Ideas for Market Stall Display

Hi Anne-Marie of Handmade by Amo'r here with a few ideas for market stall display. There's an air of excitement in the run up to Toejam Etsy Market next Saturday, 27th October. Over 20 members of the Crafty Ireland Team are taking part, either in person, or, like myself, through the kindness of others who have agreed to take their items for them.  For some, it will be their first craft market. I hope these ideas are of use:

 TABLE COVERS:

table detail by Ruth of Nice Day Designs

The first and most basic thing is to get a decent cover for your table. Ruth of Nice Day Designs uses a colourful cloth that is suited to the cheerful feel of her products. I use plain white to contrast with my black packaging and display stands. Some sellers prefer an oil cloth or pvc cloth as they are washable and water proof. Others use a sheet or large swathe of material. Whatever you've got, make sure it fits the table and allows you to hide your bags if required.

led light candle

LIGHTING:

You may need to supplement the lighting provided. There might not be a power source to plug in your own lamp so do ask in advance and consider battery lamps or LED lighting. I've successfully used LED candles to brighten darker corners and make the display more inviting. Tanya of Soapiculture says 'I display my bath fizzies, truffles, bombs etc on a cupcake holder - a wire stand. Then I put little battery lit LED lights all around the stand and customers seem rather drawn to it - as it looks pretty.'

LED lights come in various formats and are fairly easy to find online. Veronique of Handmade by Veronique has also sourced some in Ikea.

 Mo of Huggle Knits found some cute, affordable and easy to use lighting from Penneys.

The pre-lit branches couldn't be more seasonal and will brighten up your stall.

I found this petite battery-run bicycle lamp useful for directing a small beam onto something I want to highlight. At under 2 inches long, it is discreet but powerful. I hide it behind a necklace stand  that is on a higher level and direct it at something lower down.

 3D SPACE: 

Your stall is not just a flat table. You are renting the whole 3D space and there are many ways to use it. Heli of Heli Creations and Heli MG makes the best of a tiny table with a custom-made stand that adds height to her stall. An even simpler idea is to create different levels or steps by placing boxes or books under the cloth.

Helen of Strombolitwo explains how she uses two uprights made by her partner '..they get clamped to the table. at the top they have a hole that allows a decent size piece of dowel through, which means that as long as the dowel is a reasonable length it can accommodate any width of the table. The dowel then is used to hang and tie things to and the overhang functions as a rail for about 6- 8 inches each end.'

You are not necessarily limited to the table provided. I am in awe of this handmade wooden table made and used by Stuart of The Wood n Stuff. We don't all have the skill to do this, but it got me thinking you could use, for example, a (clean) bathroom trolley or unused vegetable rack in front or to the side of your table. Ideal for scarves, baby blankets etc!

YOUR IDENTITY:

You don't have to have a banner or sign but it can help draw attention.

 

I love the fact that Brigitte of Purls of Colour made a banner that reflects the style of her unique, hand knit designs.

 Whatever you do, do not forget to bring loads of business cards! If you have branded packaging, include some of it in the display if it looks right.

DISPLAY AIDS & STANDS:

 You can buy cheaply or up-cycle or disguise all sorts of things as props to display your creations.

Last year, Judith of A Box for My Treasure posted this useful tutorial on How to make Jewellery Stands.

Alas, I was in too much of a last-minute-hurry to take up this great advice and convert and old, concetina photo frame into an earrings stand. 

Instead, I turned it around to the back and slapped on my branded labels to display some seaglass pendants. The black back also happened to match my fore-mentioned black packaging so it worked out just fine.

Irish ornaments by Handmade by Amo'r

I picked up a couple of super-cheap chrome mug trees in a discount store for €2 each. They are perfect for showing off jewellery but also ornaments, charms, indeed, anything small that can be hung up.

 Have a rummage around in discount stores, around the house and in granny's attic. Your display is only limited by your imagination.

I started this piece with market-pro Ruth of Nice Day Designs and I'm going to end with her too as she previously wrote two posts that I found invaluable when preparing for markets:
Market Stalls part 1
Market Stalls part 2

Best of luck to all taking part in Toejam & Esty and other markets around the country this season!