Vintage events....the inside story!

Why run a vintage event?

The explosion in interest in all things vintage is fed by a vast range of fairs, vintage festivals and themed days all over the country.  All these events are organised and managed by someone with the knowledge and skills to bring many elements together to create a harmonious event.  Many people have been tempted into trying to run their own event and at face value it looks like an easy proposition.  "Just" hire a hall, get some stalls, place some ads and take the money!  But as any fair organiser will tell you, running a fair is very stressful and time-consuming - recently, a fair organiser told me she would rather organise 5 weddings instead of one vintage fair.  It is fun putting on an event, and a great buzz when it goes well.

Running a vintage or antiques event can be a way of expanding your vintage business.  Be prepared for a lot of work and stress - you may not even make much money on your first venture.

Local vintage jumble sale

Where to start?

Like any start-up, identifying a gap or niche in the market is a key start point.  If you live in an area where there already many fairs, you may have missed the boat to launch another.  There is probably a finite number of customers and sellers to get involved in any area, unless you have a massive following or deep pockets for advertising far and wide.  On the other hand, the number of successful events might suggest that there is enough interest and enthusiasm for a new event, particularly if you can come up with something original. 

Test the market

 If you have friends who trade or buy at vintage markets, ask their views.  Would they support a new fair, do they have any suggestions about timing or location, what do they like/dislike about other events?  Market research could yield some useful answers and help you develop a unique proposition.  

Unique Selling Point

A fantastic venue, such as a private estate, unusual  historic building or even a under-used town or village hall could be a perfect location and make your event feel different.  Try to identify a Unique Selling Point (USP) that will make your fair stand out. Many vintage fairs offer a mix of vintage and handmade items; vintage-style tea rooms and cafes; nostalgic music and entertainment.  Your USP could be the venue -  a chance to see inside a wonderful building or garden could  be a huge draw.  Or perhaps a local celebrity or well-known author signing books might draw the crowds. Selina Lake, a well-known author and stylist recently launched her book on Pastel Style at a lovely vintage fair in a wonderful historic market hall.  Her name and incentive of goody bags, drew a lot of people to the event.

A stall at an outside fair in the Hampshire countryside

Venue

The choice of venue is very important factor, both to draw crowds, provide the right facilities and ambiance and because venue hire will be one of your biggest costs.  Civic amenities such as town and village halls, are usually hired out by the hour, with extra charges for early or late opening.  Many come with restrictions on use, which can be a headache for the organiser.  Some will require you to take out an events insurance policy to cover your public liability.

Do bear in mind access to free and convenient parking - traders hate having to unload and then move their cars to distant car parks.  Parking on site is ideal and free parking nirvana!  A town centre venue rarely offers such a luxury.  If you are running a town centre event, make sure that you tell traders where the cheapest long-stay car parks are located or even arrange a deal with a local car park.  

Village halls can be cheap to hire, with facilities varying from basic to beautiful.  Many are well located on main roads, with ample parking and often by recreation fields which is great for families visiting your event.  Check out before you hire if there is a playing field - if your event is on at the same time as a local sporting fixture, the car park may not cope with all the cars.  

If you want to find something a bit different, renovated barns are often stunning venues but are likely to be costly as they are used primarily as wedding or party venues.  For the same reason, hotels and conference centres are likely to be rather expensive.  Or you could approach the managers of a local attraction such as show garden or petting farm, that might be willing to host an event to increase their own footfall.  Playing fields, public parks, stately homes, country estates and even school playing fields out of term, can offer the ideal space for an outdoor event. Your local council will have a list of venues that can be hired in your area.  Hiring a marquee can add a huge cost, so if a new venture, why not suggest traders bring their own gazebos.  Or offer a gazebo hire as an additional, chargeable service.  Gazebos can usually be borrowed, hired or even bought cheaply out of season.

trading from a gazebo at the Avington Brocante

Make sure the space allows for an adequate number of stalls, bearing in mind that stall fees should cover this cost.  Space per stand/stall is around 9 foot (to allow for a table of 6ft length and space to get in and out)  and about 5-6 feet out from the wall, to allow for chairs behind a table.  You may want to divide your space into bigger sections if people are bringing furniture.  Make sure you measure your space and use the floor plan to draw a layout to scale.  You can always use the middle space in a room or marquee for stands arranged in a single row, or in a "boxing ring" formation with tables on the outside of a square, traders inside.  If there is a stage area, this can be used for stalls and side rooms as well.  Outside space such as a courtyard or forecourt might be suitable for sellers of garden items or plants and flowers.

Other facilities to check are the kitchen/catering areas - some halls are well equipped and others only have rudimentary facilities.  In the latter instance, you will need to work out what equipment you may need to bring including crockery and cutlery, which adds to your workload.  Also check the toilets - are these adequate for your estimated number of participants and of course, disabled access.  Public buildings must conform to standards, but if you are using a private building they may not have suitable facilities.  Some listed or Heritage properties are not easy for disabled visitors to access or use.

Cakes and produce

Timing of your event

You must alow sufficient time to bring your new event a new to market including recruiting stallholders as well as your customer base.  Well established fairs that run on a regular basis can roll out new dates at relatively short notice, but a new event needs a longer incubation.  It is advisable to start planning about 6-9 months before your proposed event date.

Check out competitor fair dates, both locally and also the big national fairs that attract a lot of dealers (Ardingly, Newark, Kempton).  Bank Holiday weekends are often packed with events and activities aimed at families, so may be sensible to avoid.  Peak holiday times such as late July and August are also tricky - many people are away and those at home are probably spending money on days out with their families.  This may not be relevant if your fair is running alongside another activity such as a summer festival or country show.  The day of the week could affect your numbers.  If you are in an area where many people are free during the week then a day in the week may be fine.  In a town or busy city, weekends are likely to be better when people are at leisure. What works in one area may not work in another, but Saturdays generally seem to work very well for most events.  Don't forget that special days such as Mother's Day, Valentines and Easter might conflict with a vintage event. 

Attracting stallholders

Once you have settled on a date and theme/name for your event, you can start to recruit stallholders.  Many organisers use promotional postcards or fliers to promote their event to both potential stallholders and to customers. Spending a bit of time and money on having an attractive and well-worded postcard designed can is a worthwhile investment - this will be the showcase for your brand. Think carefully about the event name and overall "look and feel" - is it classic, retro, vintage - your material should reflect your desired image. These days, organisers are coming up with exciting and enticing names for their fairs - some good examples include:

The Sussex Country Brocante

The Vintage Jumble Sale

Country and Artisan Market

The Decorative Living Fair

Cuckfield Emporium

And in the USA, they have some cracking names such as Junkstock.

A distinctive name will be easy to remember and be part of your USPs.

Stallholder - getting the right balance

Getting a good mix of stallholders is absolutely essential for a good event.  If you have a good contact list,  use it to invite a handpicked group of traders.  This is a great way of ensuring you have a good range of stock and of the right quality on offer.  If you are starting from scratch you will have to actively recruit your stallholders.  This can be done through advertising, fliers place in local antique/vintage centres and at other events.  If at a competitor vintage fair, check with the organiser if they mind you approaching their stallholders and visitors.  Some even have a table for advertising other events, and one or two will not allow you to distribute.  Offer a swap - suggest that you promote your event in return for promoting their fair at your event.

Facebook is another great way of launching your fair and promoting it to potential stallholders and customers.  Set up a business page for your fair or as an event on your personal page and begin building a following.  Invite friends and followers to like your event and share to other pages which are seen by potential customers.  This might be community pages for your area, interest pages, other vintage business pages.  

Make sure you update your Facebook page regularly with photos and news about your event. Use the event flier as your profile picture to really make it stand out!  It's a good idea to put photos up of stallholders' stock when announcing which sellers are joining you.  Don't forget to tag the seller when you put the picture up.  Ask your sellers to promote the event via their page as well - cross-posting can reach 1,000s of contacts.  Twitter is a fantastic way of reaching out to customers - don't forget to hashtag your event so that those searching the Twittersphere can find it - the hashtag #vintage works well.  Try to get friends to re-Tweet your tweets or get a conversation going with your vintage community.

Once your event is established, word-of-mouth recommendation by stallholders is always valuable.  And if you do really well, you are in a position to invite your best stallholders to show at your events.

