Tuesday, January 28, 2014

The One Wall Booth

What do you do when you have a one wall booth?  You stack the deck!  In other words, create a stacked vignette!



Chris posted a photo of her booth on the Vintage Show Off Facebook page.  It's a 6x6 ft wall space.  She would love suggestions and ideas and included this photo of her booth -

Be sure to check out this post to see how Chris very quickly reworked her booth!

Vertical Space
The first thing that struck me is that Chris has more space than she realizes.  Her space would seem larger if she added height.  The gathered ribbon across the top is like a line saying don't go above this spot.  I would remove the ribbon and begin using more height.

When placing things up high, there are a number of considerations.  Safety is foremost. Think about how easy the item would be to get down and make sure it's not something that is likely to knock out a customer! Customers need to be able to get a pretty good look at any objects put up high without taking them down. The price on things out of easy reach needs to be large and easy to see.


Make-Do Piece
Chris has a wire shelf, which is functional, but not necessarily stylish.  I think of shelves like this as make-do pieces.  When a main display piece sells, if you don't have another waiting to be brought in, you need something to make-do with til you find a replacement.  With the wire shelf look, Chris can still make sales, but with a bit of tweaking and creativity, a very stylish look could be created. People are willing to pay slightly higher prices in a pretty booth.  A prettier look would also cause customers to linger around the display a bit longer, increasing the chance for a sale.

Folding Bakers Racks make wonderful make-do pieces!

When you have a utilitarian make-do shelf,
you can soften the look with fabric.


Everything in most small booths should be for sale - even the anchor piece.  The table or anchor piece could be marked just a tad higher, unless you have back-ups.  Always try to have a backup anchor piece or a make-do piece, otherwise your whole look could end up a messy pile of stuff on the floor.  Think what this booth would look like if the black table sold and there was nothing to put in it's place -

This table doesn't have chairs or shelves stacked on top of the table, which would allow for better viewing of all the smalls, but it's still a pretty vignette.  I found this photo on Pinterest, but the link is an error.  If anyone knows the source, please let me know!  

Anchor Piece
Having a booth that is mostly a wall is pretty much like creating a booth vignette in a rectangular or square booth.  To create a vignette, you start by finding an anchor piece.  In a one-wall booth, the anchor piece isn't necessarily a fabulous, catch-your-eye thing.  It's the largest piece around which everything else will be arranged.

For the anchor piece of this booth, Chris might look for a table or desk or console about 4 ft long - sort of sofa table sized.  She could display things on top of the table and under it.  The piece should be as deep as space permits.  

A table like this would make a great anchor piece for a space where you can't come out very far from the wall.
Photo Taken at Queen of Hearts in Marietta, GA

A hutch or cabinet could also be used as the anchor piece. Bottom doors can be left open or removed and set to the side for more display space.

Photo Taken at Queen of Hearts in Marietta, GA

Photo taken at Rockin' B Antiques in Newnan, GA


Stacking
When possible, mid-sized items could be placed on top of the table - wood shelves, crates, cabinets, hutch tops, chairs - things that would be for sale AND used to create more display space.  Since the table wouldn't take up all the space,there would be room to put something else for sale on the side, adding to your look.  I have lots of examples of stacked vignettes - 

Source: somewhere on the Chippy Shabby blog.

Source: somewhere on the Sugar Pie Farmhouse blog.

Source

Source - somewhere  on the Summer Cottage Antiques site.

Source: somewhere on the Restoration House Interiors site


Color
In Chris's current look, she has some blue.  I would work in a bit more blue and make a statement.  She could bring in more color cheaply by stuffing blue tissue paper (or fabric)  in clear jars or in baskets or crates used to hold things you are selling.

Photo taken at Rockin' B Antiques in Newnan, GA


When you come home with treasures for your booth, sort smalls into color groups.  Store them at home in boxes by colors and/or seasons so they are easy to pull.    You'd switch the look for your booth (or vignette) every month or two.  You don't have to stick to just one color in your groupings.  Chris might choose another color to mix in with her blues.   See this post for more on color grouping.


In a one wall booth, the only wall you have is your money wall!  It can be great! You might even out-sell many typical full size booths.


This is a small one wall booth at Queen of Hearts in Marietta, GA.
This vendor has lots to sell in that tiny space!

I looked back through some of my previous VSO posts and found more vignette photos that would be great ideas for a booth like this, especially on The Money Wall  post.


Update: Feb 18 - Megan now has an anchor piece.  WOW!   Take a look at her booth now -