LocalBuy
At the show

Your first event: what you actually need

Book something small, bring a small kit, and come home with a list instead of a headache. The gear, the prep, and the day in order.

Your first show is not about the sales. It is about finding out what you actually need, what you can skip, and whether you like standing behind a table for eight hours. Go in with that attitude and a small kit, and you will come home with a list instead of a headache.

Book something small

A church festival or a small-town market is a better first show than the big regional one. Lower fee, shorter day, and the people running it have seen a hundred first-timers. Ask what they provide. Some give you a table. Almost none give you a tent.

The kit, and nothing else

Here is the whole list. Everything below it can wait until you know you need it.

  • A 10x10 canopy with straight legs, and weight for every leg. Most outdoor shows will not let you set up without weights, and stakes do nothing on asphalt. I wrote a whole guide on this one: a 10x10 that survives the wind.
  • A 6 foot table and a fitted cover. The cover reaches the ground so the bins underneath disappear. Get the open-back kind so you can reach them.
  • One thing that goes up. A folding shelf at the end of the table gets some of your work to eye level. That is where people look.
  • A way to take money. A cash box with a float, and your Pay Page printed as a QR code so anyone can pay by card, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal or Zelle from their own phone. A card reader is nice. It is not required for show one.
  • Bags. Buy the case. You will use them all season.
  • A chair, water, and something to eat one-handed.
Eurmax 10x10 Pop-Up Canopy (commercial)Eurmax 10x10 Pop-Up Canopy (commercial)The tent. Straight legs, and the roller bag you will thank yourself for.About $190 Eurmax Canopy Leg Weights, 4-PackEurmax Canopy Leg Weights, 4-PackWeight for every leg. Fill them at the show.About $84 3-Sided Fitted Tablecloth, 6 ft, Black, 2-Pack3-Sided Fitted Tablecloth, 6 ft, Black, 2-PackFitted, open at the back, hides the bins.About $25 Himix 3-Tier Folding Shelf with WheelsHimix 3-Tier Folding Shelf with WheelsThe one thing that goes up. Opens in seconds.About $55 KYODOLED Cash Box with Money Tray and LockKYODOLED Cash Box with Money Tray and LockThe float and the bills, with a lock.About $24 Reli. Thank You Bags, White, 1050 countReli. Thank You Bags, White, 1050 countA case of bags lasts a long time.About $35

Before the day

  1. Put the show on your LocaliBuy shop as a pickup event. People who cannot make it can order and pick up at the booth, and your regulars get the date.
  2. Print two QR codes: one for your shop and one for your Pay Page. The QR Codes tool makes both. Tape them to the table where people stand, not where you stand.
  3. Price everything. A price on the item beats a price list. People do not like to ask.
  4. Plan the table on paper, or in the Booth Layout tool. Setup morning is for placing things, not deciding things.
  5. Count the float. Small bills and quarters. Then put it in the cash box and leave it there.
Night beforeCar packed.Float counted. Two hours earlyFind your space.Unload once. Set upTent, weights, table,then product. SellStand up. Say hi.Let them pay their way. Tear downProduct first,tent last.
The day, in order. Most first-show stress is just doing these out of order.

The day

Get there early. Earlier than the email says. Find your space, unload once with a wagon or a cart, and get the tent up and weighted before you touch a single product. Tent, weights, table, cover, shelf, then product.

Once you are open, stand up. Sitting behind the table tells people you are busy. Standing beside it tells them you are open. Say hi to everyone. You do not have to sell anything, just say hi.

Let people pay the way they want. That is what the Pay Page is for. Someone who only has Venmo should not have to walk away.

Sekey 300 L Extended Collapsible Wagon, 48 inSekey 300 L Extended Collapsible Wagon, 48 inOne trip from the car. Big wheels for grass and gravel.About $90 Square Reader for Contactless and Chip (2nd generation)Square Reader for Contactless and Chip (2nd generation)Tap-to-pay at the table. Nice on show one, required by show three.About $51

After

Tear down product first, tent last, and pack the bins in the order they come out next time. Then, before you forget, write down three things: what sold, what people asked for that you did not have, and what you wished you had brought. That list is your second show.

Everything above is in the Gear Shop, with a note on why I picked it. The packing list has the whole car-load in order.