Jump to content

Pottery Booth Help! What Do You Display Your Pottery On? Shelves Or Tables?


Recommended Posts

I am selling at my first big outdoor show and need you feedback! Do you guys display your stuff on some sort of shelving or do you bring tables? Do you have any good ideas for portable shelving? And do you haul these tables/shelves in your car or do you have some sort of trailer? I guess what I am asking how do you display your pottery and how do you transport everything there?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have you done smaller craft shows?

Is this a one time try out thing or will you want to do it on a steady basis?

 

How much $$$$ do you want to invest in equipment?

A lot of things you can chose to rent or buy so it is important for you to know whether or not you even like doing multi day or large craft shows before you sink a lot of money into it.

 

Also, is it indoor or outdoor?

 

Here is a link to an article I wrote on craft shows ... it might or might not be useful to you.

 

http://ccpottery.com/your-first-craft-show.html

 

Good luck to you!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For my first outdoor shows, I stuck with tables to begin with. I wasn't sure if I was going to like doing them, so I didn't want to invest in a huge setup all at once to find out that outdoor shows weren't for me. After I decided that this was for me, I started investing in a better setup, bits and pieces at a time. In my neck of the woods, outdoor shows are largely a one day affair, and usually happen for about 4 months out of the year because snow. So my display is pretty simple and easy to break down, and fits into the back of my minivan with the back bench folded down.

 

The best investment I made was in stackable Rubbermaid tubs. I brought my pots in cardboard apple boxes to my first outdoor show. We got hit by a massive rainstorm that had water running into my backstock area....Packing up at the end of the night was a special treat.

 

Chris's blog has some good information, and so does Mea's. Mark is kind enough to send his booth shelf plans to anyone who messages him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If this is your first big outdoor show, then I second what Diesel said about first figuring out if you like doing them, or not, before you invest too much.

 

Try to create different LEVELS in your display, which can be done with shelves, or by using pedestals and risers on tables.

 

Here's my blog post where I give out all of my advice about tents, cars, tables, etc. You'll see that my main priority is to make everything lightweight and easy to transport:

 

http://www.goodelephant.com/blog/the-art-festival-plan-part-3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BOTH! Shelves on top of tables. I like this setup because it's easier to level tables, I can store all of my under the tables after unpacking, and it gives me a lot of options on how to display my work. I can show large pieces, small pieces, stacks of bowls and plates, platters on stands, really tall jars, etc. And it all folds flat. I fit this entire display and canopy in my Nissan Pathfinder. It consists of two 4 foot tables and two 5 foot tables. For smaller shows I can just set up the 'L'.

 

post-6933-0-44216800-1487651161_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For my first outdoor shows, I stuck with tables to begin with. I wasn't sure if I was going to like doing them, so I didn't want to invest in a huge setup all at once to find out that outdoor shows weren't for me. After I decided that this was for me, I started investing in a better setup, bits and pieces at a time. In my neck of the woods, outdoor shows are largely a one day affair, and usually happen for about 4 months out of the year because snow. So my display is pretty simple and easy to break down, and fits into the back of my minivan with the back bench folded down.

 

The best investment I made was in stackable Rubbermaid tubs. I brought my pots in cardboard apple boxes to my first outdoor show. We got hit by a massive rainstorm that had water running into my backstock area....Packing up at the end of the night was a special treat.

 

Chris's blog has some good information, and so does Mea's. Mark is kind enough to send his booth shelf plans to anyone who messages him.

Mea, your blog was very helpful with all your pictures. Callie, who is Mark? And Neil I love your little shelves! Did you make those yourself?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Mea, your blog was very helpful with all your pictures. Callie, who is Mark? And Neil I love your little shelves! Did you make those yourself?

 

 

Thanks! yes, I made them myself. The verticals are hinged so they fold flat, and the horizontals just slide in. The top shelf is screwed into the horizontals via threaded inserts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark C is one of our resident smart@sses, and he and Mea are what the advanced class of selling at fairs for a living look like. Here's a link to a thread he started about his shelving.

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/2863-pottery-display-rack/

 

And now that I have seen them, I like Neil's shelves too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only thing I don't like about my shelves is that they can't handle being hit by my side walls on windy days. But I think that's true for most shelves. I have to make sure they're far enough in from the walls that they won't get hit, plus I put my canopy stabilizer bars across there to hold the sides out. I'm actually going to rebuild the shelves this spring with wider leg spacing at the base, and probably add some sort of cross bracing to the backside. My goal is have as steady a setup as possible without spending hours setting up and taking down. I can usually be on the road in under an hour at the end of a show, and about 90 minutes to completely set up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-2431-0-71159400-1487734450_thumb.jpgneil, may i suggest you just turn the vertical parts around?  there is a way to be sure the shelves do not slide off even if hit.  drop a toilet bolt into a hole to prevent the shelf from moving past the vertical support.  a small hole is hardly noticable and the bolt is long enough for easy inserting and removing.

 

the photo shows one shelf covered with red fabric for the holiday sale.  there is a toilet bolt dropped into a hole near the edge of the red fabric.  why a toilet bolt?  the shape of the head allows easy handling and the length is just right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachicon.gifREADY FOR HOLIDAY SALE 2016 007.JPGneil, may i suggest you just turn the vertical parts around?  there is a way to be sure the shelves do not slide off even if hit.  drop a toilet bolt into a hole to prevent the shelf from moving past the vertical support.  a small hole is hardly noticable and the bolt is long enough for easy inserting and removing.

 

the photo shows one shelf covered with red fabric for the holiday sale.  there is a toilet bolt dropped into a hole near the edge of the red fabric.  why a toilet bolt?  the shape of the head allows easy handling and the length is just right.

 

Turning them won't help- that would still have the same footprint. The issue is not that the shelves slide-they don't move at all, and can't slide out of the verticals. The problem is that the pots wobble when the shelf gets hit. My pots tend to have small feet. I'm going to make the bases deeper so there's a little more stability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a similar set up to Neil's except I added a footplate to the bottom that I drop bolts down through the plate and the table and then wing nut it tight on the underside of the table, makes the racks super stable in all conditions. For windy days I put a piece of tape on the underside of each pot and stick them to the shelf. If it's a piece in a plate rack I tape the the rack to the shelf then I add a small piece of tape to the back of the plate going over the wire of the plate rack. People can still pick up the pieces with a slight tug but the wind doesn't knock them off the shelf.

 

Tent walls banging into anything is an issue, maybe just roll up the sides on windy days? Yeah like you never thought of that.

 

Terry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest JBaymore

A lot of what you use depends on the nature of the work you are showing and how you want to "market position" it.  And the nature of the booth it is located within.  I've never used a "tent" on outdoor events..... fairs I did had big tents that I set up within.  No"flapping" tent walls.

 

I rarely do 'craft fairs' anymore (never say never).... but when I did............ units like this...... https://www.abstracta.com/retail-fixtures/ .

 

I still have all the units and use them from time to time. We ll worth the amortized investment. I've had those units for maybe 25 years or so.

 

Have always had a pickup truck (for 40+ years now..... not same one ;) ) to haul stuff.

 

best,

 

.................john

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.