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caroleallen
23-09-2009, 05:45 PM
What would you find eyecatching and what would make you turn away?
Do you like work to be on a table at the front or do you prefer to walk into a stand?

Di Sandland
23-09-2009, 05:46 PM
A confused jumble would make me turn away BUT having a few select pieces laid out would intimidate me. Not sure about walking into a stand - I might feel a bit intimidated. Also having to ask for prices rather than being able to see them fairly easily puts me off.

Emerald
23-09-2009, 06:01 PM
A friend of mine used to use the Ikea glass cabinets, he used to turn up at shows with this jumble of stuff packed into the smallest car and you would think 'what on earth' but his stand always looked immaculate and very well presented.

Jayne
23-09-2009, 06:08 PM
I agree about the price tags - it's nice to know how much things are from the outset instead of having to ask.
I also think that it's easier to approach a stall if there's lots of stuff on it - there's a good excuse to linger without appearing to have lingered so long that you have to buy something ;)

J x

bustagasket
23-09-2009, 06:24 PM
While i was at the bike rally i took a great not of the set ups on the jewellery stands there, and the only one that drew me in was my fav anyway.

But the stand llooks classy from a distance, its clean looking and laid out in a decorative way lots of different levels and nice spaces between items so that you can focus on each piece.

The "toot" stands were over crowded and just looked like they had just had the stuff laid in a hurry.

I would go to the classy stand each time.

one of the tooty stands had it arranged un a "u" shape but i think that that make vieewing difficult as you are blocking each others view and it is harder to move to view the other side if its busy. So a stright on stand to me is visually and practically more appealing

Boo
23-09-2009, 06:24 PM
My stalls have always been done on a real budget, but I have tried to keep the display materials unobtrusive - I've currently settled on everything being either cream or black - but with lots of interest in the pieces - I have a lot of stock and I put a lot out. If I had less, I'd perhaps put more effort into the displays being a feature. I price everything individually (I do that as I make pieces and put them in storage).

People do seem to spend a while looking and I try to engage them in a non-sales manner - making a comment about some feature of the event or if they show interest in something, tell them a little about it. I don't mind if people want a good nosey and don't spend - I've done it enough myself - you can be dead keen on something and would love to buy it, but if you're hard up, that's the end of it. I do try and ensure that they take a card or leaflet though.

For me one of the biggest selling points is making pieces at my stall - I have sold many pieces just because someone saw me make it, or adapting something that's there, or completely new pieces - "I like this, but like these beads". So I always ensure I take a good stock of chain, headpins, earwires etc. etc. About half of my sales can be from stuff I worked on there and it very often turns a potential sale into a firm one if they know you can get what they want.

bustagasket
23-09-2009, 06:35 PM
For me one of the biggest selling points is making pieces at my stall - I have sold many pieces just because someone saw me make it, or adapting something that's there, or completely new pieces - "I like this, but like these beads". So I always ensure I take a good stock of chain, headpins, earwires etc. etc. About half of my sales can be from stuff I worked on there and it very often turns a potential sale into a firm one if they know you can get what they want.

I have heard that said before and i think seeing someone woring on something is a great puller-in-er

If i had made enough to allow afor a stand and found an appropriate place to have one, i think an on site working show would be a great asset, long as its on stuff you can pick up and put down without holding people up and potentially losing a sale

Lisa Quinn
23-09-2009, 06:40 PM
Oh crikey I wish I knew the answer to this one, I spend sleepless nights thinking about how to create interest in my stand and how not to look like a shabby amateur, I really think that no matter how wonderful your jewellery is if the stand looks cheap you immediately devalue your work ( in price and perception of quality) .

However my personal opinion would be not to enter a stand unless I was serious about purchasing.

Lisa x

bustagasket
23-09-2009, 06:45 PM
one stand i went past had a purple crushed velvet cloth thrown acorss their table, it kinda said everything and it wasnt good :( (that sounded really snobby sorry :( but it was just slung across and the lady on the stand looked like she had been pulled through a hedge backwards. Smart casual is surely much better?)