Administration and operations

It is essential to be systematic in dealing with enquiries, bookings and follow-ups.  Nothing is more irritating and off-putting to a potential seller if an email or phone call is unanswered.  And it doesn't give a good impression of your efficiency as an event manager!  Creating a booking form is a good idea - collect the usual name, address, contact information, Facebook and website pages and mobile number.  Additionally, ask for a short description of what will be sold and if possible, stock photographs.  You may want to vet unknown buyers and having photos gives you a chance to see what they bring.  Check out their Facebook pages for pictures and see if they have an active following.  It is sensible to get payment upfront, as you will have many costs to cover.  This is always the headache for any organiser - you may have to chase payment to ensure it arrives before the day.  To simplify this, consider setting up a special Paypal account which is a very easy way of receiving payments. www.paypal.com

Once you have the booking form and payment, around 7 days before the event confirm the operational arrangements to your sellers by e-mail.  This should cover the following:

• Set up/unloading time slot - you may wish to allocate a time slot if parking is limited
• Where to park - details of allocated parking/local car parks/costs
• Trading hours including any early opening times
• Admission charges to the public
• Catering - what is available
• Breakdown times - time slots/parking arrangements if necessary
• Health and safety reminders re electric cables; secure shelving units, clear gangways etc

Stallholders really appreciate efficiency, as they often have long journeys and other arrangements to put in place to attend your day and do not want problems when they arrive!  If you need to issue car park passes, wristbands, tickets etc make sure these are sent out in good time. And do have a contingency plan for those who turn up without them! ie a record of who is coming and who has paid for what. 

Lay-out of your event

It will help you and your traders if you have a floor plan prepared and stands allocated.  Most venues can provide a black and white floor plan or you can sketch your own (even use graph paper if it helps).  You can then work out how many stalls you can fit into the space.  Make sure you leave fire exits clear and that there is sufficient space between each stall for people to move in and out.  Gangways must be kept clear for pushchairs and wheelchairs.  Number the stalls and allocate on your master floor plan - do this in pencil, as you may need to change it before the day.  

Some people will have specific requests such as having  wall space, being near the cafe or being next to a friend.  It is up to you to decide how to allocate and on what basis.  If all else fails, allocate on a first come first served basis, rewarding those that make an early commitment with a good spot.  If you are offering outside space, make sure there is a wet weather option or just advise those sellers to be prepared!  Gazebos are relatively cheap to buy or hire but that should be the sellers' responsibility.  Most venues supply tables and chairs, but do be clear if sellers need to bring these along with them.  Experienced traders often have their own tables and props.

On the day, make sure you have several copies of the floor plan and even pin one to show the allocated spaces so it is easy for sellers to find their space.  Also, any helpers can see where people should go without having to ask every time.

Getting in the customers

An event of this type is only a success if you can get quality customers through the door.  Not just people having a look, but people buying from your stallholders.  This is the area where many new fairs fail - it is so disappointing for the organiser and the stallholders are so frustrated and upset.  So, you must give customer promotion your full attention from the get-go.  As you recruit your sellers, so you can also promote to potential buyers.  Your promotional postcards and fliers can be distributed around local shops, cafes, pubs, tourist offices, antique and vintage centres and fairs.  Give your sellers a supply and ask them to give out to their contacts.  You may need to print several thousand postcards or posters but this can really pay off.

Use local media to promote the event - your local newspaper, free paper or even parish magazine are all channels to potential customers.  You will probably need to place display ads in relevant papers and magazines in the weeks leading up to your event.  Advertising can be costly, so think carefully about where you advertise.  Look at the circulation and reach of each potential channel.  Can you advertise online and in print - good to do both, as not everyone looks at the Internet.  If your fair is more ambitious, you may want to advertise in monthly magazines such as BBC Homes and Antiques, but this is a big outlay for a new event. 

If you plan ahead,  many popular magazines will publish details of your event in a free listings/what's on section. National magazines need this information several months ahead; local papers work on a shorter timelie.  A press release should include the date, time and venue of your fair, your details and contact information and some interesting points about the event eg number of sellers, type of goods to be found, refreshments, entertainment etc. 

Some local radio stations do a mention of events so don't forget to send them information - not too far in advance though.  Call up to find out how they work and what they need to publicise your event. 

Outdoor promotion

Good signage will also help to bring customers to your fair.  Easy to read signs advertising the date, venue and times are ideal. You must be careful to check out what is permissible - many councils are actively against signposting of events unless done by the AA and RAC.  Take a lead from other local events and use sites and spots that are established.  Avoid tying your sign to any important road signs especially warning signs, as it may distract a driver and cause an accident.  If you can find private land where the owner is happy to display a sign, then that is ideal.  Be sensitive to the environment - use recyclable materials where you can and do take the signs away after the event.  Handmade signs, using pallets or wooden boards can work well or have them professionally made by a sign printing specialist.

Designing your signs

As most people see signs from a car, it is really important they can be read without causing the driver to go off the road!  Large clear dark type on a light or bright background is ideal.  Don't try to put too much information on one sign - people will only have a few seconds to read it.  Vinyl banners can be made large and displayed from fences or walls - these can be costly but a good investment if you plan to run a regular event.  A-boards can be good in town centres, but there are usually conditions on using these set by local councils.  Wall mounted posters are fine, but make sure you laminate them or put them in a weather-proof clear plastic folder, otherwise the rain will damage them.  Sizewise, A3 and even bigger signs work well, but smaller A4 posters can work inside shops, on car windows or at bus stops or community noticeboards.  Local shops usually make a small charge to display a poster, but this is a cheap way of reaching out to a wide audience.

Leaflets

Some fair organisers arrange for leaflet or flier drops to the area close to their fairs.  This involves posting a leaflet through every letter box.  It might be easier to pay a local student to do this on your behalf or even the local paper boy with agreement from a newsagent.  Targeting key areas near your venue can work well, but it is labour-intensive.

Refreshments and entertainment

Catering is a very important feature of any event - everyone likes tea and cake.  Having wonderful lunches or teas available will be a real draw and brings in considerable money.   Many venues now require caterers using their kitchens to have a basic Food Handling and Hygiene Certificate.  This can be done online at relatively low cost, if you plan to cater your own event.  However, catering is a lot of work so it might be better to consider other options.  If you have friends/family who love baking, why not ask them to run the tearoom or bake some cakes for you.  Basic sandwiches, tea, coffee, cake and soup in the winter is a good place to start. Or you could be more adventurous and offer baked potatoes with fillings; savoury quiches; sausage rolls; cream teas- this will largely depend on who is available to cater and serve before and on the day.

The alternative is finding an event caterer who can run this aspect of the event for you. A possible arrangement might be to charge them a basic fee for catering and they keep all the profit or some kind of profit share arrangement.   Or you could buy in the food from a caterer at a wholesale price and then serve and sell it yourself at a marked-up price. Ask around for recommendations - a small independent caterer may welcome the chance to showcase their food in return for some promotion and publicity.  Where possible, using local produce, preferably free range eggs and meat is always a great extra selling point.  Using Fairtrade tea and coffee is also worth considering.

Stallholders really appreciate a free cup of tea or coffee as they set up and if you can offer free tea/coffee all day you will be very popular!  Give traders some kind of token or ticket if they get free refreshments to avoid confusion with the serving team.  If set up is very early, it is a great idea to offer early morning bacon butties, pastries or toast to stallholders.  Many will have driven a long way and made an early start.

If you feel entertainment would add something extra to your fair, then investigate the costs against the benefits.  It does add to the atmosphere but is not always vital. Vintage style hair and make up artists are popular at some fairs where fashion is the focus; cabaret singers or musicians are fun to include although if too loud can be offputting.  Not everyone wants to hear live music all day, so break it up with some quieter periods as well.  One idea that is popular is a Gentlemen's Creche, where bored husbands and boyfriends can read the papers, drink a coffee or even watch some TV.  This works very well particularly if there is any sporting occasion co-inciding with your event.  If your event is on a licensed premises or you are willing to obtain a license to serve alcohol, a bar can be a good thing to consider.  You might limit drinks to wine and beer, or perhaps Pimms and Prosecco in the summer. This can be quite a tricky area, with the laws concerning under-age alcohol sales, so it might be easier to hire in a mobile bar if you want to keep things simple.

The big day - your event!

All your stallholders should have received a final communication from you about the day; your floor plan is prepared; your caterers are ready; your support team are briefed and it is the day!  Arrive early so you have time to prepare before the stallholders arrive.  If you can set up the venue the day or night before, then this takes off a lot of pressure and hard work first thing.  Tables and chairs should be laid out, with a sign allocating each spot to a stallholder.  If you are not ready when people come early, ask them to wait until you are - otherwise things become chaotic and stressful. 

Once you let the stallholders in, be prepared for lots of questions.  If you have a team of helpers on hand, it is fantastic if they can help stallholders carry in their stock.  This is particularly useful if parking and unloading slots are restricted and cars have to be moved off.  This part of the day is hectic and so any help you can give traders will be well received.  Local teenagers might be keen to earn some money by acting as "porters".

Be on hand to ensure that traders keep their stock within their space and that they meet your health and safety requirements.  As the organiser, you have a duty and a responsibility to the public to ensure that the fair is a safe environment.  So no leaning towers of Pisa of stock propped precariously or cluttered gangways full of boxes and bits. 

Let the traders know when you are about to open the doors - a 10 minute warning is helpful, so that boxes and spare stock can be cleared away.  Once the doors open, you want the aisles clear of any clutter and stall holders ready to meet and greet their customers.

