2023 is just getting started with a new season of upcoming craft fairs! This year I decided to try my luck at Galaxycon, a comic/gaming/cosplay convention here in Richmond VA. I applied for an artist alley table, which is a much smaller space than the 10x10 I've gotten used to. No matter! It will certainly make hauling stuff around easier.
I looked around the web for ideas and settled on a cute little awning design that I've seen a few other creators do. I have a ton of PVC pipe in the garage from Halloween displays, so got to work with a diagram, measuring, and planning.
Thankfully I have a helpful husband who cut some of the longer pipes down to size, multiple times, as I continued to plan and measure and adjust and change my design. Since my table length will be 6', I originally thought I'd make a 6' long canopy to fill up the whole table, but ended up deciding on a 4' long structure, 4' tall in the back and 3.5" tall in the front so the canopy I would put on top would slope down.
(Ignore my kiddo's messy playroom in the background)
The great thing about PVC pipe is that it's inexpensive and easy to work with. It will also be easy to disassemble, transport, and put together at the venue. And it's very light.
With a finished structure, I disassembled it and spray painted all the parts metallic silver. I kind of wish I had chosen metallic gold instead, but the silver is working ok. I bought the awning/top off Amazon (it's a paper tablecloth). It's super cute but very thin, so I'll be taping it down better once on site to straighten it out. I also plan to cut the scalloped ends to make it more awning-like.
I really feel like my booth displays have come a long way. I bought these glasses cases to display my cakes better, as I felt like a lot of people would walk by my tent without coming in. Maybe because they couldn't see anything! Taking some of the wedding cakes and shortcakes out of the boxes I think will help to show how they look more easily. I've got a lot of earrings for Galaxycon, which I expect will be my biggest seller at this show. Though I guess we'll see!
Here's to a successful and fun 2023 craft fair season!
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