How Do You Make Your Show Booth Inviting? compiled by Kimberly Geib

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My clothing is very soft and light to the touch. I urge customers to [touch the work] by placing it close to the aisle. Once they feel it, they can instantly imagine how comfortable it would be to wear.

Also, I frequently adjust/re-hang my work, slowly spinning my circular rack, moving things around, etc. Movement always attracts people's attention. It also gives me a more natural way to strike up a conversation once they do stop by (vs. popping out of a corner and scaring them away).

Suzanne Gentes
Suzknits
www.suzknits.com

I put a lot of thought into how I can make people feel welcome in my booth, without being overly solicitous or overbearing. In fact, this is kind of funny -- I did a lot of research on what kind of "candy" to put out for my prospective buyers!

Bruce Baker had mentioned offering food to shoppers, in his seminars and on his tape, "How to Be a Dynamic Craft Seller." I asked a lot of craftspeople, took in many considerations, such as: Many people are allergic to nuts and chocolate, so those are no-no's; items should be individually wrapped (like Halloween candy) to keep things hygienic and to prevent people from grabbing handfuls at a time; and it should be something tidy to eat and non-melting.

I finally decided on Werther's candy (rich butterscotch, individually wrapped), with some inexpensive lollipops for children who weren't able to handle small hard candies.

The Werther's were a [bit] expensive, but turned out to be worth their weight in gold. They were a huge success! People who were a little tired and hungry would perk up at the offer of a little treat. Bored husbands with arms crossed were delighted to be handed a candy with a cheerful, "Here, have one of these while you wait!" Even people who would automatically say, "No, thanks" would stop and exclaim, "Oh! Werther's! Yes, thank you!" Whiny children were soothed for a few precious moments with a lollipop while mom shopped.

If children were scolded for touching my work, I would immediately say, "Please touch! My jewelry is very durable, and I encourage people to touch it." Then I would put a piece in their hands and let them stroke it. This not only made the parents feel good about their children being in the booth (which allowed them to stay longer), it gave me a chance to talk about my work as I explained how I made the piece to the child, or told them the story of what my Lascaux horses mean to me. Parents would listen while I talked, and that allowed me to give them a sales pitch in a discreet, low-pressure fashion.

In addition, I kept out some of the gift tags I use to enclose with my jewelry, and would offer one to children from time to time. If they were well-behaved, I'd say, "This is for you, for being so good while your parents are shopping!" If they were being awful, I'd distract them by saying, "Would you like a little picture of a fish or a horse to take with you?" Parents were grateful for the distraction so they could shop, just because an artist was being pleasant to their children. An added bonus -- the tags have a description of my work, and my contact information, just in case they decide to contact me at a later date!

Luann Udell
Durable Goods
fiber and polymer clay artist
Keene, New Hampshire

Kimberly Geib is editorial assistant of The Crafts Report.

JULY 2000: TABLE OF CONTENTS