# Craft show set ups



## PhillipRCW (Dec 9, 2014)

I know I've seen a ton of post about what people sell at craft shows and whatnot. I will be bringing a few furniture pieces and my portfolio along with a lot of small items. Does anyone have a good set up that works for a furniture booth?


----------



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

I made racks that pinned together in a W, square or rectangular pattern. I just used hinges. I painted all and they looked fine.

To build them, I used two sheets of peg board each with 2x spacers around the edge and one in the middle. They were pretty stout and would hold product on both sides.

You could knock their widths down to, say, three feet and limit them to six foot for reasonable handling.

In a square or rectangle pattern, a tarp could be easily tossed over the top and they tolerate reasonable wind.

Of course, there is always the "Costco cover" and tables too.


----------



## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

I am considering entering the craft show arena and took a couple of classes at the local community college. They warned that more local fire marshals are visiting more shows and asking to see proof that the materials used in your booth are fire retardant. You may want to take this into consideration as you make or purchase materials for your booth.

For the individuals that do craft fairs, how often do you encounter anyone asking about the safety of the materials used in making your booth?


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Never has anyone ever ask for a fire certificate during the 4-5 years I have been doing shows


----------



## PhillipRCW (Dec 9, 2014)

They check tents here in Oklahoma City. Only if they're set up indoors.


----------



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

> They check tents here in Oklahoma City. Only if they re set up indoors.
> 
> - PhillipRCW


I've done a bunch of indoor shows and never set up my tent indoors…I've used my metal tent poles inside but never had any need for the tent vinyl.


----------



## PhillipRCW (Dec 9, 2014)

Yeah, I have no clue why they would set up tents indoor, but they do.


----------



## Puzzleman (May 4, 2010)

I have been doing shows for over 12 years. I would not use peg board as a back drop as it looks like the inside of a garage, not something that you would display expensive designs against.

I would suggest that you create a backdrop to your booth if doing indoors. That way when customers see your products, that is all they see. They won't be tempted to see the item in the row behind and leave your booth. I would suggest setting up a pipe and drape system for an easy way to start. You could make one easy with wood 2×2's in a small bucket of concrete. Make the 2×2's about 6 - 7 foot tall. Use a piece of 3/4 conduit to go between the 2×2's. Get a piece of cloth made that you can slide on the conduit from side to side as a drape. You can use this to post signs on. This would provide a nice backdrop and the texture of the cloth enhances the the texture of your woodworking. I would also put the smaller pieces on a drape covered table that is at least counter height. You could put extensions on a regular table to make it tall enough. However, also bring a few blocks and stuff so that the small items are not all at the same level. This makes for a much more interesting display. Have a low pedestal (4-6 inches tall) covered in cloth, to put a chair or rocker on. This will help it look like it belongs in an art gallery and is an exquisite piece.

Be sure that you have at a minimum business cards to hand out. A flyer with pictures and info (phone & website) would be better. Have a info sheet for people that appear interested for you to followup with after the show. Have another sheet for people to signup for an email newsletter. You never know when they or someone they know will need your services.

You will find out that sales is the hardest part of the job. I have learned that over the years. It didn't come easy but what was easy was to talk about why I do what I do, my passion would come through asking people what they liked and didn't like about my work. The feedback was helpful as I learned what people were thinking and moved my works towards where I got the comments. Remember the customer is king and if you want to sell to them, sell them what they like and go away from what they don't. People won't say bad things to your face, so look into how they say it as well.


----------



## bonesbr549 (Jan 1, 2010)

I used to do shows many years ago. I used to take one of my cabinets and use that as my display rack. I would also use the boxes that I brought my stuff stacked on top of themselves covered with a nice quilt that my wife made and sold them place the other craft items on top of that. That minimize the amount of trips and really looks nice. I must say however that I never sold one of my large pieces. They were great conversation pieces and people all love them. They would buy the more inexpensive items and take one of my cards and move on. I quit after about five years of doing this because there was just no returns on labor to justify the hassle. Many years down the road now I only do commissions for larger pieces and I'm booked out well in advance. My advice would be make items that sell in the $10-$50 range.


----------



## PhillipRCW (Dec 9, 2014)

Bones, I'm only building a few furniture pieces, but I'll also be taking a portfolio binder of items I can do. I'll have a bunch of smalls ranging from kids toys to candle holders and frames.


----------



## kelvancra (May 4, 2010)

Normally, I would agree on the pegboard. My dislike for it is so such you will not find it in my entire shop, and that's the way it's been for forty years. However, for my show displays, I took the time to learn a few faux painting tricks and, using them, the panels looked pretty good.

Since your interest is in furniture, wall displays of merchandise are not as important. I, on the other hand, had a lot of plaques, photos, posters and prints, candle holders, coat racks and shelves. When all the stock was up, there wasn't much faux painted peg board showing. For that reason, they made far more sense than even slat systems that would have further limited how I displayed product.


----------



## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I do not make furniture. I make and sell small crafty items. Here in West Texas it is way too windy for pegboard displays or any vertical displays. I have tried them but now use a lower display rack that works well for me. Quick to set up, easy to transport and store. I bundle the parts together with Velcro straps. You can see this in the first photo here:


----------