During the day

You may decide to trade yourself or help out on the door or in the kitchen.  Whatever you do, remain available and visible so that any problems can be sorted out quickly.  Ideally, your team of helpers will be on top of running the catering and you can be free to jump in where needed.  It is a good idea to walk around towards the end and just get some feedback on the day.  If you want customer feedback, you can ask people to sign up for emails about future events as they leave and ask where they heard about the event, would they attend again etc.  This is very useful information for future planning.   

If you are planning another event, this is a good time to secure interest from your stallholders - they may be keen to book straight away so strike whilst the iron is hot.

At the end

This can be the most chaotic part of the day as everyone is just keen to get away and home.  If parking is limited think about having someone in charge of this so it doesn't become a free-for-all.  You might ask stallholders to pack up first and then bring their cars in once they are fully ready to load and go.  This stops parking places being blocked by people who are taking ages to pack.  If parking is not a problem then everyone can be left to get on.  As the organiser, you have a duty to leave the venue clean and tidy.  This includes putting away any furniture, leaving the kitchen immaculate, removing rubbish, sweeping up floors and picking litter up.  You may lose your hire deposit if the venue is not in a good state when you leave.  If there were any problems when you arrive, make a note and take photos so that you are not held responsible - eg dirty kitchen, litter etc. 

Make sure that any cash taken on the day is locked away securely whilst the breakdown goes on - it is a time when a lot of people are moving about and carrying stuff out to cars.  So don't take the risk of leaving any cash boxes out or in your bag.

Thank yous

It is always a nice gesture to thank your stallholders, customers and helpers.  You could put something up on your Facebook page or send out personal emails.  A small thing, but always welcomed by those involved in your event.

Budget and accounts

To keep tabs on what you are spending before the event, it is sensible to set up a spreadsheet listing all our outgoings as the Event Budget.  This would include venue hire, advertising, printing of leaflets, catering costs ie supplies/food items, insurance, parking costs, fuel (when you drive around to put up signs/posters), hire of staff and equipment.  You need to estimate and total all your fixed costs (ie the costs that are not recoverable/spent in advance of the event).  Put in your estimated costs and then when you know, update with the actual costs. Your fnal estimated costs should be less than your forecast income, otherwise you will lose money.  Break even ie where costs match income, may be acceptable on a first event, but ideally you should aim to make a profit.  You have probably spent many hours of your time unpaid, so your net profit is payment for your work and effort.  There are no hard and fast rules about how much profit you should make unless you plan to do this on a commercial basis going forward.  You may be happy to make £100 or expect to make £500. 

The income from your event can also be set out on the same sheet - fees for stalls, takings from door admission and catering sales are your three main areas of income.  You could try and forecast what you think you will make to give you an idea of your final profits.  For example:

20 stalls at £40 gives you an income of £800

300 visitors at £1 per head creates £300

Catering takings (work on an average spend per head - say £3.00) 300 x £3 creates £900.

So your forecast income is £2,000.  When you count up your takings after the event, see how close each part gets to your forecast.  Your overall income is not your final profit.   You must then take away all your expenditure, to give you a net profit figure ie the money left over once all your costs have been met.  With the right planning and good luck, you should make a profit or at least breakeven.   If you have lost money, then you may need to assess where you spent too much.

Conclusion

A lot of fun can be had by running your own vintage event and it could even turn into a profitable venture, with some work.  There are pitfalls as a lot of money is commited before the event runs, but careful planning and budgeting should help to manage the risk.  I have been running antique, vintage and other events for 30 years and a good event still gives me a real buzz.  Good luck with your events, if you decide to start up.

Finishing touches - what the well dressed stall is wearing this year

I have been going to a lot of fairs in the last 12 months - there seems to have been an explosion of vintage fairs in the south east of England and beyond.  What I find most impressive, and to be truthful just a little daunting, is the level of detail and attention many traders expend on making their stalls fantastic showcases.  It's not just about selling a few bits and pieces, it's about luring people into the vintage lifestyle and creating aspirations to re-create a certain "look". That feeling of wanting to recreate something beautiful or unusual within your own home with that "must have" item.  I must admit to frequent stall envy when I am at fairs - I am never happy with my own stall layout when I compare it to some incredibly well-styled stalls.  Of course, everyone's stock varies and some things are easier to show off than others, but  it is the finishing touches on each stall that make them special and unique. 

It is often the smallest details that make the difference.  For example price labels can be madea lot less humdrum and a bit of care and attention makes quite a difference.  Currently, I am using colourful old luggage tags stamped with a wonderful greyhound stamp bought on Etsy.  You can buy readymade stamps very easily and cheaply, or have a stamp customised with your name and logo. Wooden stamps with a special little picture can be a simple way of customising standard tie-tags or labels and craft printing ink pads give you the option to print in a pretty colour.  Black and white is always crisp and smart, but ring the changes with a bold colour choice to make your tags eye-catching.  Some people even use craft stamping kits to print all the information including price on their tags- rather labour intensive, but very stylish.   Brown tie on tags, easily obtained from stationers or online, are great for labelling rustic pieces or country-style displays.  Pretty coloured tags in pastel shades look effective on dainty china and sparkling glass or on vintage textiles.  I use a calligraphy pen to write labels - even the most unspectacular writing looks better written with such a pen.  You can make your labels as plain or pretty as you like with a bit of thought and effort.  Labels can be tied on with string, colourful ribbon or even raffia - each conveys a different image from rustic to romantic.  Stick on labels are not exciting, but for some items they work better than a tie-on.  Be careful not to use a sticky label on anything where the residue will damage the item such as a book, paper item or fragile textile.  Books can be priced in pencil on the inside or use a plain bookmark inside with the relevant details inscribed.

Your table can set the tone for your display.  Most fair organisers provide a standard trestle table, these days usually plastic or formica topped.  I know some traders who take their own tables and these can create part of the overall look.  Lovely old rustic wooden trestles, some with flaky old paint and some au naturel, look beautiful stacked with vintage treasures.  If taking your own table is not possible, due to space restrictions, then using pretty table coverings is a must.  I use plain linen cloths which make a neutral backdrop for my collections.  But, a lovely velvet curtain or bed spread can be used for a sumptuous look, or a colourful cotton bed sheet for a crisp and colourful background.  Floral, striped, plain cloths - all can look great but should not overwhelm your display.

Display shelves, crates, boxes and plinths help to add height and visual impact, and create a more professional look to a stall.  One trader who I see at many events uses a range of wooden crates, painted in white, to stack as shelves.  The crates are versatile and make a great backdrop for their colourful stock.  And it maximises space on a trestle table as well.  Old apple crates are relatively easy to come by and can often be bought at larger outdoor antique markets or even via ebay. Cath Kidston used them to great effect in summer 2011 in her store windows.  Each crate had a painted interior in primary shades and they were packed with pretty goods.  Proof that a great display does not have to be expensive.  It's easy enough to paint or decorate a crate - even just Blu-Tacking some pretty wrapping or wallpaper inside can add a decorative note if painting is too long-winded.

Cath Kidston's window in Cambridge

A simple display case can be made out of an old drawer - this could be lined with paper or fabric and then covered with a sheet of clear plastic or glass.  An old fashioned printer's tray is ideal for showing off lots of small items.  The tray could be painted in a neutral shade or left in its original state.  Perfect if you sell little items such as buttons, beads, jewellery etc that fit neatly into the compartments.

If you can find vintage display items to use on your stand, this can be very effective.  Old fashioned tailors' dummies or vintage dress makers' models are ideal for displaying all kinds of things.  Clothing can look better displayed in this way, or jewellery draped or pinned onto the model even old badges and brooches.   Vintage shop display cases and shelves are very attractive and often feature glass doors, sides and tops, to make it easy to view displayed items.  These display cases are collectable in their own right, so don't come very cheap but you might be lucky enough to find one on ebay.

If money is tight, IKEA have some great display items such as mini-easels which can be painted and used to display prints, pictures and cards.  Old wine boxes often given away at specialist wine shops can also be used as shelves, painted or unpainted.  Mug trees painted a pretty shade are good for hanging up jewellery.  Look around your home and utilise your existing storage and display accessories.  A small bookshelf painted in a natural shade can be used to show small items; an old fashioned clothes airer is ideal for textiles and a plate rack great for stacking delicate bone china plates.

Colour themeing can be a great way to style your stall - having uniform colours for display shelves and stands can help pull a stall together.  A subtle grey is very fashionable at the moment and is a good  counterpoint to bright colours or subtle shades alike.  Taking one step further, some stalls even stick to a certain palette of colours preferring to buy their stock in a limited colour range.  Hard work but with a fantastic result.

Little touches of humour are a great finishing touch on a stall.  A cheese dish with a toy mouse under the dome or a child's chair dressed with an old doll or teddy adds a light-hearted note.  The quirky and unusual will catch the eyes of your potential customers as they walk by. Don't be afraid to let your personality shine through your stall - it is easy to copy the crowd but developing your own style "signature" is more original.

