Evolution of a Craft Show Booth:Tables

Step 1: Tables
After renting a table at my first craft show for $25.00 I saw that it wasn’t going to be very lucrative to continue renting at this cost. I found I could purchase a table for $30 on sale. Do the math. If I rent two tables per show and I do three shows, the rental fee could have already bought three tables. So buy rather than rent. Look for sales. I started with a six foot table from target and added on three four foot tables as the year went by. I used bed risers (I tried raising them with pvc but didn’t like the lack of stability) to raise the table height. Since then, I sold those tables and bought four-four foot tables from Sam’s club ($35.00ea). They fold in half and are height adjustable. These work well with most craft show configurations, are compact and now I don’t have to carry 16 bed risers around. Live and learn.

Evolution of a Craft Show Booth

Then (2006)

Now (2011)
My craft show booth has evolved over the years. I began with a small budget so I improvised and gradually improved over the years. (Notice: I said “years”) My advice: adjust what you read in this article to your tastes and wallet, keep the color pallet simple, black and white never go out of style and don’t distract from your jewelry, don’t try to do everything at once, buy what you can afford and make adjustments and improvements as you go along. Improvise. Don’t have the money for shelves, buy a $1 photo box and drape it with material. Use your creativity and use found objects to achieve the look you want. Keep it simple. Your display should be the backdrop for your jewelry.
I’ve seen a lot of questions regarding craft show booths and how to get started. This will be installment one on the evolution of my booth through the years. Hopefully it will answer some of the questions beginners have when getting into the craft show business.

Each week I will take one aspect of my booth and break it down into easy steps for a limited budget and how to gradually evolve. (tables, skirting, backdrop, displays, adding height, lighting, signage) Please feel free to add comments or ask questions!

Next week: TABLES