Petal
23-09-2009, 08:36 PM
Colour co-ordination & having prices shown works, I've just re-done my display with black upright displays and a cream textured table covering. That way all the things that look good on black get displayed there, everything that goes with cream gets displayed there. I watched people at an event where someone's display was all jumbled up colour wise and people just couldn't decide what to buy as it was all over the place. So I keep my similar colours together.

Think about when you are shopping. If you are in M&S and you want a green top, if its jumbled with other colours and you don't have much time, you'll walk off.

Hope that helps.

Jules x

Boo
23-09-2009, 08:47 PM
I really think that no matter how wonderful your jewellery is if the stand looks cheap you immediately devalue your work ( in price and perception of quality) .
Looks like I'm pretty de-valued then. My display materials were very cheap.

And I use crushed velvet too, so really losing points there too.

For the record, a synthetic crushed velvet is a fabulous base fabric - the pile gives it a Velcro quality, so stuff doesn't slip around. It doesn't crease, so always looks pristine, even if it's been packed away for weeks. It doesn't show fingerprints and spots where people put their burgers, ice creams and drinks down when they're browsing and it washes and dries with minimal effort when someone spills a whole tray of cups of tea over your stall, as has happened.

So having grand ideas is one thing, but they have to meet pretty rigorous and practical demands too.

bustagasket
23-09-2009, 08:47 PM
good advice Jules, the stands i have seen with a single colour scheme have certainly looked much nicer :)

Boo
23-09-2009, 08:50 PM
My stall materials are all black and cream too - silver looks good on black, copper looks good on cream - but they're interchangeable too.

pauljoels
23-09-2009, 09:11 PM
I assume most of you who are doing fairs etc and have a stand/stall have websites? I also assume that your website and business cards/anything else you have work well together?

If that is the case I would be trying to take as much of the design from that as possible - this is your branding and it is core to your identity.

I always stop to have a look when I see someone working - it's far more interesting and it gives you an insight into the level of skill that has gone into the items you might want to purchase.

My personal taste is for clean, sophisticated stands - but this doesn't always work - if your jewellery is more fun then this should be reflected in the stand too.

Lisa Quinn
23-09-2009, 09:12 PM
Sorry Boo , I didn't mean to offend, don't get me wrong, I don't think it's about spending loads of money on your stand, I mean't to support Su's observation regarding how she felt about the "toot" stalls, I agree with her about trying to give a "classy" feel to a display which enhances your jewellery rather than distracting the eye from it.

At the last fair I went to, there was a lovely lady selling high end jewellery and had a gorgeous stylishly minimal display with cream , black and sage green, it was stunning and it made her really expensive prices appear to be realistic, whereas, I ,on the other hand have an all black table display, with no height and very basic display equipment (I would love to be able to get all the lovely display accessories to glam it up but I can't justify the cost ) and felt like the poor relation next to her, however when I checked out her jewellery I really didn't think it was much better than mine , but when you looked at our stands the perception was that hers was the posh designer stand and mine was the homemade gear !

I have a jewellery fair in a fortnight and am desperately trying to come up with inexpensive ways to sharpen up my stand. ( hint, hint.. any good ideas?)

bustagasket
23-09-2009, 09:21 PM
I cant give any ideas i am afraid cos i am in no way ready for a stand, and i hope that no-one would feel i was judging their stands as being tooty, the stands i saw looked like they were cheap imports, mass produced, not something that someone had dreamt of and brought to life. (thats probably still come out wrong lol)

I hope that when i do finally feel ready to try a stand (and find a proper place to have one) that i can make sure i can put all the good advice into effect that i have read in this and other threads on here [[]]

kymbi
23-09-2009, 09:22 PM
I prefer a stand to a walk-in, and like to see a range of choices rather than minimalist styling - this keeps me interested and makes me want to look closer otherwise I will cast my eye quickly as I pass by. I don't like to ask how much things are so easy to read prices are a necessity.

