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36 listings for me. They were all similar items so it went fast, for once. Still going on my DP boxes and pulling out fun things I forgot I had. That’s the fun part!
Christine I am so excited for you! As far as space goes, 6 x 6 isn’t very big. Is it under cover or out in the sun? If you are going to put the work in, you might as well go a little bit bigger? I agree, pricing is important. You might have to try it a couple of times to get a feel for the market. One of the best things about the Oregon City market we do in August, is that people will pay good prices for unusual vintage. I do like that plant stand from Ikea. It would be a great display piece.
On a lark we hit the bins on Friday and scored big. I can never remember how to post pictures here or I would post one. We’ve had terrible luck at the this particular location in the past, so my husband convinced me to give it another try and I am sure glad we did. For some reason there weren’t other vintage dealers there so we found two full carts of great stuff. Most of it will go to Brookhaven, and some to our mall space when we switch out Easter tomorrow. And some into the to-be-listed box, of course.
Next week we start set up on Brookhaven, so that’s our focus this week.
16 listings for me. Worked through 10 or so DP boxes and priced quite a few things for the show and also decided to donate a bunch. The 16 listings are from those boxes, and one vintage cookbook sold within 12 hours, so that was encouraging.
Christine, I love the idea of selling totes/shoppers in the booth. I also do well with older nicely made wicker baskets. I pick them up every chance I get.
Once you get in booth mode, it opens up a whole new world of picking.
6 listings for me me last week. Took my dad to the beach house to celebrate his 91st birthday. We went to some fun garage sales Saturday, as he still loves to go treasure hunting. Found some great stuff, including an old book chock full of pasted clippings of recipes from newspapers in the 30s-60s. It’s one of a kind so I am going to put it up on auction starting at $45 and see what happens. People love old recipes and I have done well with them in the past.
My show is coming up in a few weeks so I will have to start concentrating more on that, but still plan on listing as much as possible.
Christine…the wine crates sound like a fabulous idea as you could also pack your merch in them to transport to the show. Great height builders too. I tuck the art here and there in the displays and it is a good draw stacked in a crate or trunk or open suitcase at the front of the booth too.
The more you sell at shows, the less you have to list! 🙂 It’s a great outlet for selling things that would be a pain to ship and I have found it to be a wonderful creative outlet. There’s just something about pulling everything together to create an enticing display.
Another thought…..have some postcards printed on Vistaprint for your Ebay shop and anywhere else you sell online. People will always ask how to find you or if you have a shop, if they like your stuff. I hand out several dozen every show and it’s extremely cheap advertising. It’s a great way to build your brand.
Christine, I truly love doing pop-up booth shows. They can be a fair amount of work but are really fun and fulfilling if you get all your ducks in a row. Once you have invested in your props it’s really minimal investment going forward. First I would suggest using 3 or 4 four-foot plastic tables. Super easy to transport and take up minimal space. You’ll also be able to store your merch boxes under them. I use vintage sheets for my tablecloths, again minimal space and they cover the tables completely, which is ideal. Think about what to use as risers. You don’t want everything at one level…you want vertical which will catch the eye more. Hat boxes, little shelves, stools, suitcases, and the like. Suitcases are great because you can transport merch in them, saving all important space in your vehicle.
Categories that do well for me:
Vintage books. I price most of them in the $10-12 range, although more expensive ones sell well too, and sets of books. I like to display some of them in a vintage suitcase. You can get three rows, facing out. I do best when I face covers outwards, as that’s the strongest selling point. Books are universally loved, and they don’t have to be THAT old to be collectible. I always pick up well-loved titles, like To Kill a Mockingbird and kid’s classics.
Vintage artwork. Prints or paintings, framed or unframed. Old paint by numbers are very popular. Really pretty frames.
Vintage garden. Old garden tools, flower frogs, old pottery, plant stands, garden decor.
Vintage kitchen. Tools, bowls, cookbooks etc.
Vintage man cave. Tools, old radios, old clocks, outdoor items like old fishing, hunting. Dog stuff.
Setting up your booth: you want a cohesive memorable look to your booth. Group items by category and by color if possible. Put something fantastic at the very front to draw people in.
Logistics: make sure you have a Square or the like, because at least half your sales will be by card. Expect to dicker with at least a third of your customers. I adjust for this by slightly raising my prices….ten or fifteen percent. Be prepared for low-ball offers. I usually counter with a smile and my best price (usually 10-20% off.) Bring plenty of water because dehydration can be a real problem, and have a plan for bathroom breaks.
As far as choosing a show goes….$80 is actually quite reasonable for a well-attended show. I participate in a downtown Portland show that’s $135 for a 10 x 10, and my best show in the summer I pay $300 for a 10 x 20. I always sell over 2 grand at that show in 7 hours, so it’s a worthwhile investment.
If you want to see my set up of a show you can check out our Youtube channel… CharlieandLacysmagicalmercantile. We filmed our entire set up…starting at 5am!
Given the choices you presented, I would lean towards the $80 show to try first.
Hope this helps and please let us know what happens!
22 listings for the week…all from a DP box of figurines that I forgot that I had. I’ve already sold one!
Amatino, so glad you had such a good time on your shop hop! Sounds like a blast!
35 listings for me this week.
I tackled another DP box this week, filled with vintage salt/pepper shakers, old spice tins and little glass jars, mostly. I was able to get all them listed, with the exception of a 2-panel vintage barkcloth curtain. I’ve never listed curtains before and I must confess I find it a bit intimidating. I’d like to finish the box, though, so I need to summon up the courage to figure it out.
Good luck on your trips, Amatino and VT…hope you have a blast!
20 listings for the week. And we finished the dang Carport! We rewarded ourselves with a fun trip to the bins and found some fantastic books, including one from the 1880s that is so rare we can’t find anything anywhere about it. And a rare edition of the African Queen!
Sold a $75 set of Urology textbooks from a DP listing. Chipping away at the DP too.
Congrats on the huge listing number Julie!
45 listings for the week. 10 were books from my DP. Lots of family stuff going on last week so I am a bit surprised I got anything done. I think it was an escape from all the drama.
10 listings for me last week. There was a lot of family stuff going on…..taking parents to doc appointments and a visit from Tennessee, which involved showing him all around the Portland area and parts beyond. This weekend we have a show, so the rest of the week will involve getting ready and doing the show so I don’t expect much in the way of listing this week. But hopefully I sell some of those dang magazines!
Sold a couple more DP books, although I didn’t get anymore listed. There’s always next week.
Amatino, you know me so well. However, I already have one almost exactly like that one!
Christine, ironically the bins that are closest are terrible…..small, completely disorganized and super crowded. There’s 3 others in the Portland area. The largest one is on the South end and we don’t make it there too often. There’s a small but nice one close to the Portland airport. The one we go to most often is west of Portland. It’s in the same area as the antique mall where we have a space and also the Grange where I do my show. So we usually have an excuse to go there.
Found some fun things today, including a vintage red chenille bedspread, some vintage patterns and some great seasonal china, as well as a few interesting MCM pieces and a book from 1895.
Christine, yes it does! At least the carport part of my DP.
We’re going the the bins tomorrow to celebrate! Ha!
