Setting up shop! (Welcome to "Lulu's".)

[freemotion]

I agree with Bee and disagree with myself on the neutral colors...... I helped a friend sell semi-precious beaded jewelry for a while and we needed very neutral display materials, otherwise the beads would look washed out or disappear into the background. All my "dressy" tops now are plain and neutral with high necklines (mostly) to display necklaces....when I purchase a new top, I always ask myself what kind of background it will provide for my jewelry!

But I also did some showing of horses and when I went to the fabric store to buy material for my shirts, I bought whatever caught my eye from a distance, even if it was something I never would have chosen otherwise. I won a lot. Riding good horses helped, yes, but catching the judge's eye in the crowd was the first key.

Hey, that reminds me, you can use fabrics, too. Or.....If you use some of those feedbags that have very colorful pictures on them, that will also attract attention if you display those a bit higher up. You know....the bags with the cardinals on them from the feedstore that sell the BOSS for the bird feeders....I wonder if your local feedstore clerks can get you in touch with the ones who do a lot of birdfeeding in the winter so you can get their empty sacks. The serious birdfeeders dump their seeds into barrels to keep the mice out so the sacks should be in new condition. Maybe trade a small item for every 2-3 clean, like-new bag you get. I made a large shopping bag with cardinals on it and it is gorgeous. Plan on making more. Very sturdy.

 

[framing fowl]

You could write on wooden clothespins for smaller amounts of information or use the clothespins to clip informational cards to the displays. I liked Bee's idea on dying the hang tags with tea. Here's a little blog entry that has more how-to's on making a vintage look hang tag. Or just use those terms in google and you'll come up with so many ideas you'll go crazy!

Cheap baskets that you get at goodwill lined with pretty fabrics might make good displays for the smaller items. You can also take cardboard boxes and paint them or cover them in coordinating fabrics to use as display risers. Making things different heights is always good when displaying in groupings.

You can get some acrylic sign holders at any office supply store and print up pretty signs to put in them if you want to display more information like what free was suggesting. Or better yet, cut some cardboard to the size sign you want and glue your information to it. Leave a little border (like a mat) if you like. Then make a triangle tube out of another piece of cardboard and glue it to the back so your sign will stand up on its own.

With the wool theme, here is a fun idea that I just saw. Part way down the page she is using the long knap paint rollers to display bracelets and other jewelry. I'm not sure how you would use that with your products but it's cute! Then a little further down, she's using the cardboard type egg cartons to display other small items.

Here's another tabletop display idea using fabric, milk crates, and some cheap lumber (the second set of photos).

 

[BeccaOH]

Free and Bee have great ideas. Love the ideas for pictures of animals and info on your farm. I enjoy this sort of stuff and would do something similar if only I had the time. :/ Ideally I'd own a farmer's market.

I'd suggest square baskets lined up on a shelf for your soaps, line the baskets with fabric. Old crocks would look great as holders, but you don't want to use anything you'd be afraid of losing. But even some cardboard fruit baskets with the wood handles might work for something. Or inexpensive metal buckets from a hardware store might be nice for milk soap.

I love a farmhouse feel with blues and yellows. A touch of red would be attractive. Use some gingham fabric for color.

Can you put a "valance" up in a section of the booth to look like a window? I have a very old window frame of weathered wood in which I took out the glass panes and replaced them with mirror. Something like that along a back wall might add depth and interest to the booth.

My favorite homemade soap is from a family who uses a wide strip of muslin (frayed edges) with a bit smaller strip of brown butcher paper over it to wrap the soap. Where they lap in the back is glued. The paper has printed info on the soap ingredients and the family farm. I buy it for around $4 a bar at a health food store.

Could you make some feed sack bags and purses from those colorful plastic bags like Purina puts out? I had a lot of interest here in the ones I made, but I haven't had time to make more.

Oh, a bit of not to strong potpourri in the booth may also help draw in shoppers. Maybe just some cinnamon sticks.

It would be cool if on one side you had what looked like a sink counter top with porcelain sink where the soaps and lip balms and such were displayed. Then on the other side a cupboard or a couple coat racks could hold clothes and purses. Hmm, is 6 x 8 big enough?

