Jewelry Display Tent: 7 Tips for Surviving Gusty Winds
by Dita Basu.
(Walnut Creek, California USA)
I had all planned out how to make my booth as pretty as it could be, but I never realized what can happen if there is a nasty gusty wind.
This time I was sharing a booth with my ceramic artist friend who forgot to bring the weights for her tent.
I usually do a mock show before each craft show even after five years doing them six or seven times each year, because each show is different and I want to be prepared for that.
My booth looked as planned and satisfactory to me in the beginning of the day, but as the wind picked up in the afternoon it was a disaster. The gusty wind from the marina knocked every thing down including my esteem and self confidence.
The tent was uplifted. The sides acted like sails.
But I learned an important lesson from this experience and this is how I am preparing now:
1. Insist on taking my own tent even if we are sharing- because I know how it works. Take weights no matter what. It can be a great help to a neighbor’s forgetfulness or mistake.
2. Give weights to busts and other display units like the signs. Here is what I have done – I glued tiles at the back of the lightweight things. Use lots of silly putty wherever needed.
3. Take ropes, s hooks, paper clips, safety pins, silly putty, heavy duty tapes, scotch tapes and clamps.
4. Put bases using tiles to light weight rotating earring holders and larger bust displays. I plan to load the earring holders with earrings and cover with plastic cover for ease of packing and quick display.
5. Use baskets and trays where people can shuffle the smaller jewelry pieces which are packed in plastic covers or see through boxes.
6. Rena’s idea of using trays lifting up with easel picture holders work great and withstand the wind.
7. I have also taken Rena’s other marvelous idea of using photo cover journal binders to show off earrings and small pendant sets. I found a nice photo box with such photo cover sheet in Jo Ann at the Wedding things section. It will work perfectly.
With all these changes and extra precautions I hope I’ll be able to sail through against gusty wind next time.
Dita Basu
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