Creating a Farmer's Market Table Display

After going to a business seminar last weekend, my personal consensus was that since I live 15 blocks from Fremont Sunday Market, I ought to set up at the market, if only for the research opportunity it represents. This particular market has a low barrier to entry - you simply need to show up at 7am on Sunday, sign in and pay $40, which includes a sturdy table (this time of the year it is in an underground parking lot).

I didn't want to just go and throw a nasty looking table cloth on a table (which I have done before with fairly shocking results), so I started drawing my dream table with the helpful ideas from the seminar. My pieces are small and bright colored, so I ended up choosing black. Also because the pieces are small, I wanted a display that would literally get in your face :)

I got a humongous sturdy black tablecloth from amazon.com for $11, and then took a trip to the University Bookstore for large sheets of black matting and some black foam core.

There followed much cutting, polishing and anguish over the fact that black does a great job at looking uneven unless you are really good. I think the results are pretty good. I set it up on a 4 x 3 table. It will look a little more spread out on a 6ft table (I will add some of my drop plates and a newsletter sign up sheet).

All that's left for today is to complete my inventory list, pack the extra/duplicate items and make some price signs.

The full set up.

The tall shelf comes up to eye level on me and has lots of cubbies that hightlight small pieces, plus a 'scenic' shelf for really tiny items.

Larger scale shelf to feature some of my anthropomorph and goblin figures.

"Rummage" basket with pinch pots that contain lots and lots of different beads and pendants.

The 'scenic' shelf of the tall shelving - it looks nicer in person!

The grid area of the big shelf, showing how each piece is nicely framed.