I do a weekly craft market stall and the advice from the manager is to have stock at different heights to catch the customers eyes as they walk past and have something eyecatching at eye-level to make them want to stop. I also work at my stall, which does attract attention and reinforces that my work is handmade/crafted. I also offer to make small adjustments while they wait, eg swap earwires over, add extenders etc and this has helped with sales.

The Dragon
23-09-2009, 09:29 PM
If you want to add a bit of colour to your stand how about visiting a store like Jessops/John Lewis and selecting some off cuts or roll ends of fabric. You can pick up some really nice pieces at a snip. Synthetic taffeta, silk or damask work well.

Leave your main display as it is but bunch some of the fabric up in a nice box or basket (you can use cotton wool underneath to bulk it up) and use it to display a few of your special pieces. Alternatively scour your local shops for some smallish empty cardboard boxes (usually free to a good home) and cover them in the fabric (glue and staples on the bottom are good) and use them to add hight and colour to your dispay.

Just remember to stick to one or two colours, otherwise your display will look a little too 'colourful'

Hope this helps a little. :~:

Lisa Quinn
23-09-2009, 09:44 PM
Thanks for all your tips, it's good to know that there is always kindness, help and support on hand from everyone here, especially to the nervous newbies like me.
Lisa x

caroleallen
23-09-2009, 09:51 PM
My current display is perspex cubes at different heights on a table but I'm working on something new. It's going to be 2 metre tall wooden triangles that slot together at right angles with circular shelves that fit down over them with lights at the top. For Christmas I plan to put large stars on the top to look like Christmas trees, with wrapped parcels underneath. I plan to have 3 of these at different heights. I'm really hoping this is it this time!

Boo
23-09-2009, 09:55 PM
For display height, I got some shelves from Ikea - they're intended to be internal shelves for cupboards - they can be taken apart to store flat and come in 2 sizes - so if you stack the smaller one on top of the larger one, you get a two tier step. They're only about two or three pounds each. I have 3 sets now.

You could drape fabric over them, or as they're cream, I just leave them open as I can blutak displays to them - I use the space under them from behind to store tools and wrapping materials etc.

kymbi
23-09-2009, 10:02 PM
2 metre tall wooden triangles that slot together at right angles with circular shelves that fit down over them with lights at the top. For Christmas I plan to put large stars on the top to look like Christmas trees, with wrapped parcels underneath.

ooh these sound like they will be interesting, eye-catching and very festive :Y: I can't quite picture how these will slot together though - have you got a pic?

Lisa Quinn
23-09-2009, 10:03 PM
Ooooh, that's a good idea Boo :Y:, I really like tiered display stands, but they are soo expensive on the display websites for a decent sized one.

Just need to stop procrastinating and decide on accent colour now !!

Carole, I had a look at your stand display on another thread , which I thought was pretty spectacular, so am looking forward to seeing your new display when it's finished.

Boo
23-09-2009, 10:06 PM
I can PM you a photo if you're okay with me doing that. I don't feel I want to post it publicly today.

mizgeorge
23-09-2009, 10:12 PM
I suspect I have the same shelves from Ikea as you Boo!

For adding colour, I have a number of lengths of sari silk (incredibly cheap from an Asian fabric store or ebay), which I drape at a diagonal across the entire table - it just adds enough colour to be interesting, without overwhelming everything else.

I've just abandoned all my black and white display stuff and gone back to frosted perspex as I was finding that at a distance, the busts and things were taking over, which looked awful.

I'd love some more big chunky acrylic blocks, but they are just tooooo expensive.

