Two Booths in One Mall

I've been thinking recently about vendors who have two booths in one mall.  This post is not to debate the pros and cons of doing that, but rather one idea for using those booths.  This idea came to me when thinking about how to help a particular vendor who has recently been troubled by slow sales.

First, for this idea to work, the two booths shouldn't look the same.  The vendor I am thinking of has a booth with all neutrals.  It's very pretty (she's incredibly talented) and she refreshes it often.  Since the look is always neutral, even after something new is brought in, it's not always apparent that things have changed.

Her price point is high for the area.  She brings things in and marks them at the most she thinks she could get.  There are times when the item sells quickly.  There are other times when things sit for months.  Most any vendor could say the same.

After an item sits for awhile, this vendor will do what most vendors do - she marks it down.  The problem is, many customers have already checked out the piece and decided it's more than they can afford.  They have no way of knowing it's been marked down.  If they return to the store, they might glance at the item as they  walk through the store, but they often don't take a new look at the price tag.  They remember it was high.  This vendor doesn't use big tacky sale signs on anything.  To do that in a high end booth is very risky.  Anyway, the item is likely to sit for a good while more, even after it's been marked down.

This vendor has a second booth.  It, too, is all neutrals.  It, too, is high end.  It's very similar in look and feel to her first booth.  That second booth is an opportunity to do something different!

If this were me, I would use the second booth as a spot to re-introduce pieces that haven't sold, in a way that makes them look different and new to the store.  The furniture would stay neutral (no need to paint it), but accessories would be colorful.  In other words, if a piece from the neutral pricey booth didn't sell, then it would be marked to a lower price, moved to booth 2 and redecorated with color so it looks like a brand new item.  I would NOT put a sale sign on it.  I'd make a whole new tag at a lower price as if it's something that has just been brought in.  Even customers who had seen the item would wonder, "Is that the piece I was looking at in the other booth last month?"  They'd take another look at the tag.

Another bonus - if a customer has a colorful style, they might not have been able to envision the piece in their home while it was in the neutral booth. This is another opportunity to attract different customers.

I have said many times to many vendors, "If something doesn't sell in a timely manner, then  make it seem completely different."  If you have two booths, it's a perfect opportunity to keep all of your items looking new and exciting, even when sales are slow.

Bringing color into the second booth doesn't have to be expensive or a major undertaking.  You don't have to use every color under the sun, unless you want to.  Here are some photos that might give you some ideas -


In this photo, items are neutral, but the colorful wall makes a statement.

Found on paulinaarcklin.nl

With Christmas around the corner, there are all sorts of opportunities to pull in colors.

Found on rebeccaersfeld.com

You could paint a few medium and small items a favorite color.

Found on vintageshowoff.blogspot.ca

Display crates could be painted an accent color.

Found on roundbarnpottingco.blogspot.com

Fabric and plants can always be used to add a touch of color.

Found on isabellang.blogspot.com

ONE MORE THING - If you don't have a second booth, but find this idea appealing, you might go in with one or two other vendors to share a second booth to use in a similar way.

Is it Better to Limit Colors in a Booth?

There has been quite a bit of discussion this week on booth colors.  I started it off by warning that the trend for the all neutral look may have peaked and it's definitely over-saturated.  In a sea of neutrals, anyone who uses color will stand out.  On the VSO Facebook page, I showed several booths using turquoise.  Some had red, white and turquoise and the one below was mainly turquoise and white.

I found this photo on Pinterest and it belongs to Mary at The White Barn.  Since I had been showing 3-color booths in the previous photos, I suggested that orange or red could be added to this booth to attract even more customers.  Mary wrote in and said she hates red and prefers the calm feeling of just turquoise and white.

Then, in another comment, Rhonda asked, "Can you have too many colors, even if you try to group and creatively arrange the items in a small booth? Or are the booths with more uniform colors, such as the one above more successful?"

First, for Rhonda, I really don't think it matters.  I have seen very successful neutral booths while other neutral booths bomb.  I can say the same for multi-color booths.  I wrote this post about how it's more important that your booth have great things that people want rather than a beautifully staged booth with few things people want to buy. I love love love a beautiful booth, but in the end, it's gotta have stuff people want to buy.

As for Mary's booth, it's beautiful just the way it is and as you can see by glancing in the booth, there are plenty of things people will want.  I see several items I'd want to go check out if I lived close by.

Restricting to two colors can be tricky.  The addition of a third color would likely increase sales.  I feel pretty sure that most every customer who sees this booth would love it, but many of those customers won't have turquoise in their decor.  They could still buy the neutrals in Mary's booth, so they'll still go in the booth.

