the dust has settled over our weekend at chatsworth, and what a beautiful weekend it was. if you haven't already seen it, ella has made a post dedicated to our weekend on instagram too.
this blog outlines the design decisions and intentions behind our trade stall!
while we were considering chatsworth country fair as a market option, we thought deeply about what we wanted the outcome of the event to be for thehuggablehook - essentially asking 'what do we want to achieve?' the invoice was more than we've ever paid and it was a completely new realm of not just being surrounded by, but competing with large, well-established brands. it was certainly a daunting task.
we were most concerned about looking out of place next to these brands - as a new business, our trade stand budget comes in significantly lower than established brands. for this reason, we had to get creative with our displays. we used a combination of modifying displays we already had from previous events and building others from scratch. i'll use this section of the blog to break down our setup and our thoughts behind each decision.
we wanted our setup to be easily shopable, with opportunities for customers to gracefully exit the stall should they not wish to make a purchase. we appreciate that from a customer point of view, a 3x6m trade stand can be quite an intimate setting for browsing so our main focus was not just showcasing our product, but making shopping a comfortable experience. the vision for the booth was to create the vibe of a cottage, with carefully selected soft furnishings, nice furniture and wrapping it all in ruffled curtains to really make the booth feel as though you've walked into a warm cottage, sheltered from the rest of the fair.
at the entrance to the stall, we needed something to grab the attention of passers-by. we found an oak rocking chair on facebook marketplace, which was quite worse for wear. after some sanding and a coat of oil or two, the chair was back to its former glory, ready for some soft furnishings and our mama goose and baby goose (the baby goose has now sold). on the other side, i had custom built a base unit for our 'a frame' stand, raising it to a comfortable height where it showcased a variety of our products so visitors could decide whether entry was worth it! i'm pleased/relieved to say most did enter!
behind the rocking chair, i had also custom built a stand for a vintage metal laundry basket which we'd found from a lovely woman we'd met through facebook marketplace. the basket contained our absolute best seller - mini bees! the stand worked perfectly and ella painted a 'bees' sign which i bolted to the front. opposite this, our large totes were hung on a clothes rail for visitors to flick through, the beautiful designs are classy crosshatch quilt were a real eye catcher!
if we keep going towards the back, the display behind the bees contained our pencil cases. this was another display for which i had to build a base unit to lift the display to eye level. i believe the display originates from a children's pretend farm shop? anyway.. the display looked beautiful and allowed customers to sift through ella's designs.
the 2 tables, opposite from eachother housed all kinds of products. the left hand table had our beautiful wool beanies in crates, and our keychain wallets in a tall wooden display which i'd reinforced to ensure it didn't topple over. the right hand table housed kindle sleeves, snugglers, turtles, wristlets and bookmarks. the snugglers were immensely popular, despite the fact that we weren't entirely happy with their display.
our previous setups included 3 tables, all with stock so there was no clear space dedicated to a checkout experience. for this reason, we built the til which can be seen at the back of the booth to ensure customers have a space to set down any bags, making the process of retreiving a wallet/phone much more comfortable. it folds down for transport and has a panelled design.
it's safe to say that our vision came to life! we received so many compliments on our booth, visitors loved the homely feel, and of course our beautiful, handmade products.
we ended up acheiving exactly what we set out to acheive: to spread our vision to a wider audience.
we learned so much in the buildup and during the show, thanks to everyone who visited us, and those who made a purchase either at the show or online! we're so blessed to have all of your support! if you did happen to visit us at chatsworth (or kilnsey), i'd love your feedback on the booth - leave a comment on this blog, or send us an email!
catch us at sandringham this weekend (12th & 13th sept) and keep an eye out on our social media for updates from over the weekend, the chatsworth post and new product drops over the coming weeks!
many thanks,
josh
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