Vintage Booth: Tips & Tricks For Success

Are you passionate about vintage decor?

Window shopping

Vintage shopping

Antiquing

Thrifting

Flea Markets

Yard Sales

Antique Shops

Thrift Stores

Estate Sales

I love it all, how about you?

And after a whirlwind year of Thrifting with the Gals, a favorite blog series I host here on the third Thursday of every month, I was craving just a little more.

After all, I really thrifted a lot last year…

So, the next natural step in setting my 4 top thrifting goals for 2022 was to find a vintage booth where I could begin reselling and flipping some of those vintage finds in an antique store.

What is a vintage booth?

A vintage booth is a small space or area set up to showcase and sell vintage or antique items. It can be found at flea markets, antique fairs, antique stores, or dedicated vintage shops.

*Truth be told, this vintage booth window is a creative outlet and hobby for me, not a primary means of income. I love collecting and decorating and am so excited about this next adventure. So, if this is you, these antique booth tips and tricks are for you.

To learn more about the business side of a successful vintage booth, visit my friend Joanna over at the Antique Startup, who teaches the skills, tricks, and strategies needed to start and run a profitable first time antique booth business.

What Should I Look for When Choosing a Vintage Booth?

3 Key Elements to Look For When Choosing a Vintage Booth

It’s essential to look at the contracts and monthly charges, of course, but it is all worth it if the traffic is there, you enjoy the people, and it’s all convenient for you to make it worthwhile!

Manchester Country Store & Deli Antique Booth

I looked at just one other location before finding this vintage booth space in the Manchester Country Store & Deli window in downtown Manchester, Vermont. Just the right location.

The other antique store in our local area that I looked into had at least a year’s wait and a very long waiting list. This vintage booth window space at The Manchester Country Store immediately stole my heart. It is one mile from our own home and in the heart of our four-season resort town in the mountains of Vermont.

This small booth space suited me perfectly.

It’s open, airy, and bright.

To say I got a tad lucky is an understatement. I was prepared to wait up to a year or so for my own booth space to open up.

It’s been an absolute whirlwind and much fun getting my first booth ready, but I couldn’t be more excited!

You may also enjoy Thrifting with the Gal’s monthly round-up Spring Thrifty and Things post.

Check out this 11 Creative Ideas to Display Your Vintage Collections post, too.

What Do Customers Look for in a Vintage Booth?

I spent this entire week bringing in just the right new items I believed our seasonal Vermont shoppers would enjoy. Every town and customer can be unique. And I already have quite a collection of treasures from a year of Thrifting with the Gals.

12 Vintage Booth Tips & Tricks:

1. Choose a theme: Decide on your vintage booth’s specific theme or style. This could be anything from mid-century modern, retro, farmhouse, or bohemian.
2. Curate your collection: Select vintage items that fit your chosen theme. This could include large pieces of furniture, home decor, clothing, handmade items, accessories, vinyl records, books, or collectibles.
3. Choose 3 or 4 oversized ticket items: Make up the rest with small items.
4. Display your items creatively: Arrange your vintage items in an eye-catching and organized manner. Use shelves, racks, tables, and other display props as a focal point. Consider grouping items by color, style, or era to create visual interest. Display each piece as it could be used in one’s home.
5. Don’t clutter your vintage booth, but have plenty of merchandise available.
6. Make it all accessible so the customer can walk around and touch it.
7. Supply a stack of business cards so the customer can reach you with any questions. This is a great way to add a personal touch and for loyal customers to learn more about you.
8. Vintage booth shoppers are not like those of us who like to pick. This is important to remember. They want a pleasant shopping experience and want to be sold.
9. The entire booth should be aesthetically pleasing and have vintage charm.
10. Plan on fluffing and restocking with new inventory at least every 1-2 weeks.
11. Using risers, like stools, to stack up and heighten your merchandise is a good idea.

12. Create a visually appealing booth: Pay attention to the overall aesthetic of your vintage booth. Use vintage-inspired decorations, such as old suitcases, vintage signage, or antique frames, to enhance the visual appeal. Keep your booth clean, organized, and visually appealing to attract customers.

Remember to regularly rotate and refresh your inventory to keep your vintage booth interesting and enticing to customers. Stay up to date with current trends in the vintage market and consider attending vintage trade shows or networking with other vintage sellers to expand your knowledge and customer base.

How to Start Selling in an Antique Booth

First, I ordered these adorable custom price tags with my logo on one side and this blue jute twine to tie the tags onto the merchandise.

Custom Price Tags

Custom price tags are a charming way to show how much you care for the items you sell, adding value to your brand. Small price stickers work best for small, hard-to-tag items.

Vintage Booth Logo Sign

Next, I ordered this custom sign for my first vintage booth to hang proudly with my Dabbling & Decorating logo.

Tools

Do you have a partner, spouse, or friend who uses your tools and never puts them back where they belong? My third suggestion is a Bag of Lady’s Tools. I swear by these ever since my girlfriend introduced me to them! I always know where they are, and since they’re pink, nobody feels the urge to steal them…

They are perfect to have on hand to hang that valuable picture, fix broken merchandise, touch up dings and dents, etc… Helping to keep your vintage booth in tip-top shape.

Shop Vintage Booth Supplies

The first day setting up was a very long day for sure…

However, the owner, Lisa, couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating. And her nickname is MacGyver!

She nicely offered me price tags and a non-smudge pen to use until my new price tags arrived. She even fixed a broken wheel on a French market basket that I wanted to display in my booth.

She has the best candy treats, too, with an old-fashioned candy counter available in the store!

You may also enjoy the post Just 4 Blue Dishes on the 4th of July.

I love the beautiful flower touches she added to my booth, too.

As this week ends, my vintage booth window is all set up at the Manchester Country Store & Deli. Next week, I’ll add all my custom price tags and signs, and then it’s time to head back out for some Thrifting with the Gals.

And if you’re ever in the Manchester, Vermont area, stop in and say hello at the shop. You will find all my vintage affairs in the window. Yeah!

You may also enjoy the posts, Vintage Booth Winter Window Display and Dress Form Mannequin: In Home Decor.

For this antique booth wall display, you may also enjoy the post, Let’s Make a Homespun Vintage Booth Wall Display.

What I Have Learned From 2 Years Having a Vintage Booth Business

I can hardly believe it will be two years in March of 2024 that I have had this vintage booth in the window. I’ve learned so much since first writing this blog post. The biggest takeaway is knowing and understanding what your customers are looking for and want to purchase. It’s not the same for everyone. Here’s what I have learned:

Most of all, have fun!

Best wishes with your antique business!

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