Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Antique Booth Display Ideas: The Importance Of Planning

Setting Up An Antique Booth Space In A Group Shop Can Be Fun: But Plan First

Are you getting ready to rent space in a Multi-Dealer Antique shop of an Antique Mall? Or are you ready to make some major changes in your current booth space? This post is for folks who need a little help with getting on with the task of setting up an Antique booth.

First Take A Tour Of The Antique Mall

To start the process, I encourage prospective dealers to take a very serious tour of the Mall they are considering. Come prepared with paper, a pencil, a tape measure and perhaps even a Digital camera. Stroll through the Antique Mall. Take some photos of the booths that get your attention or that you observe a clever display idea.

Taking Photos Of Your Antique Mall Booth Space

Also take photos of the booth or space that you will be going into. It's not a bad idea to capture some photos of the existing dealer in the space and then later, the space empty, if that is an option. Be sure to also take some photos of how the booth meets the aisle and what booths are next to yours.

Examine The Elements of Your Antique Mall Booth Space

The exercise of taking photos, allows you to really examine the elements of the space you are considering. Where are the walls? Do the wall go from floor to ceiling or are they partial walls? Are there columns? Is there a window in your booth? What about built in shelves? Is there a short ceiling or a tall one? Can you hang things from the ceiling? Where are the electric outlets? If there already is a display case in your booth, is it lighted? How many shelves does it have? Can you add more shelves? Is it locked?

What Fixtures Can You Buy Or Borrow From The Previous Dealer Or Other Dealer At The Antique Mall

Is the previous dealer interested in leaving or selling any fixtures, display cases etc? Does the owner of the Mall have spare display showcases or shelving to loan you or to sell to you? Also let the manager of the shop know that you may be interested in buying fixtures from another dealer who may also be leaving.

Floor Space In An Antique Mall

Do you want to put a rug down before you move in? How much floor space do you have? Make a drawing of your space. Add all the nooks and crannies. Than go home and measure some of the cabinets, shelves, display units you may want to bring to your space. Play around with a floor plan on paper first. You may not end up using the space in the same way as you imagine, but you will have begun to think through some of the ups and downs of the space and plan accordingly.

The Photos in this post were taken at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT

C. Dianne Zweig
is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of I Antique Online an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro cafĂ©.To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link: C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.comVisit my website, CDianneZweig.comDianne is a member of:The American Society of Journalists and AuthorsThe Society of Professional Journalists

2 comments:

  1. I have a friend who has a booth in an antiques mall here in Boise. She does a great job of staging. I really think that the way you set up your booth makes all the difference as to whether your items are noticed or not. Some booths are so cluttered and such little thought is put into the display that great little treasures go unnoticed.

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  2. Thanks for the post! My friend and I are jumping in and opening a booth for the first time starting February 1!! We've been doing a lot of measuring, and picture taking-and my husband has been busy building display cases...whew! It's a LOT of work!! I just hope we can arrange it so that it looks nice and draws people in!

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