Mary prefers calm colors.  So, no red.  No orange.  But, how about adding more green in various shades???  There's already bits of green.  Green is a popular decor color.  It looks great with turquoise - very ocean-y. The turquoise would provide the punch of color and turquoise seems to make everyone happy, even if they don't have it in their decor. The booth would have the soothing look that Mary wants.  BUT... it might increase her sales.  If a customer didn't have turquoise in their home, they might have green, which means they might see more that they would actually purchase.

Does Mary really need to do this?  Absolutely not!  If her sales are good and she's happy with her bottom line, then she doesn't need to change a thing.  But if her sales ever start to drop, she might try adding another color to the mix and see what happens.

A point that I wanted to make this week in talking about color was the wish for booths to not be so similar to others in the mall.  Several of my favorite booths are all neutrals.  Even though this trend has peaked, it's far from over and I hope these booths keep on going for a lot longer.  But, I see far more neutral booths that are just sad copies of the trend.  I'd love to see those dealers try something else.  Something more unique.  The trick for vendors is to put their own stamp on their booth.  I'm actually delighted that Mary wants to stand firm on her look.  She has a clear idea of what her booth is about and I'd be willing to bet it's quite popular.  If it weren't, I doubt she's be so set on it, right?

But if another booth in her mall decided to go with a turquoise and white booth, that would be a shame.  So, what's the difference when too many booths in a mall are all neutral?

For that matter, do booths really have to have a limited color palette?  Heck no!!!  You can get great stuff in as many colors as you like and create vignettes.  When you pull a vignette together, you can think about color.  You can have many different vignettes with different color palettes in your booth at one time.  There are many fabulous, very successful booths that do that.  They have every color in the crayon box, but they arrange it artfully.

The Bottom Line - 

There's no one road to success when it comes to booths. There are many different roads. You might as well look for the road that makes you happiest and gives you sales you are comfortable with.

Update: The following comment was left on Facebook by Mary at The White Barn.  It's her booth that's featured in the photo in this post.  The comment had so many good points that I thought it should be included in this post.

Since I tend to sell mostly vintage, I work with what I find. This will dictate the color scheme and sometimes my "look" isn't necessarily what I WANT because my finds aren't my favorites, and when they ARE my favorites and I get the "look" I want, customers carry them off immediately...sigh. The woes of good pieces-they don't last long. But I do confine my purchases to colors I don't mind in my booth, and if I HAVE to buy something red, it will go in the corner at the back, or in a buddy's booth.  My best booth looks usually last about one DAY. It is bittersweet-yay, the product sells, but bummer, I have to go rework the whole thing again. I do like to mix in some new market items to keep my booth fresh. One hundred percent vintage can be hard to display if you don't have some florals or textiles to break up the hard surfaces. Vignettes attract customers-I think they LIKE to see good ideas for decorating, but they must be changed often so your booth stays fresh and they keep coming back to see what you have done. Selling merchandise helps this a lot, but if sales are slow, go turn your booth upside down and change everything. Usually sales are much better when you move things around. Sometimes an item just doesn't SHOW UP until you move it. This happens at garage sales all the time. Move an item and it sells immediately. Thank you for the attention. I enjoy this topic-retail sales are fascinating. We humans are funny creatures!

I See The Same Booth Looks Everywhere

This is something that has been on my mind for awhile.  I have a feeling that things are starting to shift.  I have no idea what they are shifting to, but I think I know what they are shifting away from.

No matter what nice mall you walk into, you'll see several booths that look the same as several booths you recently saw at another nice mall.  The arrangement and merchandise is a bit different in each booth but the look is the same. I would love to insert a great photo of a pretty booth in neutrals, but since this article is about the market being over-saturated with them, I won't do that. 

We saw the all white look for a long, long time.  All white started to transition over to white mixed with lots of neutrals and burlap and iron.  That really caught on and for the past few years, those booths have ruled.  I think that look may have peaked. It's not over by any means.   It will likely still do well for a bit more time, but I'm not sure how long.

Even style names are changing. Fewer and fewer vendors are using the words "Shabby Chic" to describe their furniture on their tags.  I still see it some, but I wince because it's seems too passe.  The upscale neutral booth vendors never use those words anymore.  My, my.  I feel like such a snob.  :-D

Retro was hot for awhile and vintage kitchenware sold like hotcakes.  Not so much now. Those fabulous retro tables with enamel tops used to sell like hotcakes.  Now they sell a bit slower and for less money.

Industrial was hot for several years.  Now it sells a bit slower.

Chalk painted furniture is everywhere, but now, unpainted furniture sales are starting to rise - or at least a mix of painted and natural.  Tables that are painted on bottom and wood on top do just a little better than the solid color tables.

