawl and attach both a penannular brooch and a torc to show how they are used/worn.

I'm not sure I quite understand or am able to visualize your suggested display with cloth and an armature.  Do you mean a T or cross shaped upright armature with cloth draped over it and items attached to the cloth?  Sketch of photo?

I do like having items, particularly jewelry, displayed loose so that people can easily pick an item up an examine it and/or try it on.  I always have a hand mirror available so that they can see how something looks on themselves.

I like the suggestion of foam rubber mats for events on asphalt or concrete.  I use them on my shop floor and they are good on my knees and feet.

For events where you are set up in a row of booths I like to have a sign that hangs out into the traffic flow so that people can see it as they approach.  Just make sure that the bottom of the sign is at least 6 1/2 feet above the ground so that people or you do not whack their heads on it.  A whacked person is seldom a buying customer.

Oddly enough, I can often predict how much I will gross from the predicted attendance.  At large SCA events I usually gross about $1 per attendee.  So. if an event has about a 1000 people attending I will sell about $1k in goods.  I'm less sure about mundane craft fairs, farmers' markets, Celtic events, etc. but I suspect that the ratio of sales to attendance is lower.

[Frosty]

Think of the PVC armature like Tee Pee poles that don't cross at the top. A plywood base with pipe sized holes drilled in a circle. Secure the top with wire, duct tape, wood disk and large hose clamp, etc. adjusted for the taper you like. Drape it with the chosen fabric. It wouldn't need to go all the way around so a little turn and a torc would slip off from behind.

Just thinking here.

Frosty The Lucky.