Getting Ready for a Big Show – Vintage Reselling

So I’ve been getting ready for a Big Show and that’s put me behind on my blogging. But here’s what it’s like getting ready for Junk Bonanza!

I feel so guilty lately that the blog has taken a back seat to Junk Bonanza prep, but the cruel fact of life is I’m not Wonder Woman. As much as I wish I was either the Linda Carter version or the Gal Gadot verision of Wonder Woman, sadly I can’t deflect bullets or get everything I need to do done while saving the world.

Nope. I’m just a wonderful woman like you.

But instead of putting the blog on the back burner, I decided that I should take you along and show you what it’s like to get ready for a big vintage show.

Getting Ready for a Big Show!

If you decide you want to be a vintage reseller you might find that just having a booth at an antique mall or other shop isn’t enough to make ends meet. 

I know, I can’t either.

That’s when you start looking in your area for vintage markets or pop up sales that you can participate in. In our area we have several. In the past I’ve participated in a few and I might take on a few more in the coming years.

Junk Bonanza is the biggest show in our area. And it’s the one I’m preparing for now.

This show is a five day endurance test for resellers. The last time I went it took me three days to recover, but it was so worth it.

Junk Bonanza from the Vendors Side

When you sign up for Junk Bonanza you can choose early set up for an additional fee. I always pay the fee!

I’m not fast at setting up and inevitably I’ve forgotten something crucial that I need for set up.  It’s always best for me to have that extra time.

This means instead of a day to set up I get a day and a half.

A day and a half to completely set up a 10×12 space and make it look like a mini store for the shoppers.  It’s difficult on the best day.

Then you have 3 days or fevered selling where you’re mostly standing. Your back hurts, your legs hurt, you’re exhausted and your energy is gone.

Lucky you because you now have 4 hours to tear everything you didn’t sell down, load it up, and drive back to whence you came!

You read that correctly. A day and a half to set up and 4 hours to pack up. This is pretty typical of all these sales.

Getting Ready to Go

Well it’s not pretty. Let me get that out of the way right up front.

Preparing for Junk Bonanza is as much of a grind as the set up and tear down. I started even earlier this time because I’ve learned from past shows and still I somehow feel behind.  I have almost a month before this show and I’m behind.

Let that sink in.

Now, I am a little different from some sellers in that I don’t want my junk to be dirty. Some vendors don’t care.

Some vendors are perfectly comfortable digging an insulator out of the dirt and slapping a price tag on it. 

Not for me.

I need my junk to be clean. So it’ cleanin pricing and packing. If I was smart I would have been pricing and packing pieces as I brought them into inventory and if you’re that person God bless I envy you so much. I’m always more excited about finding the junk than I am about selling t. So I so much work ahead of me.

Deciding on Your Layering Pieces

Once everything is cleaning packed you might think its time to go! Your all set right?

No.

Now it’s time to figure out your footprint of your mini store and figure out your layering pieces. 

Layering pieces?

Those are the small pieces of furniture that you can comfortably place onto opt you large pieces.  They are essential to making it space visually appealing.

Keep that phrase in your grade. Visually appealing. You are set up in a market with potentially hundreds of other vendors with a lot of the same jun you’ have, so your challenge is to rope them in and make them want to sto and shop your stall you need to make your space as visually appealing as you can.

In an environment like Junk Bonanza your display better be on point because the competition has been planning for their WOW FACTOR since the last sale. I garuntee it.

As you work to set up your display you have to take frequent steps back to look at your details and see if you think it’s visually appealing.

Lighting The Stage

At these shows you’re going to be asked if you want to pay extra for electrical. 

The answer is always YES!

It’s $10 bucks or around that price point usually and it can make a world of difference to the look of your space.

I’ve seen a lot of vendors who choose not to pay the extra and their space looks nice but with the harsh overhead lighting being their only illumination the space looks flat and dull.

Choose a variety of different lights in your space. I always pack a spotlight or clamp light for direct lighting on some pieces, fairy lights and more.

Once that’s all done, yeah you’re still not done. How much change should you get? Do you have a check out stand or no? Do you take credit cards? If so through what app?

Let’s talk more about this on Tuesday. As you know I have opinions. ?

We’re going to cover it all!