Vintage Fall Display Inspiration

from 2012 to 2017, i worked with and for Rita Reade,

the proprietor of the creative vintage business Mammabellarte 

and co-founder, along with her sister-in-love, artist Christie Repasy, 
of The Vintage Marketplace vintage show in Southern California.

Rita hired me as her visual designer and stylist

to style all of her beautiful creations into an inspiring booth setting for each show,
as well as doing the same for the entrance to the show as a photo backdrop.

you'll find that many of the techniques & tips used here
are just in time for vendors doing fall shows,
as well as fall store window displays!

continue reading for all of the usable details...

A Blooming Spring Display

One of my former clients was a local vintage / antique show.
Every three months - once per season - this event took over a local park,

filling up with 60+ vendors of vintage and vintage-inspired goods in beautiful booths, 

and drawing crowds of thousands of people over two days.

And lucky me, not only did I get to SHOP the show each season, 

but I was let loose to create a fun, fanciful, and enticing entry display!

The goal was to create an area that welcomes guests / shoppers, 

reflects the seasonal theme of the show,

and provides an opportunity for guests to snap photos of themselves & friends

as souvenirs of their happy day.
They also happen to share those photos on social media, which helps to promote the event!

In January, the spring show planning began. In February, the show producer and I 

spent a day creating huge flowers from paper for the display at the entrance to the show.

continue reading to see more...

@ Liberty: Patriotic Vintage Display

Imagine, if you will, Lady Liberty... 
stepping down from her pedestal on Ellis Island to enjoy a summer yachting excursion.

That, in a nutshell, is the premise behind the summer theme
in my friend Liz's booth in an antique mall in San Diego!

Liz hired me to assist her in gaining some serious WOW factor in her booth,
which is in the WINDOW of the gorgeous shop.
She brought the goods, and I helped her with a design plan and styling services.

... and I think I can safely say that her booth is definitely a WOW!

See the fireworks after the jump.....

Vintage Vendor Space Makeover

BEFORE

Let's talk about vendor booths in stores. 

Vintage, antique, handmade - doesn't matter what they sell,

they have to deal with limitations of space and lighting in every situation.

I recently had the opportunity to make over a vendor booth, 

so I thought I'd share the process...

The photo above shows you an 8' X 10' room inside a multi-vendor store.
That vendor moved to a larger room, and a new vendor took over the space...

(I'm showing you this shot so you can see the huge difference as the space progresses)

Once Vendor 1 moved out, the room looked like the top row of images in the photo below: 

empty. and filled with blue light, most of it from the overhead florescent fixture. 

The challenges here: 

counteract the blue light. warm it up.
make the space seem larger. infuse some personality into the room to help tell a story. 

oh - and it all has to be removable, non-permanent, and CHEAP. 

sure, I can do that ;) 

 In the center of that photo, you'll see the 'DURING' segment.

,

In this phase, I brought in wall and window treatments that accomplished the main goals:
Warm up the space - the aged, yellow-gold tones of the vintage book pages & sheet music

help to counteract the blue-white walls and blue light present in the room.
To overcome that florescent fixture, I covered it with yellowed piano player music rolls.

The light is now MUCH warmer, without making a change to the bulbs.

Below, you can see details of the wall treatments that I created...

On the left below, which is actually the wall on the right as you enter the room,

I created panels of pages by gluing them onto simple posterboard sheets.
This made installation quick, easy, and possible for one person to handle alone (that would be ME)

and it also makes this effect easy to remove when the time comes.

I was able to create the panels in my studio beforehand, saving me time and money

over having to apply pages and pages directly to the wall.

On the right below, which is the wall on the left as you enter the room!, 

is a collage 'art piece' made up of a few more posterboard panels, an old projection screen,

player piano music rolls, and miscellaneous items like boxes, hooks, and books.

 The photo above shows a larger view of the left wall 'art collage',

which was created to utilize vertical wall space for the display of jewelry and wall art.

The hooks, boxes, and even folded pages of books will hold merchandise

well within reach of customers. Plus it's really unique and eye-catching!

The window, shown in the photo below, was partially covered with a 'valance' 

made out of piano player music rolls hung from a simple curtain rod.

The panels help to diffuse the blue light coming in (and keep you from seeing the metal security bars outside).

You can also see that I treated the funky shutters on the wall as a 'window',

adding a canvas' awning' above it from two curtain rods and a set of brackets.
(Eventually, when we find a mirror that fits the hole in the wall behind those shutters,

we'll install it and open up the shutters to enhance the 'window' effect - 

and the mirror will bounce more light around the room.)