Using flowers and plants can really dress up a stall, especially in the spring when there are so many lovely and inexpensive potted bulbs available. Hyacinth, narcissi, daffodils and primroses look charming in old pots deftly placed on top of cupboards or in a teacup or bowl to bring natural beauty to the picture.  Cut flowers displayed in old glass jugs, single stems in pretty vintage bottles or natural twigs and leaves all have their merits.  I have even seen bowls of conkers used to dress a stall selling simple French rustic items.   In the summer, flowers and herbs are plentiful and a wildflower bouquet easily assembled to dress a stand.  Geraniums in weathered terracotta pots look fantastic, especially at open air events.  Lavender plants are cheap to buy and when in flower smell delicious.  Winter displays look festive with pine cones, greenery such as ivy and holly.

pretty spring flowers in a garden display

If you want to splash out, providing your customers with a good quality carrier bag for their purchase does lend a touch of class.  Handsome white or brown heavy duty paper carriers with string handles look smart and they can also be printed with your logo or you can add a sticker with your name and logo, to make them your own.  These types of bags are not a low cost investment, so you might prefer to recycle carrier bags.  Many carrier bag manufacturers can be found online.  For smaller items, traditional candy-striped paper bags are fun and come in a range of hues.  Normally, you have to buy a few hundred at a time.

Wrapping customers' purchases in tissue paper will create a professional feel at events.  Plus it protects the item/s and avoids the messy ink of newspaper rubbing off on delicate pieces.  Blocks of tissue can be bought from florist suppliers or online and comes in all shades and patterns. You can pick a colour to fit in with your brand colour/s - pastel shades are particularly pretty or floral patterened tissue.  Each purchase feels like a gift when beautifully wrapped up and adds to the feelgood factor.  So much nicer for your customer unwrapping some pretty colourful tissue, than some old, scrumpled newspaper.

If you are selling at a Christmas fair, you could take this to another level.  For example, putting some loose lavender heads inside the tissue package or some scented pot pourri.  Using decorative string or gift labels could be a further twist or you could offer a gift wrapping service, if you have the necessary skill and patience.

Your business card is a very important touch - people love to pick these up and keep them.  Make sure your card is on your stall and put one into each carrier bag with a sold item.  Many cards are now postcard sized, making use of great photos or illustrations for maximum impact.  You may have to invest in a graphic designer to produce something but some of the budget online printers do have templates available.  Bulk digital printing is now relatively inexpensive and companies such as Vistaprint provide a quick, accessible service.  Your card is your showcase so make sure it looks the part.  Don't forget to put on your Facebook and Twitter tags, website details and contact information.

the back of a fun business card

Other little touches that are worth considering include having wrapped sweets in pretty foil to offer - in a glass jar or little bowl, this can look quite charming.  One stallholder I know often has a plate of beautiful shortbread hearts on her stand - very popular with the visitors.  Offering a giveaway is a nice gesture and does help to bring people to your stall. Someone else I know has had some very smart pencils emblazoned with her logo and has these in a china pot on her stall. 

These small details may need a little time and effort, but if they bring more people to your stall or unit more sales should follow.  Plus, you will get the reputation of having the best dressed stall at the fair or market and this may secure you an invite to exhibit at one of the top-end fairs or shows.  Having the right look is very important to these fair organisers.

Enjoy styling your stall and finding those little extra flourishes that can make such a difference.

Pricing your treasures....

Pricing new stock is something of a dark art - there are no strict rules or easy formulas to share.  Some popular collectables, such as Beswick or Royal Doulton figurines can be priced in line with the relevant price guides. But putting a price on something unusual, a one-off or something that is showing a bit of wear and tear but retains a faded beauty and charm is far harder, as it is often down to the arbitrary matter of taste.  As you become more experienced, you will automatically start to think about what you can sell items for as you buy them.  There is no point paying too much and then being stuck with an expensive white elephant. And once the trading bug bites, you will never want to pay the asking price for anything again - bargaining will become second nature.  I even negotiate when I buy things like TVs or white goods - I haven't tried haggling in supermarkets yet though, but give it time!

If you are going to trade on a regular basis, I am assuming that you are doing it as a money-making venture.  Ideally, you will be recouping your outlay on each stock item and making a profit margin on top.  Your return can then be reinvested in new stock and possibly provide a small income.  Everyone has different reasons for trading but in this current recession, many people need extra ways to generate money.

To clarify, the profit margin is the difference beween what you pay for and then sell an item.  Don't forget though, that your total sales at any event is not your profit, but your turnover.  Your net profit is the turnover,  minus the purchase price of sold stock and any expenses incurred ie stall fee, travel costs, refreshments, materials for repairs and car parking.  Most people don't cost in their time - I suspect if we did, most of us would be working at a loss. 

Pricing is often subjective and based on what you think someone might be willing to pay for an piece that is stylish, unusual or or has the "look".  You might be able to gauge a sale price by comparing similar items on other stalls, magazines or on-line.    "On trend" items at will achieve higher prices - interior and fashion design has a big influence on what is desirable.     A few years ago, French enamel ware was popular and sets of kitchen canisters sold for very high prices to fans of shabby French chic - then enamel fell out of favour partly because the prices soared. Mid-century (C20) furniture is now in vogue with buyers in their 20s to 30s, and there are even specialist fairs that just focus on this period.  Yet 25 years ago, most people turned their noses up at 60s style preferring the chintzy, faux-Victorian style popularised by Laura Ashley.  You might find you hit the trends on the button and get great prices for your things for a while; then the fashion changes and you may be stuck with things or have to reduce prices.

Pricing based on fashion and trends is quite tricky, because it is not based on a definitive price guide.  You can take a bit of a chance and price boldy if you feel you have a special piece.  After all, it takes time to source these show-stoppers, so don't let these go for a song. 

Pricing can be flexible, and you can always start high and then reduce your asking price, if you want to do a deal and move something on.  Stock does become stale and ties up your cash, so it is good to shift those items that are sticking and sometimes a price drop is the answer. That's why many dealers at trade fairs don't label their stock, preferring to offer a price verbally and then negotiate. All traders end up with "old friends" - those pieces that hang around and come out at every fair.  Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and just let them go at little more than you paid.  But at least you have released the cash to invest more wisely in other stock.

Whatever you buy, do some basic research on your items or by mistake you might sell something good at a giveaway price.  After a while, pricing becomes easier as you learn more about what you are selling and about your customers interests and requirements. Research has become incredibly easy with access to millions of references on the Internet.  Before the Internet was widely available, most traders gleaned their knowledge from books, particularly annual price guides such as Millers and also collectors' clubs and specialist magazines like Collect it!.  There are also collectors' clubs for pretty much everything from egg cups to cruet sets, Sylvac to Moorcroft pottery.  Collectors' clubs can be a great source of information particularly on rare or unusual pieces and be a ready market for buying such items. 

Nowadays, the Internet is an incredible resource to research the background and history of items, as well as their value.  Hard copy annual price guides usually take/highest a high price achieved at auction in the preceding year or two on each illustrated item.  So, it is not real time information and from my experience, the given price is rarely achieved at fairs and markets. But it is a starting point and an upper guideline on price.

Online auctions give you real time information on recently traded items, giving you a really good insight into potential price.  If something interests you but you don't want to buy it, you can "watch" the item and see its selling price.  Of course, selling in your local vintage market does not give you access to a global audience,  so the online price might be a lot higher than you can achieve at your stall.  Do consider when using the internet auction sites or price guides that the item's condition, backstamp or maker's mark, colourway or pattern can make big differences to price.  Your item might look the same, but even a small difference in design or colour can affect its value to a collector.

Other seller's sites on the Internet will give you a feel for style and pricing - Facebook features a plethora of amazing vintage and antiques businesses here in the UK.  I follow a number and if they have a website, take a look at those as well.  Some of my favourite pages are Goose Home and Garden (www.facebook.com/goosehomeandgarden)  and Winter's Moon (www.wintersmoon.co.uk).

There are numerous specialist books and guides out there covering silver, pottery, glass, costume and precious jewellery, toys, books, furniture and textiles.  Start to build up your own reference library of books which will help you identify and value your stock. Many books focus on the history, design and production of items - pricing is not always mentioned.  Background reading gives richness and depth to your knowledge and develops your eye for beautiful pieces.  Anyone who loves vintage and antiques is sure to be interested in the history and provenance of your best pieces.   Some sellers give a flavour of this by putting some description and history on their price labels - this is a great idea, if you have the time to do it.  If there is any original paperwork or packaging with any piece on your stall, do keep this with the item - such as the original box for a toy or the original sales receipt with a vintage dress.  This is valuable social history and adds to the value of the piece.

