Sunday, September 30, 2012

Market Ready




          

Market season starts 1 week from today at the Hyde Park Market!

I have big display changes planned.

For one thing, I have a new tent.
Well, new to me.  I bought it used from a nearby metal artist who had only used it once.  It's an "E-Z Up", which is what a lot of vendors use.

My husband and I set it up in our yard today to make some final adjustments.

This new tent weighs A TON but is amazingly easy to set up and take down, much easier than my old tent.

my very first market, 2010




Plus, my old tent, shown on the right, is light brown.  I'm thinking a white tent will flatter my merchandise more than a darker color.









Well, what we needed to figure out today was tent weights.  The previous owner had 4 cement-weighted pvc pipes made to go with her tent, but hadn't needed them for the one show that she did, so hadn't devised a system of hanging them.

A lot of market vendors use this type of weight system.  Most of them just bungee cord the thing to the leg of the tent and call it a day.










Well, I'm guessing most of the market vendors are not married to engineers either.  I am, so these things get a little more complex.

A trip to Home Depot was first on the agenda this morning, then a rummage around the tool box.







Plastic coated wire attaches to a carabiner, which clips on to the tent.

Then it's secured to the tent leg with a Velcro strap.



That should do it!  And no worries about appearances-- merchandise will hide it all.

4 comments:

  1. Your tent looks great! What things will be for sale under your tent? Do you vendor for a full weekend or just one day? Hope you have lots of customers and sell many things.

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    1. Dar, I sell mostly merchandise from my Etsy store, along with some "market exclusives" like selvage key fobs, ID lanyards, and Everyday Napkins. The markets take place first and second Sunday of the month, Oct.-May. They end in the mid afternoon, at which time I pack up, go home, shower and change, then play a Florida Orchestra concert in the evening! (It's a long day.) Thanks for your good wishes, I'm hoping for a fun and successful season!

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  2. Thats really smart! I may have to share this with my dog agility friends that use popup tents all the time. One of them bought a brand new tent and it blew away same day.

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    Replies
    1. I wouldn't set up a tent without weighing it down first Katie! Even gallon jugs filled with water and tied to the legs help, or cinder blocks work as well. Tampa Bay Markets requires 100 lbs. of weight per tent.

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