Once the 'backdrop' was in place, I brought in some basic table fixtures to hold merchandise - 

a long, narrow table on the longest wall and a round tall table to the left inside the door.

The rocking chair, wood ladder holding the sign, and mannequin (under the coat) are funky props

that add interest and will hold a plethora of products.

This approach utilized the narrow space efficiently, and make it seem larger.

Then the merchandise was loaded in,

filling the tables, art collage wall, mannequin, window, and rocking chair with treasures

both vintage and handmade. That brings us to the 'AFTER' part of the photo.
(NOTE: this is not the same vendor that occupied this room in the top 'before' photo)

Now I'd like you to scroll back up to the first photo I shared.... it's ok, I'll wait!
Look at that room, and then scroll back down here and look at THIS room.
Both photos of the room were taken from exactly the same vantage point.

They don't even look like the same room, do they? 

The lower one seems to be wider, not quite so tall and skinny, and clearly warmer.
You can't see everything offered in one glance... things are hidden.

The room welcomes you in. It invites you to browse and discover what's offered,

 and take a bit of this mood home with you.

THAT, my friends, is why visual details count. 
It's all an illusion. And it can work in your favor.

Need help with YOUR space? Shoot me an email!

Farm Chicks, a Dollhouse, and Branding

In another chapter of my life story, I was a vendor at vintage shows.

The largest and most well-known show that I participated in was the Farm Chicks, 

a show with hundreds of vendors held every June in Spokane, Washington...

and a fanatical customer base of thousands of people who'd come across country to shop the show!

I was a Farm Chicks show vendor from 2007 to 2011

and I filmed my six-episode video series there in 2007. 

But I've never been to the show as a SHOPPER... until this year!
It was amazing... it's always amazing! 
There are many reasons why it's called 'The Happiest Show on Earth'!

I loved seeing my friends who are still vendors/curators.

I found a few special things to bring home, and snapped a LOT of photos.

But before I share the beauty of it all,
I wanna' share the BIZNEZ of it all.

Because founder and proprietor Serena Thompson is a branding WHIZ

and I know you can learn a lot from her... 

Every year, Serena selects a theme for the show. This year, it was 'Home Sweet Home'.
The centerpiece of her theme was the imagery of a dollhouse... 

and you can read what it was that inspired her here on the Farm Chicks blog
Serena also selects a color palette - and it's repeated in all of the elements she uses.

For example - the logo and all marketing collateral:

From the postcards to the vendor & guest badges to the show map
and even a photo frame for guests to use on social media, it ALL coordinates.

At every show, the main entrance features a HUGE display that reflects the theme...
I'm gonna' be honest here and say that I expected some big boxes,
assembled and decorated to bring that dollhouse artwork to life.
But nooooooooo, Serena surprised me with her eyepopping creation of BAKERY BOXES!
Read this post on her Farm Chicks blog to find out what inspired her

On the bottom right, you can see the Farm Chicks booth in the entry atrium.
The backdrop of that booth echoes the 'cross stitch sampler' lettering,

and the tables are draped in pastel quilts as they await final merchandise placement.
All of this reflects the qualities of a 'Home Sweet Home' and a dollhouse.

Vendors like the girls at Marigold Vintage and Unexpected Necessities
get into the spirit of the theme, too,
 by incorporating it into their wardrobes, booth displays and products:

The logo merchandise is thoughtfully coordinated with the color scheme, 

and displayed on the quilt-topped tables in groupings prettied up with simple props:
a few pieces of pastel-painted furniture, bright pastel tissue paper, and more

bring the small-scale coffee mug, flat fabric tees and canvas tote bags to life.

The attention to detail here brings the logo to life in living color,

and tells exactly the story that Serena wanted to.

She does this EVERY show! (see more Farm Chicks Show photos here).

There's a huge staff of Farm Chicks and Farm Hunks that help out at the show, too...
hauling purchases out to customer's cars and straightening displays... all.day.long.
(and how hunky do those guys have to be to be okay with wearing PINK tees, huh?!)

I've always been impressed with the way Serena brands her show...

I even filmed one segment of my video series in the Farm Chicks booth in 2007,

and discussed branding with her and Teri Edwards, her biz partner at the time:

Like Serena says in the video, she views the show as one big product
that needs packaging to sell it... branding is IMPORTANT!
Whatever you do, Tell Your Own Story* - 
and tell it with everything visual that you use!
*I've been using this tagline since 2002. And I really mean it!

In my next post, 

I'll share photos of some of the details of successfully merchandised booths that I saw at the show,
and you can see how truly PRO vendors / curators do it!
Until then... 

