Staging Pays for Itself!

Adding a bit of decor can "class up" furniture and get it to sell faster and often at a higher price.   Learning to "class up" furniture is a skill that can make a huge difference to your bottom line.

 If you sell decor and smalls in your booth along with furniture, make sure your smalls are nice and make your furniture (and your booth) look good.   Even if you only sell furniture, it is worth having a few beautiful accessories (even if they are NFS) - enough to stage the furniture, but not so much that you bury it.  A set of white dishes, a couple of nice lamps, some pretty wall decor...  It doesn't take much to make a real difference.

Here are three amazing examples from The BoneYard (one of the stores I promote).  These are all from the same vendor.  She sells buffet after buffet after buffet, at prices that earn her a decent profit.  These same buffets might have trouble selling for half the asking price in the booth of someone less talented.  This vendor knows how to show customers just how amazing a piece can be.  She convinces them of the value by staging them so well they would be right at home in the best of magazines.  I'm telling you, I don't even NEED a buffet and she she makes me want to buy every new one she brings in.   

PS - I have been using examples from stores I promote in some of my posts.  I really didn't intend to do that very often.  This page is NOT part of my promoting.  There's nothing in it for me when I mention the stores. Heck, there's nothing in it for me when I do any of this.  :-D   BUT, when there are perfect examples right here on my computer, how can I not use them?  These photos were already labeled because that's how I featured them on the store page.  I thought about removing the labels and prices for this post, but the fact is, that seemed like a lot of trouble.  I hope readers will take my examples in the spirit they are intended.  Also, I really need to talk to this vendor to be sure she doesn't mind my showing off her talent.

Hmmm... I think I just thought of a spot in my house where I could use a buffet.  :-D

Budget Friendly Decor - 

The vendor in the booth above has nice accessories, but not every accessory has to be pricey.  If you are just changing over to the "classy staging" idea, it may take you a little time to build up a great collection of accessories.  You don't have to spend a fortune right off the bat.   You can use inexpensive items, too, to make an impact.  Just be very thoughtful about staging. 

Not every vendor reading this page will be in a mall that can sell things at these prices, therefore, it will be harder to justify putting much money into accessories.  There are all sorts of budget friendly decorating ideas. Pinterest is a gold mine of ideas.  Some things you use can even come right out of your backyard.

Your accessories can be really nice without costing you a fortune if you shop wisely.  Yard sales in nice neighborhoods can be a gold mine for lamps and decor.  I can't tell you how many seriously nice lamps I've gotten in the past for $5 or $10.  Many of the lamps in my home came from yard sales.  Shades, too.  I always watched for nice shades.  Not every great lamp you find will have a good shade with it.  I found many absolutely perfect (sometimes still wrapped in plastic) shades at yard sales. I'm talking about the really nice well made, lined shades.  Some were stunning.  Don't be afraid to spend a bit more than you might normally when buying an awesome piece of decor.  It will sell eventually and you'll get your money back and until it does, it will help you sell your furniture.

Some decor is practically free.  Some things you use can even come right out of your backyard - pinecones, branches, plant cuttings...   Brandi, a Vintage Show Off reader, sent me a message a couple of days ago with some low budget decor ideas.  She attached photos, too, so I thought I'd share them with you.  I split her note into sections to insert her photos.  From Brandi -

I had been really discouraged with my booth because I don't have a high budget like I would like for decor, but I recently decided to use some low budget methods that have worked really well for me that I thought I would share with fellow booth owners. I used book pages as a table runner... 

& 3d flowers,...

also used a mason jar as a vase, & a coffee sack as a table runner.

... I just want to help everyone out who has a low budget like me.