How should I display my leatherwork?

[UKRay]

Have you displayed your work at shows and fayres and found all kinds of great ways to get a good response. I would be very grateful to learn from your pictures.

In short, how should I display my leathergoods to get the best response? What are the best and most attractive backgrounds and lighting setups? Has anyone built a display stand that really made a difference to their sales. How should I display purses, keyrings and jewellery to catch the buyer's eye? Hopefully everyone has an opinion! Ideas would be great and pictures even better. Thanks guys. Ray

[TomSwede]

Perhaps I'd use a table wich a placed out shaped foampieces and put a nice cover over it and placing the delicate work on those foampieces. The farther back at the table the higher the foampieces would be to get a good overview of the goodies.

I was thinking about a deepblue satin type of cover but that would require good lighting if there was alot of dark/black work on the table.

Just a thought!

Tom

[Hilly]

Do you think that leatherwork looks very nice displayed on natural fur, such as hair on animal hides? Tom's idea of foam "shapes" is a good one, only maybe you'd put them under Hair on hides, and display your larger or more expensive items. The small stuff like key fobs and such could just hang on a rack of some type? Or, with the small stuff, you could just display one or two of a particular item, and keep the rest loose in a box for the customer to pick out his/her own item.

When it comes to lighting, natural looks best, but if you need artificial lighting, flourescent gives off a green type of glow; not very flattering IMO. Sodium vapor: too orange and unnatural. Either of these don't show the true colors of your products. Try broad spectrum lighting to eliminate the off colors. A general ambient light source, coupled with low intensity spot lighting could hilite your best work? Sorry, I was just sort of thinking out loud...

[TomSwede]

Hey Hilly, you've been in my head lately??

I had forgot about these pics but you made the bell in my head ring so after some digging, tada: my first sewing experince. Not proud but dude loves it. Nowadays the sewing is replaced with doublelooped lacing.

Not a very good pic to illustrate leather on hair on hide but thats what it is. Reindeer hide.

Tom

[skip]

When I have displayed my items it has been mostly at horse shows but I use Grid walls and hang my stuff from hooks, Most shows that you rent a space from will rent you a 10X10 space to display your stuff. I set up my grid walls in the back of my booth and let the costomers come into my booth to view them. I will see if I can post a pic so you know what I am talking about. I hope these pictures will help the woman in the picture is my wife Becky who is my major supporter in my business.

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[Jordan]

Having the same thoughts while waiting to hear from the artist panel for the farmers market. Last year was pretty rushed so it was a couple of foldup tables, a tripod and pegboard thingy and a very well padded patio chair under a 10x10 popup cover. Worked ok but I want to do a little more this year so I may design and build some simple tabletop displays that foldup or breakdown for storage. Some better signage especially so there is no price misunderstanding. And some type of table covering. That will have to do as $$$ are a huge rarity. I was amazed at two things last year 1. Everyone wants it for free. 2. The wristbands sold very well.

[Hilly]

Hey Hilly, you've been in my head lately??

I had forgot about these pics but you made the bell in my head ring so after some digging, tada: my first sewing experince. Not proud but dude loves it. Nowadays the sewing is replaced with doublelooped lacing.

Not a very good pic to illustrate leather on hair on hide but thats what it is. Reindeer hide.

Tom

No Tom, I haven't been in your head, YOU have been in MINE! I was thinking about the reindeer hide I have stashed away to use as end gussets in a bag I plan on making. I thought about photographing some stuff I made and putting it on that hide. Gosh, we're gonna have to stop meeting like this. People will talk.

[Drac]

ray,

I custom built carry/display cases for me goodies out of 1 x 4's and pegboard. they're hinged and 3 feet by 5 1/2 feet when closed and 6 feet wide when fully open. you can sorta see what the cases look like in me profile pic. once I have everything arranged the way I want it, I have 2" eggcrate foam mounted on 2" solid insulation foam (the pink stuff for house walls) that I put inside the cases and close 'em so nothing moves around during transit. that way when I set up I jsut unlock, open, put the foam behind the cases and (hopefully) start making money! I load 'em into and out of wherever with a dolly very easily. as far as lighting goes, since I'm usually set up in dark clubs, I use 2 very bright clip on lights. that way no matter how I configure the 3 cases (soon to be 5 with more lights added) I can use the lights to draw attention AND light everything up well.

[TomSwede]

No Tom, I haven't been in your head, YOU have been in MINE! I was thinking about the reindeer hide I have stashed away to use as end gussets in a bag I plan on making. I thought about photographing some stuff I made and putting it on that hide. Gosh, we're gonna have to stop meeting like this. People will talk.

let 'em talk, lol!

