If you’ve done more than one vendor event, you eventually begin to compare your table to those around you. What yours could look like or what you want it to look like. While networking with other vendors you may notice a really neat display or display technique you love. You'll also probably learn a little trick from each vendor you interact with. Hang it all. Get all of it off the table. Make sure it can be seen to draw people in. Make sure it's high in the sky!
And then two different speed bumps slow those thoughts down: portability - getting it to and from the event - and storing it when it's not in use.
Those are problems vendors deal with constantly, which is exactly why I wanted to talk to someone who builds displays specifically with vendors in mind.
J Eller Displays Co. didn't start because someone simply decided to build pretty things for vendor booths. It grew from actually doing vendor shows, seeing the problems vendors encounter, and finding ways to make setup, teardown, transportation and presentation a little easier.
So pull up a chair. This time, we're talking displays with J Eller Displays Co.
How did J Eller Displays Co. get started, and what made you begin creating displays specifically for vendors and small businesses?
I've been making things for people for many years. Trying different trinkets, furniture, cutting boards, you know typical woodworker things. None of them really landed for me, they didn't sell well or I lost interest in making them. While trying to sell these things, I had been doing so many different kinds of vendor shows. The shows allowed me to see the areas that I could improve the vendor experience. That's the gist of how I landed on creating the displays that are easy to set up, also easy to store between shows.
When you’re designing a new vendor display, what problems are you trying to solve first?
Number one, it has to be collapsible. Next, does it look good.
How much does portability factor into your designs? Was creating pieces that break down and store flat something you intentionally prioritized?
Yes, 100 percent. That was the core idea with the displays, also the vendor carts. Vendors move from event to event. It's high stress and high anxiety when setting up at each event. The portability of the displays helps making set up and take down so much easier.
What’s one display mistake you see vendors make that can actually make their products harder for customers to shop?
It has to be that vendors put too much product on their tables, and it begins to look cluttered.
How should a vendor decide when it’s time to invest in purpose-built displays rather than continuing to use what they already have?
I think there's value in just using what you have. That's what I did for a long time, myself. If you're a beginner, definitely use whatever is cheap and available. (Also pick small vendor shows. It helps you get a feel for your processes.) When you get a feel for vending and want to take it a little more serious, that's where I can help with the displays. They give your space a look that says to the customer that you're established and care about your business.
Do you think vendors sometimes focus too much on making their booth look good and accidentally let their displays compete with the products they’re actually trying to sell?
Yes, I think it can happen sometimes. You need to have a good product for your customer first. The quality display comes next.
When someone approaches you for a custom display, what information helps you design something that will actually work for their products and booth?
I try to get every detail possible. I don't want to ship a display out to the customer, and it not be exactly what they wanted. I want to know what they're selling. Maybe I want to see their stuff online too. I want to know what ideas they already had in mind. I try to communicate every little detail and measurements when I'm designing it too. And if I can, I give periodic updates as I move through my process.
What should vendors consider beyond appearance — things like weight, transportation, setup time, storage, durability, or outdoor conditions — when choosing displays?
All of these things, also will it withstand a gust of wind. Wind is always a factor outdoors. I urge customers to clamp their things to their table. (Vendors should bring a tool bag to shows for this reason.)
What’s something you’ve created because a vendor came to you with a problem or need that you never would have thought to design otherwise?
I just did a custom one that was for artificial flowers. It's a super small niche, artificial flowers, I think. The customer picked one of my pegboard displays and asked for a few changes to the design.
If someone has a standard 10’x10’ vendor booth and a limited budget, where would you recommend they invest in their display first?
That's a tough question. It depends on what they're selling, I think. Invest in your product first. Then your processes, like POS (checkout procedures), and how to sell and interact with your customer. Once you get the basics worked out, then get yourself some displays that help organize your space and highlight your presence above the rest of the vendors.
What is one piece of advice you’d give someone setting up their very first vendor booth?
Just start. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just have fun with everything. You'll get to have some great conversations with great people. The rest will fall into place.
And one just for fun: What’s the strangest, most specific, or most challenging request someone has ever brought to you — whether you ultimately made it or not?
I have one right now, it's not so much strange, but I'm not sure I can pull it off. This one requires display walls that exceed the capabilities of my machine, plus I have to crate it up and ship it on a big truck. All of these things are new for me, but I'm confident it is possible.
From My Side of the Table
There are a couple things in J's answers that I think are worth paying attention to, especially if you're newer to vendor events.
The guy who sells vendor displays just told you to invest in your product and your processes first.
I think that matters.
You don't need to walk into your first market with a booth that looks like you've been doing this for ten years. Use what you have. Figure out how you like to set up. Learn how customers interact with your products. Find out what is annoying to pack, what takes too long to assemble and what you never want to carry across a parking lot again.
Then, when you're ready to invest in your setup, you have a much better idea of what problem you're actually trying to solve.
That's also what I like about J's approach to displays. They're not just supposed to look nice in a photograph. They have to collapse. They have to travel. They have to survive setup and teardown over and over again. And, apparently, we need to add "will this thing become airborne?" to the list because every outdoor vendor eventually develops a personal relationship with wind.
Your booth should help your products sell.
It shouldn't become another obstacle you have to fight every weekend.
And sometimes the best display isn't the biggest or fanciest one. It's the one that solves a problem you've gotten tired of dealing with.
Find J Eller Displays Co.
Want to see what Jason is working on next? Give J Eller Displays Co. a follow on Facebook and TikTok.
And if you're looking at your own booth thinking it might be time for an upgrade, you can shop his available displays on Etsy.
Facebook | TikTok | Shop J Eller Displays Co. on Etsy
Pull up a chair — there’s a seat waiting for you at the table!