Have you been following along on my journey to improve my craft show display?  If you are new here let me just give you a little recap.  Last year was my first experience with vending at craft fairs and I had no idea how to set up my display (i.e. store front).  After a few shows I started to get the hang of things, and my display greatly improved but it still did have the look and feel I was going for.  I have been working very hard this year to get creative and overhaul my display to make it more inviting and easier to shop.  If you are interested you can see my previous posts here, here and here.  OK are you ready to see some of my improvements?

Just for the fun of it I thought we would take one more look at the booth setup from my first show.  Ahhh the memories

And here are some improvements I have made this year!

I now have a full sized sign that I can hang from my table or tent posts depending on the venue I am at.  It is funny how many people now stop at my table just to find out what the deal is with that huge freckled frog!

I have added visual interest and height with trays, containers and risers.  Here is a new three tiered tray that I made to hold some of my handmade items.

Displaying finished versions of the craft kits helps kids see what they can make with the craft kits.  It also gives them something to play with while their parents shop!

Cross promoting items to show how they can be used.  Here is a fabric tidy tray (one of my new favorite items to make)  displaying a dahlia ring and matching set of hair pins.

I’ve been trying to find interesting ways to display items.  Here I use a bobbin holder to hold my handmade ric rac and dahlia rings.

I am using new table coverings this year.  I found white damask curtain panels (hard to see the pattern in the photo) at Ikea on clearance for super cheap.  They are the perfect fit for my round and rectangle tables (go figure!).  The green cloth on top is actually a fleece blanket also from IKEA.  I love the weight of it, and it has a really cute eyelet detail around the edge.  (one more thing! can I just point out those yummy looking peaches in the background?  I had to stare at those for 5 hours at my last show.  I ended up with two cartons at the end of the day and all I have to say is that you Georgia folks really can grow amazing peaches! mmm good!)

I am still not super happy with the way my craft kit table looks.  I think I need to add more height to this table with tiered baskets etc.  My craft kits vary in size, weight and package thickness so it has been difficult to find ways to display my items (I would love any suggestions you may have to offer!).  At my next show I am going to also use fabric to create a “back wall” to my booth.  I don’t like that you can see the parking lot behind me.

I hired some new employees to help at my shows.  It never hurts to have super cute little helpers!  Oh and you can also see my peg board that I display crafts on at all of my shows.  I love this pegboard because I can configure it to hold different sized packages and it folds flat for storing.

So what do you think?  It is still not exactly how I want it to look but I have discovered that it is a process and it takes time to build a great display.  Every show I do I learn a little and gather more ideas on how I can improve.  I believe the biggest obstacle I have encountered is creating a display that is easy to set up by myself.  90% of the time I don’t have help at my shows and it is a lot of work to lug all of the tables, products, etc. from my car, set it up and still have enough energy to sell all day.  I have also had the worst luck with the weather and have found myself having to pack up my display in a hurry when a storm blows in.

Anyhoo thanks for letting me share my progress with you!  I have the comments open for feedback, ideas, photos, etc.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions if you have them.  I hope to continue to learn more from you and maybe you will also find some inspiration for your next show!