Displays at Fairs

[felicity]

While everyone has fresh memories from their fairs this very busy pre-Xmas time I want to ask a question about arranging and displaying items on the tables. I usually have a variety of felted things and to create good display is often a problem. It's easier with a pen/booth with larger space but when I have just a table I usually struggle. When I took part in ETSY Made Local (EML) event this year the organisers were very particular about exhibitors creating stylish displays and even provided us with some examples of beautifully arranged displays:


And girls at the EML were up to a challenge and made really nice displays on their tables. But mine was very mishmash looking. I believe that was mainly because I tried to show variety and so all went very tightly packed and crammed. I suppose that it could be much better if I was displaying just, say, cases, or scarves and mittens... But variety sells, at least in my craft! This is a picture of my table, not fibished yet but you can get an idea.


Any advice on displaying a variety of felted items in limited space will be greatly appreciated! Or just your thoughts on the matter.

[tracey]

Well Galina, here are my thoughts from a customer point of view. The first stall is neat and orderly due to the fact there are a number of things there the same size and shape, just different colours. The second benefits from height, but you have a podium too. I would use different levels. Your stall would attract me just as quickly as the other two. As you say about the variety aspect, that means more sections of interest on the display. I personally enjoy feasting my eyes on lots of different things, rather than realising the stall in front of me has limited choice, I would quickly move on. I too know of a fair where the organisers dictate how your stall should look, but I guess they are just trying to make the fair memorable to people for the right reasons.

I love your stall, I love your tea cozies!

[lyn]

Let's face it - tables just aren't big enough!

I think your choice of a white cloth is good. The example with the blue cloth looks good at first, but you soon realise that you're paying more attention to the pretty blue cloth than to the items. After I'd pulled my eyes away from the blue I could see that it didn't really enhance the colours of the items, whereas your white cloth shows the felt colours beautifully.

I like the height that the baskets give, in the first example, but felt needs light and that wicker certainly wouldn't help with that.
But you have achieved height using other ways.

Scarves are a problem when you have nowhere to hang stuff. If you do enough fairs with table-only space, it might pay to invest a tenner in something like a free-standing towel rail? You might even find a pretty vintage one in a junk sale. Failing that Ikea do one suitable for small spaces:
stainless steel rack for small spaces £10

I think your table looks fabulous and I would make a bee-line for it!

[tracey]

Dec 12, 2016 12:14:16 GMT lyn said:

Let's face it - tables just aren't big enough!

I think your choice of a white cloth is good. The example with the blue cloth looks good at first, but you soon realise that you're paying more attention to the pretty blue cloth than to the items. After I'd pulled my eyes away from the blue I could see that it didn't really enhance the colours of the items, whereas your white cloth shows the felt colours beautifully.

I like the height that the baskets give, in the first example, but felt needs light and that wicker certainly wouldn't help with that.
But you have achieved height using other ways.

Scarves are a problem when you have nowhere to hang stuff. If you do enough fairs with table-only space, it might pay to invest a tenner in something like a free-standing towel rail? You might even find a pretty vintage one in a junk sale. Failing that Ikea do one suitable for small spaces:
stainless steel rack for small spaces £10

I think your table looks fabulous and I would make a bee-line for it!

Good point on the blue cloth Lyn, white is clean and crisp. 

[felicity]

Thank you Lyn and Tracey for you comments! There are quite a few very good points in them and something I need to think about, definitely! This IKEA's towel rack is a great idea too. I wish I knew about it before!

[jwugg]

Excellent rack find, Lyn. Well worth looking into.
Galina I think your stall looks lovely, & that is partly because you have a soft gentle colour palette for many of your items, with those lovely greens & blues with white that you do so well, that makes your theme.

It's true that a table - any table - is never going to be big enough! I have a couple of very basic wooden shoe racks that I carry to go on the table to make a higher level - having everything flat on the table really doesn't work. I love that top photo with the baskets, but then silk would probably snag on them & many of our items are too large to de displayed like that. I sometimes wish I made jewellery in 1 size box, how easy to display that would be!

[halay]

I have same problem as Galina since I display very different things, from garments, slippers, scarves, small items like brooches, mobile phone cases, etc. At our fairs we usually don't get more than a table. I've bought a rack which solves part of my problems (I hang all garments there), put slippers in a basket, have also a manequin, but my stall always looks so crammed.
I looked at the pictures above and with the first picture where items are so neatly organised, I have a feeling I would not dare to touch anything not to spoil the arrangement. I agree that picture two emphasizes the blue colour of the cloth too much.

[felicity]

Dec 12, 2016 13:52:38 GMT jwugg said:

I love that top photo with the baskets, but then silk would probably snag on them & many of our items are too large to de displayed like that. I sometimes wish I made jewellery in 1 size box, how easy to display that would be!

On the first picture lady sells hand woven fabrics and pieces made of it and I do like natural feel of it. But felt requires different background in my opinion or it will be lost or looks messy...

Dec 12, 2016 13:52:38 GMT jwugg said:

I sometimes wish I made jewellery in 1 size box, how easy to display that would be!

I've met a lady once whose all items and display stuff from a good size table could be packed in a small size suitcase ! I wish I could do it!

Dec 12, 2016 14:00:25 GMT halay said:

I looked at the pictures above and with the first picture where items are so neatly organised, I have a feeling I would not dare to touch anything not to spoil the arrangement.

Nada, I feel the same! And still I'd love to get more order and style in my display. The scarves and mittens are my main headache! I'm sure I could sell more of them if I manage to show them better. Especially mittens.
Again this is a picture of displaying mittens, it's the best idea I've seen so far...

[lyn]

I love the stand for the gloves and scarves - great design and if you know a handyman it would be easy to make.

[elizabeth]

I had an idea for displaying scarves that I have not tried. I was at a thrift store and saw a table lamp with a large drum-shaped shade. I wondered if you could remove the shade, but leave the drum frame on the lamp base. The scarves would be hung over the drum frame. Bonus might be that the frame could spin on the lamp base.
Or maybe leave the shade on the frame and use the whole thing to hold goods.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents/pence worth.

[MTRuth]

I have seen people use a large grid behind/around their table. Kind of like this: www.displays2go.com/P-26813/Art-Display-Panel-Silver-Finish?st=Category&sid=29512

That way you can have wall height but it's still see through so you don't feel so enclosed. You could re-purpose a screen door to do this as well.

Here's a compact idea for mitten or fingerless gloves:

Pinterest has lots of display ideas.

[tracey]

Again, from a thrift/charity store or a house clearance place, one of those small A-frame wooden set of step ladders, that have suddenly become 'vintage', painted a colour to show off your wares. Eye catching.

[lyn]

This thread is a great example of the benefit of this forum - bouncing ideas around produces even better ideas!

[felicity]

Thank you Ruth! Got some ideas saved!

[Shepherdess]

the top display is to dark for me. I don't like the blue tablecloth on the second as the others have said. I quite liked your display Felicity. I don't think it looks to crowded. I like the way you have used height. One table displays are so hard to work with. scarves in particular. Maybe a towel rack that has several movable arms at different heights. like this not this one as it is expensive. www.houzz.com/photos/19325818/Towel-Rack-Tree-With-3-Swivel-Arms-Chrome-Stainless-Steel-contemporary-towel-racks-and-stands

Mittens could be in a basket that is wide enough to haring bone the mitts so the colours can be seen. or do something similar tha what you have but put it across one end of the table. it would still be easy to see them form both sides.