How to Level Up Your Market Display

July 18, 2023

Hi friends!

Summer is my favorite time of year for long sunny days, beach sunsets, and outdoor markets!

This is my second summer attending craft markets — my first market ever was in 2021 around the holidays. Since then, I have found little ways to tweak my display each time and have learned so much along the way!

For the ones who dream of tabling at a market, you might feel unsure of where to start (I sure was!). I would love to share some tips that have helped me the most and tricks I’ve picked up along the way.

Here is a photo of my most recent setup, it’s my favorite one by far!

Gather Inspiration

First thing to do is gather some inspo and find out what you want your display to look like! My favorite places to look are Pinterest (link to my board), The Paperdolls Market, and other artists on Instagram!

Some things to notice are:

color scheme — it’s best to limit your colors to 3
materials — table textures (wood, metal, plastic), cloth textures (cotton, linen, silk)
mood — what type of mood are you inspired by? Bright & fun? Airy? Dark & moody?

Products to Bring

Next is figuring out what products you want to bring. A good rule of thumb is to not overpack and overwhelm customers with your entire inventory. The goal instead is to give your customers just a glimpse of what your business is about.

For me, this looks like packing a variety of print sizes with 8-12 varying designs for each. I also mix up my products by bringing a handful of greeting cards, notepads, and stickers as well.

Layout

A thoughtful layout is essential to creating a curated shopping experience for your customers. Consider these things:

What is the focus area of your display?
Be intentional about where you want to draw your customer’s eyes to. Put your best work up for show and make sure it’s the first thing people see!

What are your main customer touch points?
Consider product placement and how your customer will interact with your display. For me, I learned that tables can get crowded, and that having my large and small prints placed far apart will ensure more customers can look at the same time.

How can you utilize your space well?
Tight spaces tend to work well with vertical layouts, whereas more room means you could bring freestanding displays in the mix!

Here is a photo of how my layout varied in an indoor setting