Display's the Thing

My Easter display:

I know.  Not very inspiring.  I have absolutely no talent for these things.  The best I can do is make sure that things look like they're supposed to be placed together, that this placement has been done deliberately.  For the talentless (like me), this is often quite sufficient.

In the kinds of places where I tend to sell, Easter is not a big merch holiday.  The same for Valentines Day, Independence Day, etc.  Except for a few vendors who buy new goods from wholesalers, you just don't see whole booths done over for these holidays, unlike the big deals that folks do for Christmas and Halloween (the biggies).  The most I've ever done for any of those holidays is a table of stuff.  Usually, just a shelf or two will do.

This is where deliberateness of placement comes into play.  Over the years I've seen a lot of booths where the vendor has taken a small handful of items for a particular holiday, tossed them on a shelf, and there they sit, six months later. 

You know what I'm talking about here.  The jack-o-lantern you see in May.  Or the two boxes of Christmas cards that are still sitting on the same shelf month after month after month.  Sometimes you even see the Easter basket with the box of Valentine cards in it (in August)!  These items typically don't sell because they get tossed in with everything else in the booth and don't stand out in the least bit.  They look and feel almost like afterthoughts.  Sitting there all these weeks after their intended holiday, they make a booth look dated and stale.

It's not always necessary to make a special shelf or table for things, however.  I've seen plenty of vendors with a real talent for styling and displays in their booths who can slip a couple of bunnies or wreaths in and make it work.  These items seem to both fit in with everything and stand out at the same time.  And they sell quickly.  I'm always a little jealous of these skilled vendors, even as I admire their work.

It's folks like me who need to use the element of deliberateness to make their seasonal wares sell.  A nice grouping of items doesn't need to be large to stand out and sell.  It's the thought that goes into it that's the key.

Of course, no matter what path a vendor follows with seasonal/timely items, they need to be removed as soon as possible after their time has passed.  I know there are booths here and there that sell nothing but Christmas (and even a few that do Halloween) all year long, but that's different from what I'm talking about.  Folks like me need to look fresh and create an impression that their spaces are updated frequently who need to watch how long certain items sit around.  You'd be surprised how many people never take their holiday items out.