As someone who’s been creating items and selling locally for several years, I’m always on the lookout for fresh vintage market and craft fair booth ideas. (Especially since outdoor markets are starting up again soon!)
Whether I’m marketing my Girl in the Garage business with refinished furniture and home decor – or my Thread and Cloth Studio biz with handmade animal dolls and other fiber arts projects – my booth display needs to always look amazing to attract shoppers and make a lasting impression.
Below I’m sharing some of my past displays and also some from other creative makers so you can find inspiration for your own market and craft fair booth display ideas.
Of course the first step is to get selected as a vendor! Read tips here for how to get chosen as a craft fair or vintage market vendor.
Next, especially if you’re a new vendor, I can’t stress enough how important it is to practice setting up your booth in advance. Move your display pieces around in your house or your driveway, see what works best where, and snap a few photos so you remember. Below I was trying out my setup for the first vintage market I did (read about it here)…
For outdoor fairs and events, you’ll definitely want a sturdy tent and tent weights – learn about some of the best options here.
And here I am below at my very first market – I ended up switching my display around some since I was on a corner but it definitely helped knowing where to put the bigger pieces in advance.
Friend, let me just tell you – lugging heavy, bulky display pieces around is exhausting and often unnecessary. Read all about the most useful and creative portable display ideas for markets and fairs here.
Below I’m at an indoor spring event and my space is jam-packed with furniture and decor, while making the best use of my space by stacking smalls on top of bigger pieces, filling shelves, and keeping people’s attention pretty much anywhere they look from the floor to eye-level.
Also be sure to keep an open walkway for people to move through your space.
I’m a big believer in using textures to add softness to hard spaces or some natural and wood elements for dimension in mostly soft/fabric spaces, like in the photos of my past markets below.
I love working with furniture and decor in mostly neutrals, but I also appreciate using my creativity in different ways like when I can spend time at the sewing machine making pretty, colorful things. Let your space be a reflection of your personality but also keep the overall colors and theme aligned.
{All the shelving, the table, and backdrop stand below fold flat for easy storage and transportation. The big flowers are hooked onto hardware cloth and hung with S hooks.}
A few themes to think about: fun and playful – calm and relaxing – hip and modern – masculine or feminine – rustic vintage – farmhouse chic. These ideas can help guide you when you design your display, create more products, and visualize your ideal customer that you’re trying to appeal to.
Here are several more creative booth display ideas you can use for inspiration
Friend, I hope these creative market and craft fair photos have given you some fun new booth display ideas for your handmade or vintage business. To learn even more about starting and growing your creative business, click the image below for lots of helpful articles.
Best wishes to you for a successful vintage market or craft fair! – Jen
david says
Thanks for the shout out on my set up.
As someone who is constantly obsessing over how to do my booth I really appreciate all the other inspirational ideas too.
Now let’s hope we can get those markets up and running again soon!
David
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
You’re welcome David. 🙂 Yes fingers crossed for markets to start again soon! (Really hope mine in Sept will go on as planned!)
Danuta Fein says
Hi Jen,
I really enjoy reading your emails and posts and want to thank you for really helping me get going on my vintage resale business last year. I had been selling online but last year got the courage to start selling at a local vintage fair in Florida. Your printout was so helpful and I keep it in my show setup basket along with my other supplies. Your ideas for displays were helpful and I got lots of compliments in my booth. Looking forward to the time we can go to open markets again. In the meantime please keep the inspiration coming!
Thanks, Danuta Fein
Jen, Girl in the Garage says
That is amazing, Danuta – congrats!! And thank you so much for your kind words!