There are some simple ways of working out pricing if you want to take a more systemised approach. I have a simple rule of thumb and try to at least double the asking price on what I paid for something. But often the multiples are much higher - even an item purchased for a £1 and sold for £10 is a great return on investment.  Bigger items can bring you great profit margins - an old table bought for £20 and then painted and waxed might sell for £120.  There is scope to do very well on furniture, if you are able to restore and update old pieces. With the current trend for painted furniture, I know several traders who buy up very ordinary looking brown furniture and work magic with paint and wax to create a very desirable interior piece.   For inspiration take a look at Harriet's Attic (www.facebook.com/harriets.attic)

You will need a large vehicle to transport furniture, storage and a workshop space to make the transformations - not ideal, if you live in a flat!  Bear in mind the costs incurred for materials and time involved in doing any work on pieces.  This will cut into your profits - sometimes it is easier to leave something unrestored and let someone else have the fun of doing it up. 


Some traders are quite happy to sell a lot of items with a small profit margin - this relies on two things.  Firstly, being able to buy a stream of items at a good price that will sell quickly; secondly, to trade at enough events to generate the sales and to keep trading costs such as stall fees low. This involves a lot of leg-work  to keep stock replenished,  but it is a lower risk strategy than having all your money tied up in a few expensive pieces if you are just starting out.    I try to have a range of stock across a wide price range to appeal to all pockets.  In the current economic climate, even affluent people are thinking twice about what they spend and many people limit themselves to a budget when they go to fairs.  If you do have very expensive pieces, be prepared to have them for a while.  If you can afford to do this and wait to get your price, then no problem.  Upgrading to better pieces that command higher prices is a good aim to have, as you learn more and find the fairs attracting the specialist or high-spending customers. 

You will begin to develop a gut feel for pricing - this will come from a combination of seeing other traders' prices, Internet and offline research, price guides and information in magazines such as BBC Homes and Antiques.  Homes and Antiques is a fantastic magazine - great for highlighting trends and fashions in interiors and with useful price guide, collectors features, places to visit and buy antiques,  reviews of fairs, even a Sale and Wanted column. (www.homesandantiques.com)  

Other inspirational magazines and where you can get a feel for prices are Country Living (www.countryliving.com) and Country Homes and Interiors (www.housetohome.co.uk/countryhomesand interiors).  Both have superbly-photographed features about decorating with vintage and antique items - good for getting your eye in on current trends and pricing information.  I have stacks of these magazines and constantly use them for reference and inspiration.  There are a lot of new magazines picking up on the vintage trend including Pretty Nostalgic (www.prettynostalgic.co.uk), Vintage Life (www.facebook.com/vintagelifemag) and several others. 

Auction houses are another source of intelligence on pricing.  Auction houses have valuation desks where you can take in items to get an idea of auction value. If this is for insurance purposes, auction houses will charge for this service.  But if you are considering selling the item at auction, you may be able to get a free valuation and some basic background information.  Bear in mind that the auction is the equivalent of buying wholesale so the auction price may not be what you sell the item on for.  Normally, you would hope to achieve a better price.  The BBC TV show, Bargain Hunt, is rather confusing on this aspect.  Here people buy items at fairs and sell at auction, with the aim of generating a profit.  This rarely happens, proving the point that auctions tend to generate lower priced items than fairs.  There are exceptions, but watch the show and see how it works.


Pricing is often about trial and error.  We all make mistakes - the item that flew off your stall with dealers competing to buy it, is quite possibly an example of something that was priced too cheap.  A while back I sold a beautiful pressed glass dish with sea creatures on it for a few pounds at a little local fair - the same dish turned up in a local antiques shop for £90.  Ultimately, it might not have sold for that price, but they got a great buy from me, all the same.

If you sell to the trade, you have to accept that they will sell on and make a further profit.  This is the antiques and vintage "circle of life".  Many traders are happy to make their profit on something, knowing that the trader who bought it will also make a profit.  Some will even buy at a fair from you and then put the item on their stall at a higher price straight away.  On Ebay this is known as "flipping" - and can bring a nice quick return.  I have friends who regularly buy at a boot sale and by the time they go home, have "flipped" most of their bargain purchases!    Traders love to sell to each other - hence the old joke about two traders on a desert island selling the same thing back and forth between them.  Things can pass through many hands before ending up in a private home.  Most fairs bring a mixture of trade and private customers - you will soon learn the difference. 

Like most things in the antique and vintage business, pricing is trial and error and you will learn by experience and making a few mistakes.  In the next chapter, I will talk about selling and about "knowing your customer".

To buy or not to buy....sourcing stock

Once you have traded at a couple of fairs and had good results, you are probably ready to widen your horizons.  Perhaps you are thinking of trading at more fairs or even taking a unit in a centre.  Hopefully, you have got the bug and sooner or later will be going out on buying trips. And if you do a regular fair, your loyal customers will relish seeing a few new items each time.  This adds to the excitement of your stall and keeps it fresh.  As a rough guide,  I try to change my stock with at least 50 % new items at a regular fair - I keep back the older stock for my unit or for other fairs.  Or, if I can't manage to buy new stock, I vary how I arrange my display and give prominence to different items.

Finding good quality, reasonably priced stock is a constant challenge - you can spend every day looking or just a couple of hours a week if you are time limited.  There are many sources for buying stock, some more reliable and fruitful than others.  You can go far and wide, even abroad, to find pieces, but to start off with these are a few possible avenues to explore:

Auctions

Buying at auctions is a relatively hassle-free way of buying, but not always at bargain prices.  Many of the auction lots will not be suitable or be within your budget.  But it's possible to buy a lot of items at one sale, saving you time and money, if you think of the cost of driving to a lot of different places.  Auctions can be found all over the UK and are often advertised in local papers as well as in the Antique Trades Gazette website and newspaper (www.antiquestradegazette.com).  The Gazette has an extensive list of major auctions and fairs across the country. Also,  look out for the small, one-off sales that might not get widely advertised - charity auctions or house sales.  Many auctions allow on-line bidding or you can leave bids before the sale if you can't attend; location is no bar to bidding at most sales.  But bear in mind the cost of having items delivered if you are not close enough to collect them yourself.

Do try to go along and view the sale before it starts; most auction houses allocate several days to view in advance or at least an hour before the sale begins.  This is your chance to check over the items you want to buy very carefully.  If there are big lots of grouped items try to go through the boxes and see how much is damaged.  Damaged stock, unless very rare or unusual, does not sell well and you could end up losing money if you are not careful.  And you might find something really good in a big mixed lot, with any luck you might be the only one who spots it.  I used to love buying these big mixed lots for a few pounds.  These days, with online bidding, geographical location is no bar to buying so prices have gone up in many cases.  But the general sales can yield some great finds.

Many years ago I used to attend a Saturday auction in Romford - an eclectic mix of old and new items were sold there.  It was a great afternoon's entertainment, with a real East End wide boy auctioning off the lots in an old shack.  I spotted a Clarice Cliff dish, which at first glance looked damaged.  The "damage" was actually just paper labels that had stuck to the surface which could easily be cleaned off.   The auctioner was even going to miss out the lot, until I expressed some interest.  I secured the dish for a very low price and quickly sold it on at a great profit, having cleaned off the labels.  It really does pay to look at things carefully and not be in a rush.

To avoid auction fever, you can leave bids at the sale and then you will not be tempted to over-bid.  If you do go along, try to set an upper limit and stick with it - it is easy to get carried away. If you are bidding against a private buyer, they won't be thinking about re-sale value and often pay over the odds for something they really want.  Plus with a buyer's premium of 10-15% on top, you will pay more than your final bid if you secure the lot.  The disadvantage of not being at the auction is that you can miss some great bargains and buy them ad hoc.  If you are successful, you must collect your items within a few days and pay all the costs inclding buyer's premium.  I am told there are some great country auctions in Devon and Cornwall and also Wales, where you can come away with boxes of great things for little money! If you are holidaying in rural areas, it is worth asking about local auctions and sales - you might get lucky and stumble on one! Even agricultural auctions can yield some interesting items, in amongst the tractors, equipment and even livestock.

Car boot sales

Another great source of stock is from car boot sales and garage sales.  Buying successfully at boot sales requires perseverance and a lot of luck.  You are bound to find a boot sale close to home all over the UK.  There are lots of websites listing boot sales and your local free papers will probably carry advertisements for them, too.  Bear in mind more people go to boot sales on a Sunday than church! there will be alot of competing buyers looking for the same kinds of things as you.  Opinions vary on when to get the best bargains.  Some say get there as early as possible for the best pickings; others arrive later and find the items that get put out after the first rush.  I prefer the earlybird attack - a challenge  in the winter when it is too dark to see what you are buying, so take a torch.  Boot sales are frenetic and exciting, especially if you have never been to one before.  There are a few basics to consider;

• if you like an item pick it up or hold on to it while making up your mind - otherwise someone may jump in and buy it in front of you;   

• haggling over prices is totally acceptable and expected - and cash is king; people rarely accept cheques so take plenty of money including small change so you are not kept waiting if sellers don't have change ready at hand;

• as the seller opens their boot,  ask them if they have the particular type of items you seek -  they may only have modern household stuff or clothes and you could be wasting time waiting for them to unload.  Also, if you ask and they do have something, you have a chance of seeing it first;  if you spot something in their boot of interst, ask if you can see the item when it comes out;

• I always ask if I can look through boxes if they are unpacking very slowly - some sellers get very angry if you rummage without asking and manners cost nothing.  Sadly, some people are very rude and pushy at boot sales, and I have seen arguments and even fights break out.  By being polite and friendly you will stay out of these situations.

