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So... how much stuff is too much stuff?

Posted by Steph Mader on March 17, 2011 at 9:26pm in Questions & Answers for New Members

What's your opinion on how many items are too many in a booth? It's really hard for me to curb myself & put out only a few examples of each type of item. I do a couple different types of glass wall art, big platters, bowls, ikebana vases. That's a lot of different things & I want to make sure I'm leaving enough visual space so viewers can actually see what's there.

What's your opinion about this? I see booths with five or six things hung TOTAL, and I wonder if that's enough to stimulate the customers.

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  • Katherine Graham Sarlson May 31, 2011 at 4:15pm
    I'm a silk painter who produces both wearable and wall art.  The way I see it, it's not too much in terms of framed art as long as wall pieces don't look crowded and have enough room to breathe.  *shrug*  It works for me.   As for wearables like silk scarves, those are eerily specific to the wearer so I keep my waterfall displays filled.  My booth appears to be in the minority though.  I defer to much wiser minds.
    • Steph Mader > Katherine Graham Sarlson May 31, 2011 at 8:31pm

      I think part of my problem is that I have quite a few different types of things in my booth. They do have the same type of decoration, so the collection holds together pretty well I think. But I have wall tiles, wall "buttons", display pieces in stands, various bowls and platters and ikebana vases. I want to show enough of one type so each doesn't look like a mistake, but that ends up being a lot of pieces. I'm sure part of it is just newbie nervousness about showing the "right" things. I might get over it.  If I don't, I'm blaming it on my mother.

       

      I have visited booths with three or four things in them and wondered whether the artist finished three things and decided to do a show. It's a little distracting if there's too few things too, I think.

      • geri a. wegner > Steph Mader May 31, 2011 at 9:08pm
        How about putting one of each type out in different colors.  If I saw a bowl in blue and you only showed a platter in green, I would be encouraged to ask if you had a platter in blue because I would have seen that you work in blue also.
        • Steph Mader > geri a. wegner May 31, 2011 at 11:55pm
          That's a good idea. And I am going to try Paul's idea of taking a piece down & leaving a space empty. I have a three-day show coming up so I'll experiment a little. 
          • Linda A Shields > Steph Mader June 8, 2011 at 2:43am
            In boutiques, the jewelry is grouped by compatable color OR similar style....elegance or funk...etc.. So I put my blues together, my PMC pendants together, my turquoise.........you get the point. People shop to complete an outfit sometimes but more importantly displaying by color lends a visual sense of order to your booth. Also, if you have too much of a color, you will notice and can balance by taking some of those pieces off display.
            • Steph Mader > Linda A Shields June 8, 2011 at 12:55pm
              That's a good way to think about it. Especially for jewelry that seems like it would be easier for the customer to make sense of things in a short time.
  • 3elv43ick4r0l May 31, 2011 at 10:36am

     The clutter phenomenon of putting everything out here  is the "wrong" approach., I believe.  25 years ago I was told by a excellent salesperson  Put your best work out there  just one or two pieces  - and then watch.... 

     

    When you clutter everything  into the smallest area your merchandise is than valued as  "dime a dozen"  product. .    With fewer things showing  the preconceived value of your art leaps in $ value.   What value do you have of your art work?

     

    enjoy today!  Bill Daniels

  • Connie Mettler March 18, 2011 at 9:09pm

    If you are a beginner at the shows, Steph, you are right? or even if you aren't, my best advice is to set up early, close up your tent and see the show...really look at what the others are doing....see what looks good to your eye, and if you have a chance to get away from your booth during the show, do a quick look around to see where the customers are clustered. I do remember early on my husband hanging 110 photos (heck, if they can't see it they can't buy it), until a seasoned person came bay and said, "I really like your work, but you are going to exhaust your customers. They'll never be able to make a decision."

    Two events where we sold well was one in Oakbrook Center where all you had for display was an 5 x 8 pegboard, horizontal, and you could hang on both sides. That really worked. And at Winter Park where you were limited to 14-16 framed pieces. We were scared. It works.

    I'd like to see you keep taking things away, or off, did you say?

    • Rose Monzyk > Connie Mettler March 19, 2011 at 4:29pm
      I think you're right, Connie. I did a couple hour show in early December so I only brought about 10 hats, but a bunch of scarves ( pretty much crammed onto a couple bars on a rack). No one looked at the scarves but I sold most of the hats. It was almost as though they thought, I better get this now because she only has a few. I am going to be much better at editing for now on.
      • Larry Berman > Rose Monzyk March 19, 2011 at 4:54pm
        As a photographer with over 30 years experience doing shows, I used to print everything in four sizes, no greeting cards though. At some point I came out with a new body of work and only introduced it in two sizes, small and large. The work sold well and people spent less time in my booth before purchasing.

        Larry Berman
        http://BermanGraphics.com
        412-401-8100
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