How do you setup an outdoor booth for jewelry?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Diane Wright on February 21, 2010 at 4:50pm

Hi Lydia,
The wind can ruin your set up. I also create jewelry and when I am at an outdoor event with the wind blowing, I take all of my pieces off the neck displays and put it flat on my tables. It isn't the best display solution but I lost several dispaly pieces and at least one piece because of breakage - wind damage. When the wind stops, I put the displays back up. I would be interested in other people's solutions

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michelle Sholund on February 21, 2010 at 9:42pm

There are heavier displays for jewelry it more or less depends on how much room you have when it comes to transporting your work/display. Check out places like www.warnerusa.com for some ideas for stable display furniture. I have seen some use a type of grid wall to hang earrings and others using glass display cases - you hardly have to pack and un-pack each piece. These are just some things I have observed... - Michelle

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Suzette Mason on February 22, 2010 at 5:56pm

I am the queen of duct tape! I duct tape down every single display when it's windy and then cover the tape with swirls of fabric. No one knows! Yes it takes more time but it gives me peace of mind. :)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Barry Bernstein on February 22, 2010 at 7:03pm

I am now the self appointed security maven. I think blowing in the wind is much less a problem than theft. Here are a couple of tips. 1)Keep it all in your cases. When someone wants to try something on take it out and be aware of how many pieces are out. Keep them together on a pad. If you can, bring a helper. With jewelry, more than any other medium, there will be multiple customers in your booth. Another set of eyes really helps. Both of you should be aware of what is out being tried on. 2) Make sure your cases are together in a continuous row with no gaps, so that no one can get behind the cases. I was at a show last September and the jeweler across from me had her booth split in two sections. Anyone could walk right between the two displays and take whatever they want. I meant to warn her about her setup when I noticed it. I was, also, trying to watch from a distance. I got busy with my own customers and sure enough, someone walked right through the middle of her display and took her bag of checks, cash, and receipts. It only took 5 seconds and they were gone within 2 minutes. 3) You must invest in a wireless card reader and swipe cards right at the booth. If you catch one bad card or prevent one fraudulent sale, it will pay for the machine. 4) It seems that having heavier displays that don't blow over in the wind is important. Get something that will not blow over in 40 mile an hour winds. The extra expense will be worth the reduction in stress and you will live longer.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Suzette Mason on February 23, 2010 at 7:33am

Hi Barry! All excellent advice and I am dying to know what you have found display wise that works in 40 mph winds. Wind is definitely the enemy!

Barry Bernstein said:

I am now the self appointed security maven. I think blowing in the wind is much less a problem than theft. Here are a couple of tips. 1)Keep it all in your cases. When someone wants to try something on take it out and be aware of how many pieces are out. Keep them together on a pad. If you can, bring a helper. With jewelry, more than any other medium, there will be multiple customers in your booth. Another set of eyes really helps. Both of you should be aware of what is out being tried on. 2) Make sure your cases are together in a continuous row with no gaps, so that no one can get behind the cases. I was at a show last September and the jeweler across from me had her booth split in two sections. Anyone could walk right between the two displays and take whatever they want. I meant to warn her about her setup when I noticed it. I was, also, trying to watch from a distance. I got busy with my own customers and sure enough, someone walked right through the middle of her display and took her bag of checks, cash, and receipts. It only took 5 seconds and they were gone within 2 minutes. 3) You must invest in a wireless card reader and swipe cards right at the booth. If you catch one bad card or prevent one fraudulent sale, it will pay for the machine. 4) It seems that having heavier displays that don't blow over in the wind is important. Get something that will not blow over in 40 mile an hour winds. The extra expense will be worth the reduction in stress and you will live longer.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Karin Neuvirth on February 23, 2010 at 2:06pm

I sold jewelry for several years at outdoor shows and wind can be a problem. I found that velcro worked really well for my earrings. I just attach one of the round self-stick velcro pieces to the back of each of my earring cards and to display them I framed black card-board with the opposite side of the round velcro pieces attached to the card board and hung the frames on my side walls. If you get frames that fit into rubber made tubs, you can just leave the earrings on the frames when you pack up. For my necklaces I used busts that were wide and low to the ground - and duct taped the bottom of the bust to my shelf or table - and then vecroed the necklace onto the back of the bust. Out of all of the display options that I tried - hanging my earrings on the sidewalls helped the most against the wind - and it really opened up space in the booth for more people to be inside looking at the jewelry. You can hang mirrors on the side walls too - I use the flourish mesh panels for my side walls.

• ▶ Reply