We're going to be doing a fair bit of experimenting this weekend, and have a bit of a display expert with us, so I'll let you know how it goes!

caroleallen
23-09-2009, 10:13 PM
The wood for the new display is being cut out this week and next week the perspex will be done. Once it's all finished, I'll show it to you. I need something spectacular for Country Living in November.

agent_44
23-09-2009, 10:53 PM
Carole your new display sounds great, I hope you will show us a picture when it's done.

I also prefer straight tables as opposed to walk in stands, I think I feel more comfortable browsing like this.

My last stand, was over 2 years ago now! I had a fitted cream table cloth/cover made, and made some steps from some old mdf offcuts which I covered with fabric. The fabric I used was quite frivoulous in that it was hand woven silk from Thailand, absolutely lovely, but the only reason I had it was because I got it dirt cheap in Malaysia on my honeymoon. I have run out now and can see a million things I want to change! Also it's not really the right colour for the branding I am planning on using when I relaunch my website, so I am trying to be creative around that.

I use all white props, ramps and busts in white, along with various frosted acrylic pieces. I may borrow the Ikea shelf idea if that's Ok as I was trying to think of something like that and failing! I also have two stepped displays so I can add height to my stand, and I covered the shelves on these with the silk.

Sheltie
24-09-2009, 01:49 PM
For my displays I use hessian and sheepskins on a L-shaped table. The sheepskins are really useful for 'standing up' the jewellery such as bangles.
Admittedly I use my wife for setting up and displaying the pieces as she does professional dispalys for shops, I married her so may as well make use of her (only joking dear - honest)

I too also make and adjust pieces whilst people wait. Gains much more in the way of sales as people like to give a story about their jewellery. I also attend some archeology sites that I supply and give demonstrations. This also boosts their sales and in turn mine by repeat orders (the bonus is they pay me to demonstrate = easy money)

snow_imp
24-09-2009, 01:51 PM
I must admit that I prefer a straight stand rather than a walk in one for the browsing space, as others have said.

There was a stand I saw at a craft fair years ago that was like a "point" where there were two straights tables set at an angle to each other so they reached a point that projected slightly into the walkway. It only stuck out a few inches but it being there caught attention - not all of it good I must admit, but it gave a bit more space for a display area without being a walk in.

At the time it looked good as I was a customer and it gave plenty of browsing space - but I'm not sure how good it would be for the seller if they are on there own, it might be too big. The show I saw it at there were 2 people working it.

Atelier Ava
24-09-2009, 04:44 PM
The most important aspect of exhibiting is keeping it plain and simple so the jewellery stands out above everything else. You want people to come into your stand so you have a chance to talk to them, so one or two prominent display plinths at the front to either or both sides with your best pieces of work on it should work really well. Attract their attention and then invite them in to see more.
Use the walls for display cabinets, either free standing or hung on the walls.

Emerald
24-09-2009, 05:26 PM
Brilliant, reading all that has made me think, so i am going to frost my tired acrylic stand as it has got so scratched and i am off to the shops to buy some paper and more paint to redo my shelves and to wrap some small boxes thanks everyone sooooo helpful, although now i have lots of work to do aswell as make gift boxes oh and some jewellery#-o

Jayne
24-09-2009, 05:33 PM
aswell as make gift boxes oh and some jewellery#-o

do you make your own gift boxes?

J x

Emerald
24-09-2009, 05:38 PM
Boo has a tutorial on her website (that girl is so talented aswell as helpful)that you can buy if you click on here etsy site, i have bought one and although i havent made any yet i do intend to, bought the card so will do it over the weekend x

Jayne
24-09-2009, 05:40 PM
Thanks for the tip! :)
There seem to be alot of talented people on this forum!!

J x

EmmaRose
24-09-2009, 07:06 PM
Ohhh, Boo, do you have some pictures?? Can't envisage the Ikea things.
I used to use those Ikea cabinets, but got so fed up dragging them around. Now am using some lovely acrylic table top cabinets from Acrylic Lockable Display Cabinet on eBay (end time 16-Sep-09 09:23:11 BST) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320413147563)