Setting the table, part three
I had an opportunity today to try out many of your suggestions for improving my craft show display. The day was exceptionally windy and keeping everything on the table was quite a challenge, but we found a small measure of success with a roll of masking tape and a pile of rocks. When the rain rolled in, we decided to call it quits – about three hours before the festival was supposed to end.
It’s a shame that the weather had to be lousy on a day when I was so looking forward to measuring the success of my new display. I didn’t see much in the way of sales, but I don’t think I can blame the table so much as the wind and the threatening skies. I will just have to look for another opportunity to test things out, I guess!
So, as promised, here is a look at some of the improvements I put into place:
New tablecloth(s)
I purchased a few yards of floral home-decor weight fabric – Denyse Schmidt’s Daisy Bouquet in Porch, from the County Fair collection and Joel Dewberry’s Bloom Glacier, from the Ginseng collection – which I intended to turn into a reversible tablecloth that I could use on a standard 8-foot cafeteria table. The idea was that I could use the bright side for spring/summer shows and the darker side for fall/winter shows.
As it turned out, I didn’t have time to sew anything this week, so I just used the raw-edge fabric. Since it was so handy to be able to use both of the fabrics on two different tables, I no longer think I’m going to sew them together. I do still have to hem the raw edges one of these days, though…
Because I didn’t want the floral pattern to compete with the items on the table, I put down a solid linen/cotton runner. I’d have preferred plain linen, but I didn’t want to spend my life ironing it. The cotton helps keep it from getting wrinkled. That, too, needs a hem, but for this time around, I just folded it over.
Photography
Several of you suggested that my display needed some big photos of my work. I incorporated imagery in some of my small table signage, but the place where my photos really stand out is on the 6-foot banner. I really love this larger-than-life sign! The only problem is that it’s taller than the table… I had to hang it up behind the display, which was fine in this case, but may not work so well in other/indoor situations. I’m considering ordering the 3-foot version for those times when it has to be on the front of the table. The banner, if you’re wondering, is from VistaPrint, and I’m very happy with it.
Various other elements
I bought a mirror, added a vase of flowers, and got a few unique display pieces at the thrift shop. I also collected names and addresses for a drawing.
I drummed up interest in my clay-covered pens by keeping a mug of them next to the drawing sign-up. A few of them sold as a result of that. I also found that sanding and buffing pen parts was a great way to get people curious and interested in how I do what I do. I sold a pen or two after those conversations, too.
One other thing I did differently was to include a clearance table. I figured it was worth a shot, since I had the extra space. It wasn’t particularly successful, but then, neither was the full price table, really. It was just not a good sales day all around. I’m choosing to blame the weather, and hope that I get a much less windy opportunity to try out my new display soon.
Thanks, everybody, for all of the fabulous feedback that got me this far. And thanks to my family who helped lug everything both ways and hung out with me at the festival for the duration – outdoor craft shows truly are a group effort!
P.S. There’s still room for improvement on the table, I think. I like the idea of using an old shutter, for instance, or a tray filled with rice. I’m keeping them in mind for the future.
Archive for polka dot cottage
Setting the table, part two
I’m feeling better – thank you for the get well wishes! I only have a few minutes before I have to leave for work this morning, but I wanted to show you some of the fun things I’ve been collecting for my craft show display. You ladies came up with some great ideas for me [...]
continue reading "Setting the table, part two"Setting the table
So, it’s a rainy Spring Sunday, and I’ve been thinking. Thinking about the vendor event I did this week, the kind of events I always do, the ways I set up my table, what products I show, what products I choose to leave in the box under the table… And what I’m realizing about all [...]
continue reading "Setting the table"Scratching that itch
The sewing machine has been liberated from it’s basement prison, and I am scratching that itch. What did I choose to make? Something that wasn’t even on my list… I’m making a nice little pile of skirts in vintage fabrics. They’re (mostly) not for me, though. They’re destined for the shop, in fact. I’ve been [...]
continue reading "Scratching that itch"Seasonal Inspiration Overload Disorder
I don’t know for sure if it happens to me every year, but I do very clearly remember the first time it happened. It was Spring 2007. I had just discovered the indie craft movement, and was starting to feel the urge to expand my creative horizons. I was exploring new blogs, flipping through new [...]
continue reading "Seasonal Inspiration Overload Disorder"The Texture Collection, and other stories
You know how you go through your creative life picking up little bits of information from one artist whose work you admire, a few tidbits from another, an interesting idea from yet another? And all of these inputs take up residence in your brain, waiting for just the right little nudge to make them come [...]
continue reading "The Texture Collection, and other stories"Have a heart
Last summer, I was asked to submit a beginner-friendly polymer clay project for the upcoming Craft Hope book. The book will feature pairs of projects and charities, the idea being that you can make the projects and then donate them to the charities. I was honored to be included, and so I set to work [...]
continue reading "Have a heart"Couch dents from the easily-distracted
I feel like this week has gone by in a whirlwind of super-busy-being. And yet, I’ve spent enough time on the couch that I wouldn’t be surprised to find dents the shape of my rear-end in the cushion. Weird week. Every first full week of January, having just re-opened my two shops (Polka Dot Creations [...]
continue reading "Couch dents from the easily-distracted"Christmas Mokume
The snow fell yesterday, most of the afternoon in big fluffy flakes. I often say how much I dislike snow, but the truth is that the objectionable part of a snowfall, to me, is its aftermath – the shoveling of it, the driving in it, the trudging through it. The actual snowfall itself is something [...]
continue reading "Christmas Mokume"Ready, set…
GO! And by that I mean “custom family portrait ornaments are online and ready, if you’d like to order one.” And I also mean “thank you”
continue reading "Ready, set…"