By attending a specific boot sale on a regular basis, you will get to know the regular sellers and the best sources of your kind of stock.   It is helpful to get to know the regulars and some may even look out for stuff for you or keep things back, if you are a regular buyer and willing to pay a fair price.

Everything and anything eventually turns up at a car boot sale - but it is a case of buyer beware.  There are fakes around and even experienced dealers get caught out.  A very experienced kitchenalia dealer I know bought a piece of Cornish Ware which she thought was rare, for a few pounds. On checking the Internet, it turned out that the item had been faked and she had been unlucky enough to buy it.  But there are some amazing finds too -  I know of one specialist in Chinese art who found a small ceramic bowl, which later sold for over £30,000 at Christies auction house!  

Try and spot the sellers who are having a genuine clear out or selling off granny's bits and pieces, amongst the regular traders.  Their items will be new to the market and not have done the rounds of every boot sale in the county. The first-time or novice seller is often a bit slow to unpack and maybe a bit disorganised, but being patient and polite can yield results.  House clearance stalls can be good for inexpensive and unusual finds amongst the rows of boxes and crates.  The good stuff is often sold before the van is unloaded to regulars, but there is still a chance of finding a bargain or two.

Haggling is fine, but if you make a really cheeky offer, don't be surprised if you get a short and pithy response.  One trader I know smashed up a table in front of a buyer who kept on trying to haggle him down on price - he got so fed up with her, he made his point in very dramatic fashion!  I've seen sellers smash a piece of china rather than sell it too cheap.  You do get allsorts at car boot sales, so be prepared for anything.

Boot sales usually run on Saturdays and Sundays, but there are a few sales in the week, particularly during the summer. These can be less competitive and a bit more relaxed.  You will soon find the boot sales that you like and get to know the traders. It's a fun way to pass a morning and buy some exciting new stock.

Garage/house sales

Garage sales and house sales are getting quite popular in the UK, particularly when people are moving. Householders lay out their wares in their garage, garden or driveway and buyers come to the house for the event.  Usually the sale is only advertised locally or even just on posters and signs on the day - keep your eyes peeled for these.  Canny dealers get there early or sometimes the day before, to bag the bargains.  If a phone number is published, I usually ring to find out what is on sale and if I can come along early.  If it is just household stuff with nothing much else, I may not rush along.  But even then, it may be worth a look - people often don't know what they have got and their idea of old rubbish might be your idea of a bargain buy. In some places a group of houses, even a whole village, will hold a collective sale when any householder can put out a stall and sell in their driveway.

Jumble and rummage sales

In the 70s and 80s, I used to haunt local jumble sales and get some extraordinary bargains.  I bought vintage clothes and textiles for a few coppers as well as old books, pictures, china and old toys.  I would queue for an hour before the sale started to be at the front of the pack.  The old hands would try and see through the gaps in the door or the window where the good stuff was set out to plan their attack.  As the doors opened, the pack would rush in like hounds chasing a fox.  With no time to look at every item closely, I would just grab the things that looked good and pile up my purchases.  Very satisfying to get three or four boxes of items for a few pounds.

Sadly, the days of the traditional jumble sale are pretty much over - jumbles are still held, but tend to be full of plastic, kids toys and poor quality clothing. There is an art to finding a good jumble - go for a  sale in a well-to-do village or market town , and an event organised by older volunteers.  I find Scout/Guide jumble sales, Conservative club, choir and church group sales, theatre groups, and sales for animal charities tend to have a good amount of quality items. 

Charity/thrift shops

Charity shops are another source to investigate. Nowadays, most charities are very clued up about the value of donated items and quite rightly, are trying to achieve the best price they can.  The aim of the shop is not to provide bargains for the public, but to raise funds for their cause.  I buy some lovely things from my local charity shops (or "Chazzas" as I think they now get called), but rarely for a bargain price.  But, if I can still make a little bit and have something unusual or interesting, plus help a good cause, then it's a win win situation.  Personally, I think it is completely out of order to haggle for goods in a charity shop - the exception might be if they have the item for a while or it is damaged, and they have not noticed this.  If you buy regularly from these shops, you might be given first option on your "wanted" items.  And if they do help you in this way, pay the good deed back and take your unwanted items to them to sell.  A few years back, I bought a 1960s Oz magazine for 50 p in a charity bookshop; I had an inkling this was a good find although not my normal type of item.  I sold it on Ebay for a considerable sum - but I did give the charity a donation of 25% of the final selling price. 

Buying privately

This can be a convenient way of buying wonderful things, without the competitive atmosphere of a boot sale or auction.   But I have had my hopes raised and dashed many times when I have been offered items on a private basis.  Sometimes the items have been poor quality, damaged and not as described when examined. But you can never tell.  I know people who buy very successfully from the free and classified ads in their local newspapers and online ads.  You need to be quick off the mark and able to travel around and view things at short notice.  Sellers don't want to wait for two or three days for you to come along and view.  Often bargain buys get hidden in the ads if they get put in the wrong category.

Or you can advertise in your local paper or put "Wanted to buy" cards in local shop windows. State what you want to buy and make sure it is easy for people to contact you by phone.  Don't put your address or any other personal information.  It is usual to pay in cash, but do get a receipt for the goods.  If you leave a deposit because you need to go back to pick items up, get a very clear list of what you have reserved or paid for.  Sometimes items get removed before you collect, and then you have paid for items that are not there.   If you do go to a private home to buy, please think about your personal safety.  Tell someone where you are going and when, or better still get someone to go with you and wait for you outside.  Verify the telephone number you are given by calling it back.  Alternatively, you can ask the seller to bring items to you - either at your home or at a fair.  To start with, I would try to buy from people who you know, or through contacts and referrals.  There are a few potential pitfalls buying this way - you could even end up with stolen goods. Buyer beware.

Many private sellers are coy about giving a price, as they want you to make an offer. And people often have inflated ideas of what their things are worth and expect a retail price or what they saw on an Internet auction or on the TV. The phrase "I can't be a buyer and a seller" comes in handy, but if they want an offer then you have to come up with a price.  I am assuming you are not an antiques specialist with any formal training, so this can be really tricky.  Try to work out the selling pricee for the item/s and then offer a percentage of this - probably between 30-50%.  Remember, you are buying wholesale, in order to achieve a retail price and a profit margin.   Be prepared not to buy on occasions and find a polite way of refusing things.  "It's not really what I sell, but it is a lovely/unusual/fun item" is a nice way of saying no.  If there is masses of stuff, you might have to buy it as a job lot.  Work out the overall sale value and how much of the job lot is stuff you simply won't be able to sell.  It's easy to get lumbered with lots of unsaleable stock and then have the bother of storing and transporting it.

Fairs and markets

One of the best fairs for traders to buy at is the wonderful Sunbury Antiques Fair (www.sunburyantiques.com) held at Kempton race course twice a month.  This is a great event with loads of sellers, a huge range of stock at all prices,a  fantastic atmosphere and a worthwhile morning out!  It opens at 6.30 am and the dealers come in droves to buy.  Sellers from France, Germany, Holland and Italy can be found with some eye-catching and different items.  Come armed with plenty of cash, a trolley and a large vehicle to haul away your finds. As well as the trade, props buyers from film, theatre and TV, photographers, stylists, interior decoraters and garden designers are there to source wonderful things.   It's also a great fair to sell at once you become more adventurous.  Other excellent buying fairs include the group organised by IACF (www.iacf.co.uk) including Ardingly and Newark.  Newark is the biggest fair in Europe with several thousand stalls.

Local antique and vintage fairs can also yield great buys, although on a much smaller scale than the big trade fairs.  But easy enough to make a quick visit, and perhaps find one or two bargains. Plus, great for market research, ideas for display and to see your competitors at work.

Online auction sites

People tell me that it is possible to buy some fantastic things at online auctions.  This involves being a little bit clever and thinking outside of the box.  Anything fashionable and popular, correctly described and listed will probably not go cheap.  But, items that are listed with incorrect spelling may not come up on searches; items that are not attributed to a maker or mark that slip through the net but with diligence can be found.  Another trader told me that she buys items that only allow for personal collection - this can mean that many buyers out of area are deterred from bidding.  If you are willing to arrange a courier or collect yourself, you can sometimes get a good deal on these items.  If you have to pay postage, this can add a considerable amount to your costs and make an item unprofitable.  Nonetheless, the Internet auctions give you enormous scope to find unusual items.

