Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Booth Updates

I haven't posted any pics of the booths in a while, so I thought I would give you a tour.  I took these the other day in preparation for doing a new Craigslist push for my spaces.  I'm always a little leery about using booth pics, because they always look so cluttered in busy.  Yes, I do have a lot of stuff in my spaces, but it really is more organized than it seems form the pictures.  It doesn't help that it is very hard to get a shot at the Peddler's Mall that doesn't also take in parts of the booths all around me, adding to the chaos.  I try to compensate for that by also taking close up shots of smaller batches of merch to give a better feel for what's there.

First up, the Peddler's Mall.  I have four spaces there:  two single spaces side by side that I have turned into a double booth, a wall space, and a separate single booth where I sell mainly books.  I love the Peddler's Mall because it is unpretentious and a little freewheeling.  I can sell just about anything there, because the customer base is very diverse in background, interests and tastes.  I have quite a few regular customers.

This is a look through the double space from the aisle.

Just keeping it straightened and relatively tidy keeps me hopping!

Now some views of selected merchandise.



Most everything on those round tables has sold since I took this pic.  I tend to have a pretty quick turnover.  Now, if I could just sell the tables.  I bought them to use at the other site, but they ended up being awkward and in the way.  I just want them to go away.

These next pics come from my wall space, which exclusively houses religious articles.  I have the largest selection of secondhand religious merch in the city, or so I believe.  It's a specialty niche that brings customers in and creates regulars.


 Yes, indeed, Jesus lives at Eddie's Attic!

And, if He's here, can His Mother be too far behind?

And then there's my book area.  I've always wanted to be a bookseller.  I really try hard to have an interesting selection at good prices.

 I just love my vintage paperback rack!

 My comic and graphic novel selection is another thing that creates regulars for me.  I've got the largest selection of comics in our mall.
The ones on the table are the most recent arrivals.  As items sell off the shelves, I rotate things from the table up to the bottom shelf and then fill in the holes on the table with new stuff.  I also have a bookcase in the double booth that holds the titles that have been there the longest.  When stuff off it sells, I move books from the top shelf over there and then rotate bottom shelf books up to the top shelf and table books up to the bottom shelf.  It's not exact, but it does help me keep track of my inventory.  I sell a lot of books.  I don't necessarily have the lowest book prices in the mall, but I have the best, most unique selection by far.  I work really hard at that.

I am  totally in love with this smiley face banner and had to share it!



And this is my sign.  The name "Eddie's Attic" was suggested by Keith, because I have been pushing to have the attic space in our house finished since we bought the house.  One of these days, I'm going to have some professional signs made.

And now for YesterNook, my newest spot.  I only have one booth there, but would really like to expand.  My sales there have not been steady and regular enough for that to happen, unfortunately.  The store is a little different from the freewheeling vibe of the Peddler's Mall.  It's a little more distinct, with a heavy emphasis on furniture and vintage.  It's cozy, almost like a place where you want to hang out and drink coffee, while reading Agatha Christie books.

This is my booth from a side view.  Well, most of it anyway.



And some more specific pics.


 AnnaLee clown reads satirical British fantasy fiction.  I am slowly building my selection of books here.  I'm thinking that will help my sales.  I'm having to be more selective in my choices, though.   There's a booth selling nothing but books right down from me, and I don't want to duplicate his inventory.  That would be boring.

I'm also working more comics and graphic novels in, as well.  I'm trying to emphasize Silver Age classic stuff and alternative/independent titles that I think will appeal to the customer base here.

 Mary and Jesus are here as well, but in smaller amounts.



This telephone bench is one of my latest acquisitions.  I have high hopes for it!

Well, that's the tour!  Thanks for stopping by!  If you're in Louisville, consider stopping by to check things out in person.  Maybe I'll be there working.

4 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

Your books, in particular, are quite tidy. Messy books make everything look messy.

Lorraine said...

Yay for pictures! Everything looks great and nicely organized/displayed. I'm pleased to see that someone else besides me buys and sells religious items. Do they sell well for you?
I love the happy face sign and that telephone table is so cool. My grandmother had the exact same one. Thanks so much for showing us your booths!

Shara said...

I love seeing photos too! It's interesting to see other how other people display things and what sort of things sell.

Those raggedy Ann and Andy pictures hanging on the bookshelf...I had a set of those in my room when I was little - except mine were black dolls. I loved those prints. I had them in our laundry room when we got married. After we moved into this house, I had them in a box high up on a shelf and my husband SOLD them at one of our garage sales for 25¢. Ack! I've been hoping to happen on another set one day, but haven't yet. I still have my fingers crossed though.

EM said...

Thanks for the comments, folks.

Roger: Keeping those books orderly is a never-ending battle. I spend more time on that than anything else. Everyone wants to pull something off the shelf to look at. No one wants to put it back.

Clamco: I do pretty good with the religious stuff. Like everything else, it comes in waves.

Shara: My display style seems to be all about "cram and clutter."