| B Business Tips from A to Z |
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Booth Design: Using Fabric Effectively
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FABRIC RESOURCES |
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For woven fabric I would recommend Guilford of Maine; their panel fabric needs to be mounted on substrate to be smooth, but it comes in a variety of beautiful colors. It also comes fire retardant from the factory when you buy it.
Guilford of Maine Flourish Company is another company that specializes in fabric for booths and display. They carry a large variety of flame retardant polyester. Flourish Co. |
There are many ways to use fabric creatively in a booth, but choosing the right fabric is key to performance and longevity. When it comes to fabric wall covering in a booth there are two schools of thought:
My personal favorite is to use sturdy fabric on an aluminum frame, as it is light-weight and breaks down into a few small bundles. It is quick and easy, simple to wash and dry, and if properly designed it will give your booth the definition of interior space and permanence similar to wooden panels or hollow-core doors with a fraction of the weight and setup time.
Stretched fabric is desirable, because properly sewn and stretched it will be free of wrinkles and will create the illusion of a smooth interior wall. Smooth walls are what we are accustomed to when we are in an interior environment such as a home or store. It is a look the customer feels comfortable with and requires very little imagination as to how a particular craft item will look in their home.
I find wrinkly fabric to be very distracting. Positively worst of all is sheets thrown over a pole; it always appears that the craft exhibitor slept on them the night before. Your booth fabric is the background and showcase for your work; it should make your work stand out and create an environment. It should not be too busy or distracting and its color should harmonize with the palate of your work.
Look for bargains, but be careful
Buying discount fabric is a good idea because of the money it saves, but be sure to buy extra, perhaps even enough to make another panel in case one of yours gets damaged. Fabric from a salvage or discount place will not likely have more of the same fabric if you go back later.
If you live near New York City or a garment district in another major city you can get great deals on fabric that is out of style for fashion but perfect for booth walls. Once I bought 50 yards of fabric that was a heavy knit in a perfect pearly blue-gray for $2 a yard. The savings made up for the cost of making the trip from Vermont to New York.
Special treatment
There are many things that can be done to fabric to give it more life and a new look. Keep in mind that fabric can be stenciled in much the same way a wall would be stenciled. This could be a great look for the right kind of craft. It can be splattered -- a la Jackson Pollock -- for a more contemporary look. It can be stained, rag rolled or marbleized.
I once saw a booth that had painted stars on the fabric like the night sky. The background fabric was the perfect color as a canvas for the stars. Many times backgrounds are painted in a mural fashion in trompe l'oeil style. This not only has the effect of making the booth look much larger but it can also create a mood that is perfect for merchandising. I once saw a booth that displayed lampshades created with dried wild flowers and botanicals; the booth walls were painted like a summer garden and the effect was stunning. You might consider not using fabric at all and using bamboo grass screens (the type that are used to keep the sun off a porch). They are inexpensive and do not wrinkle. They are easy to roll up and easy to stain or spray to change the color. Perhaps you might consider hanging pleated-paper window blinds in front of your current fabric if it is old and needs a boost. These pleated window treatments are very inexpensive and easily available. They come in a variety of fashionable colors and can give new life to an old look. Blinds, whether paper or bamboo, not only add a boost of new clean color but a very nice texture as well.
Your booth fabric and how you use it is bounded only by your imagination. You do not have to spend a lot of money to get a great look. Your creativity is more important than the money you spend.
Bruce Baker is a jeweler, a gallery owner and a nationally recognized expert on booth design. He and his wife, Nancy Dunn, own two craft shops, Middlebury Jewelry and Design and Sweet Cecily, both in Middlebury, Vt. Contact him to arrange a seminar or to order his cassette, titled "How to be a Dynamic Craft Seller," at (802) 388-3434. Write to him at 40 Main St., Middlebury, VT 05753-1426, or visit his Web site at www.dbakerinc.com.
DECEMBER 1999:
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