Have fun!

 

[sufficientforme]

I love shopping in this type of store you are describing! Crafts, vintage and antique dealers all in one and checking out at a central register. You have already been given tons of great advice, I just wanted to say that I am all about presentation, if it's simple but artsy I am instantly attracted to the item. I don't like neutral colors for displays either, just go with colors that feel right with your products and good luck!
Oh, and this is the perfect time for starting, people are spending and buying things they don't normally within their budget for the holidays and if they like your product they will continue to buy year round. I love the list of products you are planning on selling!

 

[big brown horse]

OMG you guys are ALL awesome!!!!! Thanks for such wonderful advice!

I'm busy right now trying to get "product" made for my Nov 1st opening. I have tons of heritage type antiques that I got from my mom, that aren't sentimental--they are from her antique shop and shows. I really need to simplify my house anyway. (Mom always said, "buy antiques rather than new b/c one day you may need to sell them"...she is always right. (Everything in my house growing up had a price tag on it. )

I have the sheep's photos already ready for a nice frame...GREAT idea!!

As soon as I can I'll run some prices by you. For starters, I have 5 lb bags (awaiting containers) of laundry soap, 40 loads worth priced at $6.50. That is $3.50 over cost. Too high? Too low? I thought I'd price the bars of castile soap for $2.50 each.

I'm going to pot up some creeping rosemary in some nice vintage style pots to place about the "shop".

I'm also going to be taking photos of everything for you guys to critique. I already have 2 weathered black "French farmhouse" style shelves that I'm going to bring in for display.

I'm getting very excited!!

 

[big brown horse]

You could write on wooden clothespins for smaller amounts of information or use the clothespins to clip informational cards to the displays. I liked Bee's idea on dying the hang tags with tea. Here's a little blog entry that has more how-to's on making a vintage look hang tag. Or just use those terms in google and you'll come up with so many ideas you'll go crazy!

Cheap baskets that you get at goodwill lined with pretty fabrics might make good displays for the smaller items. You can also take cardboard boxes and paint them or cover them in coordinating fabrics to use as display risers. Making things different heights is always good when displaying in groupings.

You can get some acrylic sign holders at any office supply store and print up pretty signs to put in them if you want to display more information like what free was suggesting. Or better yet, cut some cardboard to the size sign you want and glue your information to it. Leave a little border (like a mat) if you like. Then make a triangle tube out of another piece of cardboard and glue it to the back so your sign will stand up on its own.

With the wool theme, here is a fun idea that I just saw. Part way down the page she is using the long knap paint rollers to display bracelets and other jewelry. I'm not sure how you would use that with your products but it's cute! Then a little further down, she's using the cardboard type egg cartons to display other small items.

Here's another tabletop display idea using fabric, milk crates, and some cheap lumber (the second set of photos).

Oh my goodness, I'm having so much fun looking at these links you provided, thank you soooo much!!!!! Great ideas!!

 

[chipmunk]

You can make hang tags yourself pretty cheaply; there are paper punches at the craft stores that make appropriate shapes. You could even make them heart shaped or star shaped, just to be different.

 

[Beekissed]

You know the tea-stained tags I mentioned earlier? A friend of mine had a shop and they used those tags and put words like "peace", "joy", "love", etc. for Christmas and decorated a little Christmas tree with them and other similar, old-timey looking items. They then offered 6 of the tags for a $1 and could hardly keep them in the store!

Paper tags, tea, marker, words....cheap! Profit!

 

[freemotion]

Hmmm.....how is five pounds only 40 loads? I use little sandwich bags, less than half full, to make up mixes and use the water method to make two gallons of the liquid, which does 64 loads at about 1.4 cents per load. Yours is about ten times that. Still a good deal, but....are you giving instructions as for a dry mix? I suspect people still put too much of the dry mix into each wash. Just thinking out loud here. I'm super frugal, and don't even know what laundry soap at the store costs anymore!

 

[valmom]

Such great ideas! I can't wait to see pictures of all your set up