Antique and vintage shops

Despite these being retail outlets, it is still possible to find good buys in shops.  Antiques centres and the old-fashioned junk shop can yield bargains.  Not every dealer is an expert in every item; you may find a lovely piece of glass on a stall that is mainly furniture.  The seller may not be that interested or aware of the value of the item, but you might know it is a very special piece and underpriced.  Again, visiting these shops is part of your education - getting an idea of what's popular and any trends or fashions in particular types of goods.

Buying for your antiques or vintage business can be one of the most exciting and enjoyable aspects of the process.  I still get a real thrill and buzz from finding a fantastic item at a bargain price.  Just the other day, I managed to buy an Arts and Crafts bookcase for £35 from a local shop.  Polished up, it looks lovely in my study but could also be re-sold for double what I paid.

The next chapter will focus on researching and pricing your stock.  In the meantime, happy hunting for those hidden treasures that are waiting to be discovered.

On your marks, get ready....

Now, for some research and preparation before launching your vintage or antiques stall.  If any of the advice falls into the "teaching granny to suck eggs" category, please accept my apologies.  Hopefully, there will be a couple of hints or tips to take away...and if you already know all of it, then stop reading and get blogging!

So, your house is overflowing with so much stuff you want to do a fair before you become the subject of a Channel 4 documentary on hoarding. Or you've been buying or renovating and upcycling things ready for your trading debut.    Before signing up to a fair or market, it's a good idea do some basic market research and check out a few possible events in your local area.  It is probably wise to start your venture at a local fair to keep costs and stress-levels down.  I would visit at least three local established fairs, to gauge what is being sold and if there is good trade to be done.  As fairs are usually busy first thing, try visiting later in the day to get a sense of how much business is done after the morning rush.These are some of the things that I would think about when checking out potential fairs;

• Is the event busy and thriving, with a good range of customers for most of the day?  Ideally, you want to be rushed off your feet making lots of sales, but having a steady flow of customers is great.  Most fairs have their peaks -  such as first thing in the morning and mid-afternoon -  and troughs - lunchtimes can often be quiet and late afternoons.  Of course, you might make one big sale on a slow day, but statistically a busier fair will be better for business.
• How easy is it to park and unload when you set up? Personally, I loathe having to carry heavy boxes up flights of stairs or from faraway parking spots.
• Is the car parking for traders free or in an expensive public car park ? This can be a nasty surprise  if you are there for a long day, particularly in a city centre where parking costs £s per hour.
• Is there good parking for customers and is the venue easy to walk such as in a town centre or close to shops or other attraction.  If  in a country location, is it near or in a busy village, near a tourist spot  or easily accessed from a busy or major road? Some fairs are part of a bigger event such as a country fair or agricultural show.  If you plan to try one of these, check that your stall will be around busy areas, not out in the boondocks away from the main flow of people.
• Does the stock at each fair look inviting and varied  and would you feel comfortable selling at this event?  If you have very expensive stock, a more prestigious or specialised event might be a better bet; if you are just clearing out unwanted household goods, clothes and toys, a boot sale is more suited to your needs.  If there are only a few stalls with lacklustre stock, it is unlikely to be a thriving event with plenty of customers. 
• How is the fair advertised - are there plenty of  fliers, posters, local paper ads about the event, is it advertised on local radio; is the fair well signposted on the approaches to the venue?
• Can customers buy lunch or light refreshments so they linger longer? On a weekday if the fair is in a town centre or near offices/workplaces, good refreshments often attract the working population at lunchtime who will also browse the stalls.

Most likely you will get a gut instict about the fair which you feel suits you best as well as meeting your other criteria.  It is important that you feel comfortable and confident as a trader when you start out, as it can be quite daunting at first.

I find chatting to friendly stallholders pretty useful -  you can subtly find out how they rate the fair, if it is busy and if they attend on a regular basis.  Most will be fairly forthright if the fair is no good, too quiet or not well organised. 

Look carefully at what kind of goods and items are on sale at the various fairs you visit. Will your stock be complementary to what is already on offer or stand out like a sore thumb.  Very specialised and expensive goods may not do well at a local fair, where most customers do not expect to spend too much. If you sell something along those lines, a specialist fair will be a better option (there fairs for postcards, cameras, stamps, fine art, coins, medals and militaria, to name a few examples).  A few organisers will limit the number of sellers of items such as jewellery or cupcakes, to ensure there is sufficient variety of goods on offer.  You may have to wait for someone to drop out, if this is the case. Wherever you go and whatever you sell, it will be a case of "suck it and see" as trading in antiques and vintage is not an exact science.  Maximise your chances of a good day, with varied, fairly priced and interesting stock.

Do have a proper conversation with the organiser,after your recce, if the fair looks promising.  You might be able to catch them at the event, but if they are busy or distracted it is better to speak to them at a quieter time.  As well as checking availability - good fairs often have a waiting list and some have a selection policy - and the cost of a stall, find out how the fair is promoted and how many people usually attend.  If the public pay an entry fee, the organiser should have a very good idea of numbers; free entry events may not be so well monitored or recorded.

Some of the best vintage fairs in my home county of Sussex are organised by Love Lane Vintage.  The two organisers distribute 1,000s of fliers, advertise in local press, put out huge banners around the venue in advance, get all stallholders to promote the event to their clients and contacts and use Facebook and Twitter to get people talking about the day.  This takes a lot of time and effort, but is reaps benefits for the organisers and stallholders, as the footfall is consistently high.  By contrast, another organiser of a recent village hall fair only managed to print some fliers for local shops and cafes; they decided against advertising in the local press and very poor signage around the hall on the day meant there was little by way of passing trade.  Disappointing for the organiser and stallholders who had travelled some way to attend.

Once you have signed up for your first fair, you can start preparing your stock. Expect to pay around £20-40 for a stall at a one-day local fair - which is not too great a financial risk.  Stalls/stands cost a lot more than this at the major fairs eg Newark or Ardingly Antiques Fairs or a "by invitation to trade" country house fairs such as the Decorative Living Fair at Eridge in Kent.  Little fairs such as school or village fetes can be cheaper, but in my experience are never that great for selling antiques and vintage items.  The more expensive the fair, the more the organiser should be advertising and marketing the event to generate the footfall.  Some more exclusive fairs may not publicly advertise, but will have private databases and client lists of high profile and affluent buyers.

I would urge you to have a practice run at home, setting up your stock as if at the fair.   Most tables provided are a standard 6 foot by 2.5 foot trestle or you may just be allocated a space and no table.   Set your table with a clean and generously sized cloth, cotton bed sheet or even a curtain.  I sometimes use a piece of hessian for fairs where I sell garden-related items for a nice rustic look.  Some traders use old fashioned wooden trestle tables of their own; often painted in the shabby chic/distressed style.  

To create visual impact, your stall should have one or two "crowd-pullers" -  unusual eye-catching items that create a talking point.  Also, if you can vary the height of items on your stall by using props such as wooden crates, tray tables, little cupboards and small shelves your display have more impact.  Very busy, colourful and cluttered stalls can be exciting, hinting at hidden treasure.  Beautifully displayed and styled stalls will always be admired and sometimes having a few distinctive items can work well.  There are no hard and fast rules here. Find the style of display that suits you and will make your stall unique, rather than copying everyone else.

There are hundreds of interesting ways to display things, these are a few ideas to consider or adapt:

• use a vintage mannequin or dressmaker's model to display jewellery - hang necklaces and pin on brooches for a flamboyant effect;
• use an old fashioned fairy cake baking tin to display buttons and earrings in each section;
• keep old jam jars (those with checked lids look particularly nice) to store and show off bits and pieces - great for old haberdashery products;
• find a pretty glass fronted cupboard, to sit on your table as tea sets, glass and ornaments look great displayed on shelves; you can paint the cupboard if you want it to look more vintage-y;
• beg some wooden wine boxes from your local wine merchant and use these as display shelves - and also for transporting stock  - they can be used in a variety of ways stacked, standing on their side or upside down; paint them to match your cloth or keep them natural, for a more earthy look;
• use an old mirror to display small items such as silver, jewellery and glass on - the reflected light and shine really brightens up a stall and draws the eye;
• use a child's chair or table to display toys or lay out vintage games; 
• drape battery operated fairy lights around your table in amongst your stock to brighten things up; a vase of garden flowers or a potted plant such narcissi, geranium or lavender look lovely at a spring or summer fair; in the autumn, golden leaves, conkers and acorns are free and attractive as decorations; Christmas fairs give you carte blanche to go for it, decor wise. 
• some traders stick to a colour scheme for their stock - one trader I know sells only grey, cream, pink and white items, with the occasional blue and white piece as contrast, which looks amazing. I have also seen red and white, which is very eye-catching, on another stall.  This does involve a bit more effort and time, so perhaps an idea to develop as you progress.