Calling All Vintage Chicks!

Have you ever been to The Farm Chicks show?
Do you WANT to go?!
Click over to The Farm Chicks facebook page and enter to WIN two tickets 

to the show this June 3 & 4!

The show takes place at the Spokane Fairgrounds in Washington state, 

and it's truly jaw-dropping... 

From 2007 to 2011, I was a vendor at this vintage, antique & handmade show.

Farm Chicks is one of the BEST shows of this type in the country, 

featuring hundreds of talented artists, makers, dealers, and 'junkers' 

all gathered in one place, indoors, once a year - with booths like these: 

(the last 3 photos are of my own RETREAT booths at the show)

My very first year as a vendor, I was pretty ambitious - 

because before the show opened on the first day, I ran around for two hours shooting 

six episodes of a video series for the now-defunct Gift & Home Channel!

In my videos, you'll learn about arranging small spaces for maximum accessibility,

be inspired by creative display tips & tricks, realize how your visual style impacts your brand,

and find out how these shows can be a terrific source for new & unique products for your store.

In my own high-energy, fast-talking, fast-moving style,
I packed a LOT of info into each 5 to 7-minute video, and some amazing women joined me

to share their tips, tricks, secrets, and lessons on camera... you'll learn a lot from them, too!

You can find all six of those videos on my YouTube channel.

I'm heading back to the show as a shopper this June, 

and can't wait to enjoy the atmosphere and experience of being there again.
If you get a chance, GO!!! And if you see me there, say hello!

(and don't forget to enter the ticket giveaway over on The Farm Chicks facebook page! )

Winter Wonderland Display Inspiration

 

The Vintage Marketplace show in Temecula, CA this past weekend

was an inspiring gathering of vendors selling vintage, antique, and handcrafted goods.
The show is owned and produced by my friend, Rita Reade,

who founded it over 6 years ago with her sister in law, artist Christie Repasy.

When I'm lucky, I get to shop.
When I am REALLY lucky, I get to work with Rita to create visuals for the show!

Click 'Read More' to continue.... 

Artful Studio/Office Design Project

I'm getting a GREAT response to my new offering of 'Artful Makeover' services!

 

As I tell each of the clients that I work with:

You really don’t have to spend money to create an efficient, inspiring office or studio - 

start with what you have!

When designing an office space, think about the function needed for your specific work processes. 

Move around as if you were working, and decide what storage & work surfaces are necessary - and where.  

Remember that the ‘work triangle’ concept of kitchen design applies to offices & studios, too!

* Starting with the largest furnishings, assign each a place and use - considering light sources, access, and traffic flow. 

* 'Shop your house' and garage for pieces that can be used in fresh new ways to add style - think outside the box!
* Get creative with the colors, furnishings and details you select to express YOUR style and brand with every choice. 

You can have an inspiring work space that works almost as hard as you do ;)

_________________________________________
 Want more Top Tips for your home office/studio space?  
FitSmallBusiness.com asked me to contribute to a new blog post about office setup,
and it's FILLED with pro tips to consider when setting up your home office -
great advice from small business owners and design professionals!

Whether you work in a home office, art studio, craft room, or classroom,
my new 'Artful Makeover' services will help you to work happily, efficiently, and creatively.

I design beautiful, efficient, inspiring spaces where your creativity will thrive!
Read about my Artful Makeover Services

Keep reading to see how I approach the design process...

Make It Sparkle for Mother's Day

 Oftentimes, the simplest changes can make the biggest impact in a store or booth...
case in point is how you display your jewelry.  
With Mother's Day approaching, jewelry is high on the 'Hot List' of wanted gifts - 

so make it stand out in your store!

There are hundreds of ways, hundreds of fixtures you can purchase or that are provided by suppliers.
I tend to lean toward simplicity because I like the PRODUCT to be the star of the show.

Jewelry is such a small product, in a small scale, that making a visual impact with it is difficult.
I've posted about how to present your jewelry at shows and jewelry in windows before,

but recently I saw two ways to present delicate jewelry that sparked my interest....

The first, shown in the photos above and below, 

is a way to update those black velvet jewelry forms that seem to be in every store around... 

I saw this in the gift shop of the Mission San Luis Rey, California:
simply wrap them up in some thin cotton muslin fabric, stapling as you go to create a smooth look.

The result is a neutral background that helps bounce light (instead of absorbing it, as black does)

that will set off jewelry in any tone.
I've seen new versions made with burlap - but burlap is a tough fabric to try a DIY project with.
Note that these light-colored forms are placed inside a dark wood cabinet.
The contrast created contributes to the stand-out effect.

