Setting out your booth...

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These are just a few pictures of the way I have been setting up my booth at various shows in the Utah area.

I can't say I have sold a lot of my invintory but from previous years and setting up my booth differently than what I am doing now netted me less sales. You have to take in the clientel and what it is that they would actually spend there money on. Setting up a booth is very important as you really want to catch the eye of potential customers. When I first started out I used some old rotating displays that I got from a little curio shop. they were to small for what I was using them for and did not show off my items very well. that is why I now use a grid wall system to set up my display. it is easy to set up and to take down and really takes less room to store than did the display racks that I had used previously the grid walls also can be set up in different ways to attract attention to certain items that I would like to move. I hope this helps.

[Spider]

This is what I just did as a display...

A little different...

[ArtS]

I'm curious if yawl setup a certain way to help prevent theft. Is people stealing items even an issue with anyone?

ArtS

[rdb]

Look, People are people...good and bad in everyone. As far back in times as the medieval days, the little beggahs were swiping things off the town vendors.

The only time I worry about "misappropriation" is when I am in the booth alone, which is more often, nowadays. When the wife, and I, and friends did bigger shows, a few years ago, there was a lot of interaction with customers at the various stations within the tent. They still got a few things, but mostly smaller, keyrings, etc.

Alone, all it takes is one distraction, and they gotchya. Now that I've started in at a fairly big flea market type show, I'm going to have to somehow tie down the bigger articles.

Mostly, I have lost the little things, a keyring here, a bracelet there. Not too bad, but it's pesos out of my pocket. I shrug it off, though. Just the price of doing this kind of business.

Instant Karma's gonna get you.

[UKRay]

Art, you obviously had a good reason for asking the question - maybe you lost a lot of stock? - but what I really want to know is do you have any good presentation ideas that could stop people stealing? Have you learned anything useful from thefts?

We all try to lay out or goods in such a way that they attract people to covet and buy them so it is no wonder that a few bits go missing. I tend to share RDB's view that pilfering is something we have to defend against (hence my request for suggestions) but in the long run we have to add it to our overheads and get on with life.

Some ideas I have seen recently for displaying goods safely include keeping loose items on those sturdy metal rings much loved by market stall keepers - I guess we now know why they do it!

Hanging stuff out of reach but where the punter can see it. It is much easier to see a hand reaching up in the air.

Keeping goods under glass - a flat counter top cabinet for buckles and expensive hardware can save a lot of angst especially if it can be locked.

Keeping bags and expensive pieces hanging up behind the counter/table with a sign telling people to ask if they would like to see the goods - it stops all the mauling and sticky fingers too.

Hope this helps.

[CitizenKate]

You could be making some trade-offs in sales to keep your stock theft-proof. The points between where the shopper spots something from a distance, and where they examine it closely enough to make a buying decision is already a huge chasm, from a selling standpoint. Being able to touch it, smell it, and see it close up is all part of that decision. I personally would want as few obstacles to crossing that chasm as possible.

Some shoppers love interacting with sellers at shows, and love the process of being "sold to", but others prefer to explore each exhibit with little or no interaction with the seller until checkout time. It's that latter group that will not bother to ask to see something in a booth that is designed to discourage theft, and may just avoid that booth entirely.

Every seller can decide for themselves which is more important, but for my own booth designs, I would place a higher priority on shoppers' experience than theft-prevention.

Kate

[Jordan]

They all love to touch and smell the leather, have not lost anything yet but it goes with the territory, PBAB and Bad JUJU will come back to bite the perp.

[ArtS]

Most of what I make I give away. The few I have sold were requested items. So I've never had a booth - yet. I just had to layoff a guy last Friday at work. I'm sure more are coming before the end of the year - maybe me. I figure I better start getting ready to sell items and making them faster. Thats why all the questions.

What does it usually cost to have a table at a craft fair etc.?

Thanks,

ArtS

[CitizenKate]

It varies widely from one show to the next. It could be anywhere from $10 for a 10x10 space for the weekend, to $200 or more for a spot at shows that are either very well attended or juried.

Kate

[UKRay]

...well attended or juried.

I didn't know what you meant by 'juried shows' Kate, and had to check out Google. I found the following URL that is very helpful and explains the craft show selection process:

http://www.getcreativeshow.com/craft_sew_b...d-nonjuried.htm

I hadn't given it any thought at all, but it is quite obvious when you read this.