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I don't usually think of myself as a quick learner, but as soon as I went into the antique (junk) business I was off to the races. It was either sink or swim. This meant making plenty of mistakes, but learning from each one. This process is ongoing. I am always looking for new inventory, the latest trends and unique display ideas.
I started with a tiny booth upstairs that I shared with another dealer. Sales started out slow. I kept on experimenting with different inventory and styles. I somehow hit on a winning look when I just simply went with what I love. Not what I was trying to get rid of or some bargain item I couldn't pass up.
Items that I would decorate my own home with.
This was a huge milestone for me. I soon moved to a bigger booth downstairs and about a year after that I added another one. I have been having fun ever since!
One way to display that I have found successful is to put like items together. They can be similar in color,
I am also a little fanatical about taking photos of my booths. Many of these end up on my blog, but I also have another purpose to snap a few. I look at these pictures when I get home and see things I didn't notice when I was there.
For example: You may not notice anything wrong with the displays in this picture. I saw something right off the bat that needed to be changed. You can see the stained glass doors in the next booth through the back of the white open shelves. The items displayed get lost among all of the colors.
I changed it the next day by hanging a burlap sack as a back drop. It may not seem like a huge difference to you, but it did change how the eye followed what was on the shelf.