Looking forward to see that reindeer bag!

Tom

[UKRay]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. The reason for my question was that the cost of leather, dye and fittings keeps rising and it seems to me that anything we can do to 'add value' to our products in the eys of the potential customer has to be worth some effort.

Personally, I sold my leather for many years from a simple 'trestle' table display with two side supports and a cross beam where I hung anything on a thong, plus belts and small bags. The frame was made from varnished pine with wooden pegs for the goodies. At the back of the table display I built a low (1ft high) wooden surround and used carboard boxes in tiers to give myself some height to display the more expensive stuff at the back - I'll use foam now I know better!

The whole lot looked okay and packed down very small but I always wondered if there was anything thsat would be more effective. I'll be interested to hear other people's views on this as selling the things we make is pretty important even if it is only to buy more leather with the money! How do people sell leather at Renaissance Fayres in the US? I've seen a few pictures of amazing displays at those events but never a leather stall... R.

[Billy P]

Just to ask a question, and not meaning to be a downer, has anybody experienced someone trying to get the five finger discount while set up at an event/fair/show? When things are hanging out front and if you get busy with another customer or at the other end of your booth doing something, seems it would be easy for a crooked butt hole to try and steal your work. I know at the flea markets/jockey lots around here some of the vendors say that it happens. Some say often enough that they have been taking someone with them to just help keep a eye on things. It's a sad thing that people will steal your stuff and take your little bit of profit if they get a chance. If I catch somebody stealing from me the cops will probably get me too, because I'm gonna be wailing on there ass. Just my .02 and a question. Anyway something to think about and maybe come up with someway to attach things to make it harder for a thief get away with. Billy P

[Luke Hatley]

Billy out of 28 years of going to the living history events or Rendezvous i have only lost ONE item.

now i dont set up at flea markets , and dont want to.

at some of these events there has been as many a 1100 campsites and as little as 40.

so i guess i have been lucky or i dont go where there is not like minded folks.

[Windy]

If I catch somebody stealing from me the cops will probably get me too, because I'm gonna be wailing on there ass.

Billy,

I understand what you are saying and why. I would like to point out to you

that the courts are not very friendly to the good guys. Thanks to all the stinking

lawyers. It is much wiser to raise your prices enough to cover any theft like

all the big stores , than it is to put a well deserved whoopin on some low life

scum who tried to steal your wares.Not to mention is it worth paying a low life

stinking lawyer more money than the thief tried to steal from you in the first place.

WINDY

[Jordan]

It is not really a question of if, it is when. There is a world of very poor excuses for humans out there but it is not something I think about too often. I would let the police deal with it as it really is one of the costs of doing business. While it would be nice to open a can'o'whoopass on a scumbucket once in a while, it is really not going to change that type of person, one can only hope they see the error of their ways before it is to late. As is written "vengeance is mine, sayith the lord". As personal addedumn; payback is a real beotch.

[Drac]

billy

unfortunately, I have lost a few items to jerks. it did get to the point where I was having to either take someone with me to one of the places I used to set up at or bribe someone there I knew to help me keep an eye on everything and that was after trying a few different ways to "keep things in their place". if I would've caught 'em, I'd be in the same boat as you if you caught someone stealing from your set up.

windy

when what usually gets stolen is worth about 10 percent (or more) of what you make in sales (before subtracting set up fees, gas, food, lodging), it's kind of hard to raise your prices to cover that, especially when you're competing with several other vendors.

jordan

I look at like this, me whoopin' on 'em will help them see the error of their ways very quickly, and someone's gotta be the instrument of vengeance.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Drac

[UKRay]

Drac,

Your great looking show cases look about as secure as it gets to me so if you can lose stuff what hope have the rest of us got? Having said that, I did have a trick I used to use at shows to stop things being taken from the hooks along the front of the stall. I got one of those bells on a spring they make for parrot cages and rigged it with a line along the top of the hooks. It was pretty nearly impossible to get anything off the hooks without ringing the bell... But you had to watch out for low flying parrots <grin!>

[Jordan]

I worry more about fast talking flimflammers that try to shortchange or confuse in order to get or give wrong change and such. The grifters treat it as a challenging game and if your not on top of yours you could lose cash and product too. Luckily most of them choose bigger and better targets. I will be using a second person this year, more for the company, but a second pair of eyes is a deterent especially if they belong to a very protective wife. LOL. Good luck with your setup and hope you make lotsa dough.