I have no idea what's the next big thing.  I'm not seeing any clear ideas from magazines, but one of these days, some new design star is going to show us something amazing and people will start jumping off the neutrals bandwagon and head onto another path.

So, my advice for vendors - think about diversifying.  If everything you have is chalk painted, add in some wood.  If everything you have is white and/or neutral, add in a little bit of color.  Watch magazines.  Watch Pinterest.  Watch what sells.  Get ready for styles to change.  You don't have to go overboard.  Just a little bit of a change can make a difference.

Luckily, in most markets, the local consumers are usually just a tad behind the styles.  Once a new trend gets started, it takes them a little while to decide they like it enough to start redecorating.  Many will hang onto the old looks for a while.

I am keeping my eye out for new ideas and new styles.  I'm keeping my eye out, too, for booth looks that don't feel like every other booth I see.  I'll post those photos over on the VSO Facebook page whenever I come across them.

The photos I posted this morning are a good start.  Here's one of them.  When I first spotted this, I got excited.  After seeing photo after photo of neutrals, this one was like a breath of fresh air.

Source - My Desert Cottge

I'm not suggesting that this red-white-and-turquoise look is the next new thing, but at least it doesn't look like every other booth.

If you have one of those fabulous neutral booths, I'm not at all suggesting you toss everything and start over.  But you could add a little bit of color here and there.  You could keep plenty of neutral things to catch the eye of neutral-seeking shoppers.  But now, you'd also catch the eye of people tiring of neutrals.  Plus, your booth would be more memorable.  Your booth wouldn't be confused with several others in the store.  I'm really craving something different.  Am I alone?

I admit that this post is heavy with personal opinions.  But, boy do I feel it - change is in the air.  I have seen changes in sales to back up my feelings and my personal opinions, so I don't think I'm alone.  

Also, let me clarify - there will ALWAYS be a place for neutrals.  No matter what style becomes popular, people are more apt to buy large pieces that work with many color schemes and styles.  Neutrals are safe.  Few of us can afford to buy something large in a crazy color we'll tire of in a couple of years. The smaller things around those large neutral pieces are the things we are a little more adventurous with and I, for one, am ready for an adventure. :-D

Selling in a Facebook Group

Leslie read my post  - Can A Yard Sale Be More Profitable Than a Show?     She wrote in a reply that was soooo good, I felt it deserved to be a post.  I agree wholeheartedly with everything she said -


Interesting idea. I do a sale twice a year that started out small (similar to what you are describing), but has turned into a large show with lots of followers and booths.

I also wanted to mention selling in Facebook Groups. I have found HUGE success with this. In our area we have large Facebook consignment groups. They are full of people who wouldn't dare stop at a garage sale and who would never think to step foot in an antique mall, but have desires to do all of those cool Pinterest projects. 

My goal is to sell "Junque with a Dream". For example... I have a vintage window that has had the glass broken out of it (or maybe I picked it up on the side of the road that way)- I would post a picture of the item and say something like "Vintage window frame. This would be adorable as a message board with chicken wire and clothes pins- $18". No joke, people will beat my door down... And you better believe that when they show up to pick it up there is a piece of chicken wire sitting not far away that they will usually ask about... "oh that old thing, you can have it for $5". I didn't have to deal with doing the project or taking it to my booth and I made the sale quick and easy. I can't tell you how many BROKEN things I have sold... Not saying that it is BROKEN, but saying something like "Not in working order". I sold a vintage pedal car that didn't work, with the dream of turning it into a planter box.

I still have my booth and love it, but I have found that during the summer months I make WAY more selling on Facebook than I do in my booth.

I love it!   I belong to a similar group.  I also belong to a group for dealers to sell back and forth to each other.  Both groups are great.  I highly recommend looking for similar groups in your area.

PS - Leslie, THANKS SO MUCH for taking the time to offer this great advice.  This is just the kind of thing I hoped would happen with this site.  I am one person with one set of experiences.  As more dealers chip in, this site will really become such a great resource for us all!

Make Them Love It!

When you have a piece of furniture to sell, take the time to create a vision.  Be creative.  Show the possibilities.  The main point of a good vignette is to make the customer love (and consider buying) the feature item.

The vanity below is obviously from Miss Mustard Seed, who is a genius when it comes to display.  She made me love this piece, which I might not have without her vision.  I might have appreciated it.  I might have thought it would look good in someone else's house.  She took me beyond my imagination.