If you "rehearse" your stall you will be able to work out how much stock to take with you, with a bit in hand to fill gaps. If you can use the floor space in front of the stall for small furniture you can flank the table to maximise your selling space - double check this first with the organiser if you don't know this is allowed.  Anything fragile or valuable is best kept in a locked cabinet or on a high shelf so that you can keep safe - sadly, items do get pinched at fairs, even low value things.  Once you are happy with your layout, take some photos for your records and if you are using Facebook, post them on your page as a bit of pre-publicity.  

You now need to price and pack your stock.  Sticky labels or tie on tags are available from most stationers or from Ebay - or you can even make your own, if you have the energy.  Having your stock priced and labelled in advance means you won't make the mistake of asking a low price on a good piece in the first rush of unpacking and trading.  When you get more experienced, you may decide not to price everything - many antiques dealers don't, as this allows them a bit of flexibility at trade markets.  However, having clear price labels helps you and the customer. Not all customers will ask for a price, as they don't want to be embarrassed if an item is out of their price range and it appears they can't afford it!  I will cover how to work out the price of your stock in another chapter in more detail.

Wrap your stock up carefully - nothing is more annoying than getting to a fair and finding things chipped, cracked and unsaleable. This eats straight into your profits.  Bubble wrap is best for breakables - you can buy it, or often find it given away on Freecycle and other recycling websites.  Clean sheets of tissue paper are great for wrapping textiles (acid-free is best for anything very old and fragile) and glass. Newspaper is horrible - it makes the stock and your hands filthy, so only use as a last resort.  Books should be stored carefully to avoid damp and damage to spines or pages.  Suitcases or those huge plastic laundry bags sold in discount stores are great for textiles, clothes and cushions.  If you don't want to spend a lot of money, supermarkets give away cardboard fruit boxes with are great for packing and stacking.  Don't overload your boxes and try to keep the contents level, so that you can stack in your vehicle.  If you want to spend out, then plastic crates with lids are great.  I also scrounge the plastic crates used to deliver online shopping - these are sturdy and have handles.  Remember, for the sake of whoever is doing the lifting and carrying, make it as easy as possible and don't overload the boxes.

Loading up the car is the next job.  As most fairs start early, I try to load the day before to avoid a frantic morning rush.  There is an art to packing a car which you will soon perfect.  Stack any level boxes and flat, heavy items first - make sure that the fragile stuff is on the top!  Odd shaped baskets, bags and loose items can be packed around and on top of the base layer. Do wrap loose things in blankets or sheets to avoid other items being scratched or damaged in transit.  Keep your tablecloths, price labels and any documents you need on arrival in a separate bag or basket on your front seat for ease of access.  If you are at an outdoor event and taking your own tables, gazebo or covers, make sure you can get to these first.  Roof racks are ideal for this purpose. Be conscious of safety and avoid the risk of items falling on you if you have to brake sharply.  Really heavy things should be secured or tied, preferably under other items.  Your car will be heavier than usual, so check and adjust the tyre pressures.  Also, I cover my stock with blankets and park securely - if you are only able to park on the road, it might be advisable to load just before you go.

Another obvious point is to work out your route to the fair and the likely traffic conditions.  If it is local, you will probably know the route and time it will take you.  If you going further afield, do have directions on hand.  I don't use satnav as this is often unreliable in the countryside, but you may find it fine .  AA route planner works well for me, with its detailed list of directions.  I always allow loads of time to go to a new destination. If you are stressed, having a rushed journey will not helpl.  If you arrive too early, then you can always have a cup of tea, read the paper or have a rest!  Also, you can park as close as possible and check out your stall location without being in a rush.  Sometimes, organisers don't allocate stalls and you get to pick  - but normally stalls are allocated in advance.

Unloading and unpacking is a very hectic time for everyone.  If you can buy or borrow a trolley to cart stuff in, then it does save time and effort . Or find a willing helper to assist you  - I have been known to rope in loitering teenagers to carry stuff in on the promise of a decent tip!  If you get hot and bothered easily, you might want to arrive and set up in some comfy old clothes.  I always take a clean top/outfit, a handtowel and some toiletries with me, to freshen up before the public arrive.  Being a lady of a certain age, I always get too hot and having a wash and brush-up helps me to look halfway normal!  Some traders even dress in vintage style fashion, which can look fabulous and sets a great tone for their stall.

I also highly recommend taking a picnic with you - buying food and drink all day can be expensive and eats into your profits.  Also, leaving your stall to queue for food can mean you miss potential customers.  You can always treat yourself to a cake in the afternoon, if you are having a good day! You will need an energy boost after your early start and unloading, so having some snacks and a hot drink/bottle of water available really helps.

One thing that will make your day go smoothly is to befriend your neighbouring stallholders. Everyone finds it stressful getting ready, but a bit of give and take between neighbours does help.  If you are on your own, a friendly neighbour will keep an eye on your stall if you need to go for a tea break or a wee break! And you can learn a lot from chatting to other stallholders - details of other fairs, where to buy nice stock and so on.

Whilst you unpack, many organisers will allow dealers in early to get the first pickings from the stock on offer.  Some people really don't like this, but dealers are good customers with money to spend.  Most will pay in cash and are decisive about what they want to buy.  If you have attractive pieces, they will buy from you on a regular basis or even ask you to look out for items on their behalf.  Be prepared to haggle on price with them, but don't let your star pieces go too cheap!  At many fairs, you will find the best sales come first thing in the day with the trade buyers.  Some fairs do not allow early entry and in that case, you will be able to unpack with no distractions.

Once you are set up, and with a few minutes to spare, then make sure you have a chair to sit down on when things go quiet; change into your clean top/outfit if you have one; get out your cash float and put it in a safe place ie in a shoulder or bum bag or a cash tin hidden away.  Make sure you have packing and bags on hand for wrapping up purchases.  Keep a pen and notebook available to record your sales.  The customers are in the hall and the race is on!

Just before I close, just a few words on the thorny question of what makes an item antique, vintage or even retro!

Antiques used to formally be defined as things aged 100 years and over; these days there is a bit more flex in the definition. Items from the Art Deco era of decent quality would probably be described as antique but are not yet 100 years old. Antique would usually refer to something of a reasonable quality to something rare, precious or unique with some age to it.  Pricewise an antique could be 50p - say for a Victorian button, to sums in the thousands or millions for a rare Chinese ceramic or an Old Master painting.  Antique prices fluctuate, just like property, and there are fashions and trends in antiques.  Years ago, copper and brass items were hugely popular; now you are hard pressed to sell these even for a few pounds, unless the piece is very rare and unusual.  These days, people don't want to spend time cleaning and polishing stuff.

Vintage items usually date from between the 1940s-1980s and are often goods that would have had a modest price tag when produced.  For example, the famous and much-collected black and white Homemaker china, which originally sold in Woolworths in the 1950s.  Vintage describes just about anything that is pre-owned or loved, that people want to collect.  Popular vintage items include painted furniture, enamelware, prettily decorated tea sets and dinner services, old toys, mass manufactured or homemade fashion clothing and accessories (not usually haute couture), old kitchen utensils, furnishing textiles, colourful theatre, cinema and travel posters and advertising memorabilia. There is also a growing interest in twentieth century technology such as manual sewing machines, typewriters, old calculators, phones and even computers. And of course, vintage cars, motorbikes and other forms of transport are enduringly popular and often very expensive!   Vintage celebrates the ordinary objects that would have been enjoyed and used by our parents and grand-parents. Because the majority of these items were not particularly rare or expensive, they were also easily disposed of - hence hearing so often "my granny had one of those but chucked it away"!

Retro is another category covered at some specialist markets mainly in cities such as London, Brighton and Manchester,  for the dedicated followers of this style.  The focus is on great design, beautiful materials and cutting edge style from the 50s-80s.  Retro encapsulates the most innovative and forward looking designers and manufacturers of the time.  Specific brands, such as Ercol, G-Plan, Midwinter, Hornsea or designers such as Terence Conran, Lucienne Day and Jessie Tait are highly sought after.  Scandinavian style from the Mid (twentieth) Century is also popular, particularly furniture, glass and ceramics.

Do be aware of the masses of "vintage style" products on the High Street and sold at online auction sites. Many fairs and markets allow traders to sell these vintage-style goods which can be bought from wholesalers and warehouses. Of course, there are some well-known brands that produce some gorgeous vintage style pieces and revive forgotten patterns and designs with a modern twist. Selling reproduction items knowingly as antiques is tantamount to fraud.  Sometimes a vintage-style product is more practical than a fragile or rare original; others are just cheap imitations and look shabby, without the chic!  If you are going to sell these new items, please be honest about what they are - if they have the "look" then some people are happy if the price is right.  Others prefer to buy genuinely old stuff.

Next time, I will talk about the selling process and the kinds of customers you might encounter.