Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom for the Q&A with Danni of Oh, Hello Friend.
When I first saw the pictures from your recent craft show that featured FOUND antiques I remember shouting “That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” I’m curious how you chose to use FOUND and why you thought it was important?
I actually used FOUND to decorate my entire wedding, so that’s how I discovered them. I still remember stumbling upon the Wedding Chicks blog, and they had just featured FOUND, which also happened to be found’s first feature on a wedding blog I think. I remember thinking “renting vintage furniture?! that is brilliant!” and looking up where FOUND was. I figured out of all 50 states, it was a long shot they’d be in California but not only were they located in California, they were located 10 minutes from my house and wedding venue! It was meant to be. So that’s how I discovered FOUND and I think it’s a pretty neat story 😉 Jeni & Allison at FOUND are simply amazing to work with, they are the sweetest people around. Anyway, I think set up and how you present your display / company is one of the most important elements! If you were to just throw all your products out on a table, I don’t think it can be as successful as thoughtfully displaying them.
Because FOUND is a vintage rental company, how does the whole process work? How do you go about renting from FOUND?
Renting from FOUND is really simple. They have a HUGE warehouse (it’s literally vintage heaven!) full of everything.. You walk through and note which pieces you like. Allison then sends you a super organized follow up document with all the pictures along with pricing per piece. They’ve got it all set up. So because I had to take into account the price I paid to sell at the show, I also had to budget out what I could afford to rent. But it worked out really well, I can honestly say I’ve never been more proud of my booth than when I used items from FOUND.
What do you feel are the most important aspects of a booth’s design? Are there certain things to keep in mind while designing the space?
I think just keeping it true to who you are, what your brand is is most important. I wouldn’t use items to display that don’t fit with my brand. Another equally important aspect is to just make a good and decent display! It’s important, and I’d encourage everyone to put thought into it. At various shows / farmers markets, some people just lay all their product out on a table. Which works for them and the product may still sell, but their product could be so much better and maybe sell so much more if they just had a nicer display. I think it’s all about perception, if your display looks cheap, it makes your product look cheap. If you have a nice display, it’ll make your product look like a million bucks 😉 You can try to utilize your space, try layering.. I use lots of vintage crates and boxes to layer and hold product.
Does the look & feel of your booth change from one craft show to the next? I imagine it takes a lot of work to put a show together.
I’ve been selling at shows for a couple years now so at this point, I sort of just set up as I go.. It’s not exactly the same every time, because I sometimes have different products. The first show I ever did, I remember doing a mock set up in my living room — setting up all the display and product as if it were at the show. I definitely don’t do that anymore, it’s way too time consuming! I’ve done it recently but only because I had 2 shows booked on the same weekend and I had to make sure I had enough display pieces and product for both shows. That was intense! 😉
Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share with my readers who are looking into designing a booth for a craft show?
Organize, organize, organize! 🙂 It took me a couple years to get organized, I used to bring multiple bins and boxes because I just wasn’t organized. It would take me 2+ hours just to tear down, because I had some boxes in one bin and some others in another, it was just scattered. Now I can clean up my booth in about 45 minutes or less, which is still pretty good because I have lots of little pieces and items. Tips: bring LOTS of business cards. I know that sounds like a no-brainer. But even if you think you have enough, bring more. I thought I had enough for a show I did last weekend, and I STILL ran out! Every time someone asked for a card, it was such a bummer – I felt like I was missing out on sending my name out there each time! So bring plenty of cards. Sign up and apply for a square credit card reader, if you have a smart phone that is compatible. Accepting credit cards just makes for a better show. It’s free and easy! (squareup.com) I don’t have too many designing tips – just go with what you like and what you think reflects your brand and style.
Did I miss anything extremely important?? Anything you feel like you need to add?
I think you covered everything! Thanks for allowing me to share!