Source

A vanity can be difficult to sell because a vanity is, by nature, not very versatile.  MMS didn't display this as a vanity.  She created a display that makes it clear it can be used in a number of rooms.  Her display leans more towards using it as a desk.  Still, a customer wouldn't rule it out as a vanity.

The lines of the vanity are feminine, but the paint and accessories don't read feminine.  Yet it's not too overpoweringly masculine either.

The style is an early 1900's look, but the way it is displayed, even someone with an industrial style would consider it.

Black can be a harsh color when painting.  But of course, MMS knows a thing or two about paint, so she did this one well.  She distressed, so it's not a dull looking solid black.  She also left the top wood.  The knobs are lighter and fun.

Finally, the accessories she used are fabulous!  The fan, typewriter and binoculars really create a great look. When MMS is showcasing furniture, she puts just enough on it to create a vision.  She doesn't over-do or hide the piece.

This piece is being shown from her home, but if you ever looked at the MMS booth at Lucketts, you'd know that this is probably very similar to how she would have shown this piece there.  She no longer has a booth there - her paint venture is taking up most of her time these days.

By the way, if you have an online following, it never hurts to show your pieces there for a week or two before you put  them in your booth, especially if you have plenty of furniture to sell. Don't feautre it looking all tacky in your garage with tools and junk all around.  Take a little time to create a display.  Let Miss Mustard Seed (and many others) be your inspiration.   You might make a sale from home and avoid commission - or -  you might generate interest so customers will want to go to the store to see it once it's in your booth.

Word of warning - do not try to sell items outside of the store when they are in your booth.  Parking lot deals are a big no-no.  In fact, doing that can get you tossed out of the store.

Help - I Can't Sell This Vanity!

There are always an abundance of vintage vanities for sale at antique malls.  They look very pretty in a booth, but usually take a while to sell - longer than most other bedroom furniture.  Recently, two different vendors at the store I promote had to mark theirs down and down, until finally they were just $85 a piece. One of them still hasn't sold.   Why?

Here's my answer.  Vanities aren't sought after for every bedroom.  You seldom see one in a boy's room. They are nice in a girl's bedroom if the room is large enough.  Not every master bedroom needs one.  A vanity would be right at home in a master decorated in a shabby chic style.  It would be a harder fit for most other styles.  In a family home, many wives tread a fine line trying to keep the master balanced in terms of masculine and feminine.  A vanity is quite feminine.  In other words, the market for a vanity is fairly narrow.

First, you have to find someone who could use a vanity - a small percentage of shoppers.  On top of that, you'll need to have the size and shape and style and color they want at a price they're comfortable with.  If the vanity sells quickly, consider yourself very lucky.

What to do if you have a vanity that just won't sell?  I probably wouldn't mark it down to nothing unless I just wanted it gone and didn't mind taking a loss.

You have other options!!

If you don't want to wait out that eventual sale, you could break it up and show it as something other than a vanity.  It pains me to encourage someone to break apart a vintage piece.  I sure hope you don't have to break up a really pretty one that's in great shape.  But sometimes, you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

The least drastic option is to simply remove the mirror and market it more like a desk.  They often sell faster like this.  Mostly because now it's appealing to a larger market.  It could still be used as a vanity - just hang a separate mirror on the wall.  But now, it's also a desk and might be used in a number of rooms.  You just expanded your market!

All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post!

A low vanity could easily be turned into a storage bench.

All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post!

The mirror could be turned into a chalkboard and/or coat rack and sold separately - earning you even more profit on that vanity.  The base could be reworked to be used as an entertainment shelf or sink or....

All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post!

And of course, if you are willing to deconstruct the vanity (fairly easy), the sides could be sold as end tables, which tend to sell rather quickly.

All photo sources are listed at the bottom of post!

If you enjoyed this post, I sure hope you'll pin, leave comments, subscribe to the blog, like on Facebook, tell your vendor friends, etc!   Posts like these take ages to create and it sure would be nice to have a larger audience.  Even though this blog is fairly new, I sure hope it takes off soon!

PHOTO SOURCES

Desks:
White Desk - A Swell Place to Dwell 
Aqua Desk - Dead Link from Pinterest

Benches:
Top - The Centric Home
Bottom - B and Me

Other Options:
Sink - Dead Link from Pinterest
Back with Fan - Remodeloholic
Chalkboard Mirror - Refresh Restyle
Multicolor Shelf - The Smith Garage
Silver Rolling Shelf - Reuse Repurpose Recycle

Side tables:
Black Set - Apartment Therapy
White Set - Brambleberry Cottage
Quirky Red - Gadget Sponge on Etsy
Cream and Tan Set - Dead Link from Pinterest
Decoupaged - Three O'Clock on Tuesdays