The Vintage Process: Picking What to Take to Events

Here’s a little graphic continuing an occasional series of posts about the vintage process. This focuses on the things I consider when picking items to take to a vintage event. Much of this would apply to preparing for other sorts of events and fairs too, not just vintage.

Are there other criteria that you think are important?

Vintage Process Picking What to Take to Events

How to Choose? - Selecting Vintage Items

Selecting Vintage

So how do you choose items for the Gleaming Kist shop?

It’s a question I’m asked a lot, so I’ve created a little graphic about what I think it’s important to consider when selecting a vintage item (in my case for sale) but may well be worth thinking about if you’re buying online too.

The Vintage Process: Events Preparation Part 2 Display & Presentation

Deciding how to present vintage items at events is always an issue, events have differences in space and lighting that can have a big impact on presentation. It also matters what mix of items you are choosing to display (See part 1 Picking & Packing).

Having tried a few different formats, I currently use a display style that echoes a traditional dining table. I use vintage cloths and layout glass and metalware separately from jewellery. I then light it with little lights (varying the extent of this depending on the lighting in the venue) that echo a table arrangement. I also often have one large piece with small items displayed on it echoing the idea of a table centrepiece, though it may not be in the centre. This could be a serving salver or a small stand but I vary it according to venue. What’s right for display varies with items, venue and customers.

It’s always worth trying out new approaches.

Part of an event display

The Vintage Process: Events Preparation Part 1 Picking & Packing

One of the biggest elements of doing events and pop-up markets is preparation. I’ve a couple this weekend so thought I’d look at some of the groundwork. If, like me, you do a few different types of events you have to take particular care to pick out what items seem “right” for this specific one. Factors I think about include:

• the type of venue
• the amount of space
• the type of location
• who is likely to visit e.g. gender balance and age range.

 Another big factor is time of year, are people more likely to be looking for gifts for someone else or something for themselves?

Then there’s the physical process of picking it out, packing it for transport and getting it safely (hopefully), to the venue.

The Vintage Process: Photography

I’ve just listed this pretty little trinket box on Etsy and thought I’d use it as an example of how I photograph items to put in the shop. Here is a picture of the box on a plain artist’s canvas that I use as a backdrop. I feel this gives a good neutral but textured background and naturally reflects light on to the object being photographed.

Once I’ve taken a couple of images from different angles I crop and resize the image to fit better with the Etsy photo specifications.

Here is the cropped image for Etsy as the main picture.

If you want to see the range of photos I’ve used to show the inside and base of the box - see here.

The Vintage Process: Selecting Items.

There are lots of different steps that go into selecting vintage. This is the first of an occasional series of posts on the process and the how, why and what of the Gleaming Kist Etsy shop.

When choosing items for the Gleaming Kist Etsy shop I think about a number of criteria.

• Do I like the item
• Do I think others will like it too
• Is it in reasonable vintage condition
• Is it practical for postage?

It’s really important that I have some “feel” for the item myself. Condition matters a lot online, if someone can pick up and touch an item before buying then they get a sense of the condition but online, with only pictures to go on, I tend to err on the side of caution. I also prefer to pick items that I think will stand a good chance of surviving the postal system intact.

Selecting Items