*I recommend this presentation for everything except fine jewelry.

You won't ever do better than using a dark velvet or satin fabric 

as a background for presenting sparkling diamonds and precious stones. 

Shades of black, navy blue, espresso brown, deep emerald, and deep charcoal are best for those products. 

They bring out the sparkle like nothing else can*

The second solution is a DIY one, executed with aplomb and style

by a vendor at the recent JunkBonanza antique show in San Diego, CA.
Sacred Heart Studios created neck forms from salvaged wood - to great effect.

Simply cut shapes from old wood (and the marvelous patina inherent in the grain) 

add stunning texture to displays in this vintage & reclaimed furniture booth, 

bringing the eye directly to the beautiful jewelry made from salvaged metals and findings.

When your jewelry is THIS unique, your props and forms should speak the same language.

She's looking into producing these forms for sale, so check with her website for availability!

What else can you do to freshen up your jewelry displays?

*Bring nature in: branches, bark, rocks, sand, shells, moss/lichen all add texture

and will set off the colors and themes of the jewelry you sell.

*Go for contrast: like the suggestion to pair deep rich velvet with sparkling jewels up above,

think about using matte finish fabrics and surfaces paired with shiny metallic jewelry - 

and vice versa. Use dark color backgrounds with light jewelry, as well as the opposite.

* Imagery Sells: pages pulled from magazines or books will help you 'Tell A Fashion Story':
Pair high fashion shots of shoes, handbags, and dresses with color-coordinated jewelry.
Use the images laying flat, create a collage on the wall behind a jewelry display, and

bend images around vases and boxes to add 3-D effects to the display.
See my ideas for using paper in jewelry displays.

*Sell The Dream: Breakfast at Tiffanys. Need I say more?
Well, YES! See what I have to say about merchandising in the iconic film set.

*Be Original: Use fixtures and props that create and express your brand image.
See what this vintage show vendor did that made me stop in my tracks...
and this vintage show vendor who created a gallery-quality booth.

 and this boutique's unique solutions for presenting such tiny products in a BIG way.

Now you have the tools and ideas to improve your jewelry presentation...
get in there and FOOF IT UP for all of the daughters, sons, husbands, and dads

who are desperately looking for inspiration for a Mother's Day gift!

connect with me on social media:

Vintage Booth Design Tips

So many of you who read my blog are vintage/antique vendors,

selling your goods in mall booths and at shows...
I spent six years selling on the vintage show circuit and I know the challenges you face!
My goal is to provide information and inspiration to help you

present your merchandise in the most creative and effective way possible...

In case you haven't seen it over there on my sidebar >>>
I have a post about the mechanics of setting up a show booth called
The 411 of Vintage Booth Display
that shows you step-by-step how I designed and styled a booth

for my friend and client Rita Reade of Mammabellarte
at her show The Vintage Marketplace at the Oaks in Rainbow, CA.
(a photo of her booth is shown above)
You'll find TONS of helpful tips in that post that you can use!

Click 'Read More' for more resources... 

Love is an Upcycled Door!

"Okay... can I just say something crazy??!!
All my life has been a series of doors in my face, 
and then suddenly I realized I could use them to create displays...
Love is an upcycled do-o-or..."
( oh, wait, that's not exactly how Princess Anna sings it, is it?! ;) wink. )

For over two decades,
I've been teachin' and preachin' that using vintage and re-claimed materials
is just a SMART way to 'do' displays - it's cheaper, it's greener, 

and it's far more interesting than using store-bought fixtures and props!

I love finding great examples of that philosophy to share with you...
.
The woman in the photo above is Alisun, of BeatriceHoliday.

Alisun is a jewelry designer who creates amazing pieces from recycled bike chains!
I met her on Sunday, when I attended a new vintage market in my area: Trading Post 1908.

I was VERY impressed with the simple, creative, and effective way Alisun displayed her products:

She's used reclaimed materials to create fixtures and props,

like the table made from a solid wood vintage door and four screw-in plumbing pipe legs.

Boxes of various sizes, made from pallet wood, provide elevation for mannequins and displays.
And jewelry forms & mannequins re-covered with linen fabric.

Another solid wood vintage door hangs horizontally from her pop-up tent,

with old nails providing a way to hang multiples of products.

The whole effect is very product-focused because of the clean color palette and spacious layout...
it makes her dark-tone jewelry stand out in contrast to the pale backgrounds.
 It ALSO breaks down and packs flat for transport - a BIG plus for vendors at shows!
.

She was a doll to chat with, 

and I appreciate her allowing me to photograph her booth to share it with you. 

Thanks, Alisun!