Need exhibit display/tent

I am in need of a lightweight, inexpensive display and a 8x10
easy-up tent for upcoming(Oct 5 1997) outdoor exhibit. Any
Information ? micheltsouris@msn.com

Michel Tsouris,

Should I say “yiasou Elline`”? (Speak Greek)

I bought my tent (which is an open artists kind of stripy look)

  • very light weight and easy to put up and take down at Home
    Depot for just over $100. I’ve had it for years now and it’s
    still good. When the winds blew and those fancy telescoping
    tents were leaving the site under their own steam, mine just bent
    and sat there. Get a tarpaulin to cover-up in case of rain.

I do silver so the following system works for me - if you’re
doing gold you may wish to have it locked up in Allstate or Gem
cases.

About displays - are you selling just jewelry? If so, I had
lucite cut to about 1"10" x 2" squares and then triangles (for
sides) at same height with the long end flattened on top - then
bought some of those plastic clips which put them all together
to form cases. The advantage with this set-up is that you can
put any number together for different shape set-ups and you can
also polish out scratches on a wheel with zam and a very soft
wheel. It’s light, breaks down into one suitcase, and
attractive. The disadvantage is that it’s light. When the winds
blow you have to take them down to stop them hitting the ground
by themselves.

Inside these cases I put 6" flower pots upside down supporting
styrofoam 1" foam covered with whatever I wanted. The boards
need to be about 1/2" narrower than the cases you’re building and
shouldn’t come any higher than the top of the lucite. You can
building display features by pinning smaller pieces of styrofoam
covered in your fabric to the boards as your jewelry demands. I
use jewelers’ pins (“U” shaped pins) to hold everything together

  • fabric to styrofoam, add-on displays to boards, and jewelry to
    boards. Makes it easy to wash your board-covers when they get
    nasty. When you get ready for a show just put some 1/2" foam
    between the boards and wrap them in a cloth. Carpet stores run
    cheaper with 1/4" foam than craft stores. Then when you set up
    all you have to do is straighten up a little. Also it looks
    like dirty laundry when you’re carrying them around and no-one
    gets interested. Another advantage to this system is that if a
    piece of jewelry becomes detached from its place when
    travelling, it just falls to the bottom of the wrap and you can
    easily restore it with no fear of losing anything.

Let me know if you want more details - I can give you exact
measurements.

Nina

Nina - Silver Design, 9122 S. Federal Hwy, Suite 249,
Pt. St. Lucie, FL. 34952 : Toll Free:1-888-460-1800
URL: http://www.nina-sd.com : Email: @Nina

    I am in need of a lightweight, inexpensive display and a
8x10 easy-up tent for upcoming(Oct 5 1997) outdoor exhibit. Any
Information ?  micheltsouris@msn.com >

Hi All!

I saw an Easy-up --I guess it’s called a Canopy (has no sides)
for under $200 (US) at a store called Sam’s Club (same people who
own Wal-mart), I believe they are 10’ x 10’. I’ve been eyeing
these up for a while now and had been told they start at about
$400 directly from the company. Looks good and I’ve seen them put
up by one person at shows.

Kathie

Nina, you are right. This works well. One addition will make
it work even better. Wax both sides of the plastic with paste
car wax. The plastic generates static electricity and attracts
dust which will cause scratches in the plastic. The wax will
"kill" the generation of static and prevent scratches. Any
scratches present, rub longways of the scratch with the wax and
it will polish them (minor scratches only) out. Use paste only,
not liquid, as the liquid does not work nearly as well. You
will need to recote the plastic only rarely.

 I saw an Easy-up --I guess it's called a Canopy (has no
sides) for under $200 (US) at a store called Sam's Club (same
people who own Wal-mart), I believe they are 10' x 10'. I've
been eyeing these up for a while now and had been told they
start at about $400 directly from the company. Looks good and
I've seen them put up by one person at shows. 

I have the Easy-up . . . purchased at Sam’s Club. Sam’s is also
selling the waterproof sides for it now . . . the sides run about
$100. Yes, the Canopy is 10 X 10. They are relatively easy to
put up, but I have a tough time believing that one person can do
it . . .there are always two of us setting up and breaking down.

I have the Easy-up . . . purchased at Sam's Club.  Sam's is
also selling the waterproof sides for it now . . . the sides
run about   $100.    Yes, the Canopy is 10 X 10.  They are
relatively easy to put up, but I have a tough time believing
that one person can do it . . .there are always two of us
setting up and breaking down.

Hi, I am going to be brief about this because I think it’s been
covered lately. Yes, one person can put one up and down…I can,
many women smaller than myself on the “circuit” can as well. I
am not saying it’s a pretty sight…but you can. The “Express”
model of EZ-Up is what Sam’s sells…it’s O.K. but in foul
weather watch out!, I have one so I am speaking from experience.
I know spending $800 on a sturdier set-up wasn’t something I
could afford, still can’t really…but if I can limp through one
more season I will probably upgrade. I have seen some really well
staked & weighted EZ-Ups go down…they will be one of the first
to crumble in high wind or hail, which you will encounter if you
do outdoor shows. This year was really bad as far as weather in
the midwest goes…one show lost 2/3 of the set-ups I heard. My
tent started leaking year one…seam sealed it, looks pretty ugly
now but doesn’t leak much. Get the side walls!!! They may only
connect with velcro but when rain starts coming in sideways or
the person next to you has really ugly stuff or nasty looking
backs to their displays they don’t cover you’ll be thinking that
$100 was a deal. Get stakes for the dirt, concrete nails for
asphalt and some serious weights for cement parking lots (I use
them all the time even if I stake) Get some of those big old
clamps at the hardware store to connect everything when the
velcro fails in wind and rain.

Didn’t mean to be all negative sounding…just some ideas I have
picked up along the way.

Karen
@Karenworks

Hi Everyone, I too use the Sam’s easy up on occasion. I have
been a sole exhibitor, and it is not possible for one person to
get it up alone. You need two people holding either side to
expand the frame. You need help and, preferably, a step stool,
to get top on. I’ve always found it possible to hire a teenager,
but often another exhibitor will just come and help.

The Easy Up is fine if there isn’t wind, and if you are on
ground into which you can put stakes. If there is wind, and if
you are on a street or on bricks, oops. At a Ren Fair in Texas, I
had my easy up staked down, inside and out, from each corner and
from the 3 middles. Top still blew off. But most people lost
everything. I only lost the top covering the tent, top was still
there and undamaged.

Since then, I prefer to use commercially bought canopies made
with heavy fence poles. The guy who made mine, TNT in Tennessee,
sells them in color combinations (stripes) as well as in plain
white, just about any size from 10x10. I can’t get it up w/o
help either, but once it’s up and staked, it will (and has) stood
through gale winds. I think my 10x10, extra for color striping,
with complete wrap around 3 sides, plus all the bungees to hold
tarps to frame, was about $350, which is less than the Sam’s if
you buy the wrap around walls. It’s slightly harder to put up, at
least the first few times, but so much stronger.

With both canopies, in hot weather, I roll up the sides 1/4 to
1/2 way for good air circulation but still low enough so nobody
comes in the back while I’m concentrating on my work. I’ve also
used lattice pieces for the sides, with fabric over the inside,
to display my work. Best, Paula

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