Building a Booth

Each spring the Farmers' Markets and Craft Markets around the area get going.  I have been in the habit of spending the first month or so at a Farmers' Market, then moving to the Pictou County Weekend Market in Pictou.  This one is NOT a Farmer's Market - it is a Crafter's Market.  There are a lot of different things, and each year the mix is a little different than it was the year before.  It is a lot of work to organize, and it takes two full weeks to set up all the booths in the Pictou Curling Club - the Market's home.

Each year I try to make my booth more attractive and user friendly.  Last year I added a partition of grid wall panels, and liked it so much that I finished out the walls this year.  It is really quite versatile stuff!  I like how things look, and I believe it is a much more inviting place for my customers both regulars and the tourists passing through the area.


So without further ado, here are pictures of my booth this year, from start to "finish" (as if it can ever really be finished!)

Day one - Bare Walls 8' deep by 14' wide.












First stretch of grid wall - the back.  And of course there is a front and back to it, and I had to change several of them, but not until I was almost done did I notice it.....

More gridwall up - it's starting to look like something, but I don't know what yet...LOL

And here we are at the end of the first day.  The Grid Wall is up.  The panels are 2' wide and either 6' or 7' high (I have some of each.)









Day Two - installing the background fabric.  It's  black broadcloth (polyester cotton - washes like old rags) suspended on curtain rods behind the grid.









The other side.  As you can see, even though the 7' gridwall is there, I'm only draping to 6' or so to keep it uniform.

I've added some shelving - the ladder stands I've been using for a number of years will hold votive candles and soy and paraffin container candles.  The corner shelf will be for things I want to feature or draw attention to.  The shelving got a fresh coat of black paint this year so everything will be coordinated.

This is my corner.  It has my cash register (on an old school desk) and my chair (from the camp!) and where I'll keep supplies away from the view of customers.  I have a 5 drawer plastic storage unit in the back corner.






The Day before Opening!  My Banner is up, the table for my water dispenser is in place, and the shelving is on the wall.

You can see the shelves on the back wall, and the votives in their stand.










The tealights (on the right) and the wax melts (on the left) are in, the testers and lip balms are on the shelves.








The container candles, the signs and the soap labels are up.  The soap is grouped by type into black wire baskets (letter sorters in fact), won't come in until the morning.  But the hardest part is done.








It's Opening Day!  The soap is in place as are the lotions, creams, scrubs and balms.  Of course there were last minute panic moments when I was trying to remember if I had everything with me!
This is one side.







And this is the other.










A little better look at the back wall.










And here is a closer look at the bath and body and soap display.  I like that the black background makes the white packaging pop.

And a closer look at the soap display.  I think it works quite well to have the names of the soap on cards behind them.




So that was opening day.  There were some problems, but we got them worked out - see next.

 One of the problems was that people were staying off the blue step (as this is a curling club, the walkway goes around the entire ice surface.  My booth has 4' of walkway and 4' of ice base surface because it's on an outside wall) and were leaning from there to get closer to the products.  Not good.  I could see someone overbalancing and falling into the soap and that is not a happy thought.  So I went in and brought the back wall forward a couple of feet.  No more problem!


 Bath & body section.










Candle Corner - rearranged a bit.

A bit better view of the entire booth.  Including some plants Steve let me borrow to add some colour to my space.







And now for a few final pictures... just because.

Baskets galore











The whole thing!  The last drapes are up behind the tealights and the tarts.









A few small lights to brighten things up - there are no windows in the building.  And plants for interest.










Soap ends.











Soap savers, foot soaks and bath bombs - new this year.












And me.