Vintage & Antique Show Booth Design

 By Debi Ward Kennedy

website: www.DebiWardKennedy.com
design blog: http://debiwardkennedy.blogspot.com

Vendors selling their wares at vintage and antique shows find themselves in close quarters with their 'competition' – perhaps in the very next space on the show floor! Being successful at a show is dependent on having a visually appealing and effectively staged booth.

Concepts that are used in retail store design can provide a guideline for the design of your booth: tricks of manipulating space in your booth layout, where to place the sales counter, the use of lighting, how to leverage color and scale and create displays for maximum visual impact, how to come up with a theme for your booth at a show... but where do you find that information? From a designer!

Since 2002, Debi Ward Kennedy has been a writer and speaker on the subject of show booth and visual design  - providing seminar presentations at gift shows and retail events, and articles to retail industry publications. Deb is now sharing her experience in vintage show booth design with Creating Vintage Charm readers! Click HERE to visit her design blog post, where you can see inspiring photos of her own 'Retreat' booth designs and a link to an informative Google document. (Make sure you check out all of her informative blog posts there, too!)

You'll find dozens of easy ideas for making your booth successful at the next vintage or antique show!

Charming Note: Debi Ward Kennedy is a retail store visual designer with over 35 years of experience creating successful visual solutions for her clients. Two of her designs won 'Best of Category' awards from the Northwest Flower & Garden Show and the San Francisco International Gift Show.  In addition to that career, Deb and her late husband created a vintage business called 'Retreat', and participated as vendors in some of the best vintage show venues in the country: BarnHouse, Farm Chicks, and Remnants of the Past. 'Retreat 'also hosted vintage events in Washington state, which have been included on some of the 'best of show' lists in popular lifestyle magazines.

Selling at craft or antique shows: Some beginner's tips.

Thinking about getting your first table at a crafts show or booth at an antique show? ~ Some beginner's tips

Antique and craft shows are a way to sell your wares and there are always seasonal shows being organized. With fall and winter holidays coming I thought to share some tips I had shared previously on Facebook. The subject was interesting to many and some added their thoughts too. I thought this great information shouldn't get lost in Facebook so I collected all the tips into this post. I hope this helps anyone who is planing to start or perhaps those who already are, to learn something new.

- More sales are made while the crafter is standing than sitting behind their booth. Wear comfortable shoes.

- Vistaprint.com often offers 100 free business cards at least once a month. If you don’t already have business cards – take advantage of this offer.

- If you carry a Smartphone, check out square.com for a free device to accept credit cards. This usually will get you a sale that you may not normally get.

- If you accept credit cards – it is highly suggested that you advertise it on your booth. That tends to create more sales.

- Advertise where you will be selling next- a timetable of events you plan to set up and sell for the next six months or so. Not everyone might be a buyer that day, but they will find you next time and hopefully bring a friend.

- Prepare flyers with pictures of your work/wares, to add into people's bags with each sale.

- Handing out free candy in a basket on your table may give you a chance to start a conversation and possibly gain more interest in your wares.

- Always speak to most everyone that goes by..."hello, how are you" means they have to turn their heads and speak back and in the process they'll see your wares.

- There is a fine line between being helpful and friendly, and hounding and following a person. Be polite and friendly but not pushy.

Images by Sandy Bryan from her Mes Amis Vintage Antiques Show in Roseville, CA
Featured in Issue 8 of Creating Vintage Charm

Con Amore,

Sonia Crouse