So, I thought I had quite a few Christmassy things to put in my booth for the upcoming season, but after looking at it, I realize I have failed quite miserably. My booth does not look as festive as I had pictured in my mind. Not at all.
I partly blame the fact that I cannot plug anything into any wall outlets (against store policy), so all the Christmas lights I had pictured, would not work out. Also, I have two cute vintage ceramic Christmas trees, but they sure look sad without any lights on - so I did not even bring those in yet. I put in a few cookie tins (more will come), some Christmas mugs (I officially sell more coffee mugs than I ever thought), and some children's Christmas books. Oh - and I did bring in all my Christmas craft books I had stored in a guest room closet and never made anything from - the guilt is gone! Hopefully they will entice somebody else's crafty temptations.
I also have a whole bunch of Christmas linens I would like to sell, but I have no idea how to display them, and my booth is starting to look a bit cramped. Any ideas on how to display linens in a small space?
I did bring in some new crystal liquor glasses - these look a bit holidayish to me with their pineapple cut pattern (to replace two sets of Dorothy Thorpe roly polies that have sold in front of my Mad Maine sign).
Also, do ice skates with red piping count? I have an old-fashioned sled in my basement too that I always envision I will do something with by my front door, but it has never happened (like the craft books). Maybe I should bring that in too.
Other than that, my booth looks about the same in terms of its whimsical style. And maybe the rest is meant to go under the tree anyway ;-)
By the way, I met another booth owner today that has been doing this very successfully for years (and has a couple of different booths around the store). I asked him about the upcoming Christmas season and how he prepares for it. He does nothing differently! Is it perhaps a female thing to want to decorate our booths for Christmas?
How much do you decorate your booth specifically for the holidays?
So fun to see other spaces, bummer on no lights. With a small space and linen I would just lay it here and there like on the luggage rack I think I see in back or if you could find a coat rack/ hall tree that works well in a small space. I'm like you, I always think I have tons of Christmas items and then it never seem like much, I think you have just enough, great job
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Thanks for the kind words, O Wise One. I have such a crush on your booth (don't tell mine). And thanks for the tips on the hall tree - that made me think of my fancy tomato cage in the basement that might work in a similar way!
DeleteYes, ice skates with red piping count. :-) I always have grand plans about decorating my space for the holidays but then reality steps in and I realize the time & money I might spend on that is better spent on inventory. I do pile on lots of vintage ornaments so it looks Christmas-y but they're all for sale.
ReplyDeleteThe mall I sell in allows us to plug things in (difficult to sell lamps that aren't lit up) and at night when the stores closes, all those lights, lamps and little light-up Christmas trees turn off at the same time with the flip of one switch. No idea about their electric bill tho'... Happy Thanksgiving!
That sounds like a cozy place all lit up - you should post a picture :-)
DeleteYup, ice skates count. I don't have power access either, which stinks. But my rent would be more, and I love how cheap it is! I put up that crazy silver foiled tree so that it would look bright and sparkly without being plugged in. I haven't sold any ornaments yet, but the shop owners love it. Your booth as always looks great!
ReplyDeleteNobody can plug into the grid in my store, high rent or not - so at least it's equally gloomy ;-) I like the silver foil tree idea. Also, I just remembered seeing somebody using those battery-operated tea lights from the dollar store in their booth. Will get some of those to put into some colored glass. Festive presto!
DeleteI find your booth to be plenty festive. Luckily my store encourages plugging things in, good thing, because most of the store is very dark and there are no windows except in the front. I shall use your booth as inspiration to get all of my booth extremely festive ASAP. :D
ReplyDeleteAw, that's sweet, Van. My store also have a couple of windows in front, so it can get pretty dark in certain corners. Adds to the "Mystique", I guess ;-)
DeleteI can plug things in, but I never have because it involves running an extension cord behind my neighbor's booth. Too much work for me! Not so for my husband, who'd found working vintage Christmas lights and wanted them plugged in. Now my booth shines, and it's all thanks to my own personal Clark Griswold.
ReplyDeleteI love your ice-skates. White and red are eye catching Christmas colors!
A personal Griswold - lucky girl!!!
DeleteI also don't have as many Christmas items this year, and so far nothing has sold. I'm hoping everyone will start their decorating for the holidays soon. One thing I did different this year to decorate my booth was to use pages from a Christmas children's book on the back of some of my shelves. This helps highlight my items and add a holiday feel to the booth.
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