A Truly Original Display

© by Ellen Leonard; all rights reserved

I had a lot of trouble coming up with an original jewelry display that I would be able to transport in my car, carry myself, and assemble myself (i.e. no tools required). I didn't want my booth to look like every other jewelers' booth, but at the same time I wanted to maintain a professional look - not like I had actually constructed it myself.

So, how did I come up with my jewelry display ideas?

Trinket Rings by Ellen Leonard

1. I sat down (literally) with pen and paper and jotted down themes that I thought related to my jewelry designs and ideas that related to my personality. For instance, if your jewelry is made from beach rocks, then you might think of a water theme or a sea theme.

2. Next, I chose three of my best ideas and started to think about how I could apply them to my booth space. I closed my eyes and pictured what each would look like and made a list of all of the things that I would need.

3. For each of my three ideas I took into consideration the following things:

   a) Would this display and its components be compactable and easy to assemble?

   b) Could I construct these things myself, or with minimal help from my friends?

   c) Cost. If it costs more to make the display myself than a display that I could just buy and modify slightly, then it's probably not worth it. Also, I'm a girl on a budget!

4. After I took all of the above into consideration, the theme / idea that I needed to choose became very clear. So, I took this idea and sat down again. I designed my entire booth, thinking about variations for different fairs (will I be on concrete or grass, etc…) and different climates (needs to be wind and water resistant).

   I made an extremely detailed plan, with measurements and everything. It is extremely important to try to think about all of the parts here and how they will be assembled and display your items.

   Shopping. This is my favorite part. I bought all of my materials, came home and put them together. I actually set up my entire booth space to ensure that I had thought of everything. I fixed all of the problems, packed it up in some big plastic bins, and I was ready to go to my next show.

The design of your booth space can be an asset and help to increase your sales. Customers love to investigate an interesting booth, especially at a big fair where everything looks the same.

It brings in customers who may not normally stop at your booth. For instance, I have guys wander into my women's jewelry tent all the time to check things out, and sometimes they end up buying things.

Unique displays also help to highlight your jewelry, and actually make it look more appealing. Being original isn't that difficult, especially for artists. You simply need to look within yourself and think about your own ideas; you yourself are an original!

Also, if you see an idea that an artist has used in their booth, you can incorporate it into your booth and make it your own. There is, after all, only so much that you can do with your booth space.