Can you believe Christmas is almost here? Where did 2021 go? It seems like we were just ringing in the new year. Have you decorated your booth yet? Some dealers have and we are sharing their photos on this blog post today. We can’t wait to see what all of you come up with this holiday season. In the mean time we hope you will get some inspiration from these photos.

Via: Mimi Wimberly Brown

Via: Paula Adametz Hays

Via: Sister Finds

I can't believe it's only 65 days until Christmas. The busy holiday season is fast approaching. People are already out shopping and getting a jump start on their list. Are you ready? This is the last big sales event of the year. I hope all of you are getting prepared. Lots of stores have their Holiday Open House in November.

If you are a newbie to the industry and this is your first Christmas as a booth owner. Get ready!  Now is the time to break out all your festive holiday decor. That means lots of Christmas lights and decor. You should price your Christmas displays to sell. In the past, I have had shoppers want to buy my entire vignette or even my decorated Christmas trees. You might be thinking this is a lot of trouble to redecorate...but isn't this why you are in the business...to make money? Price your displays and trees accordingly. Make it worth your time and replacement. If the customer really wants it they will have no problem paying what you ask.

Some customers lack the vision of decorating. So they would rather pay someone else to do it. I used to know a lady that had a seasonal holiday side hustle. She made great money doing this and thoroughly enjoyed it too. If I had the time I would totally offer my services to other booth dealers. I would love to go around to different booths and help decorate.  Hmmm, maybe I could do this on a limited basis. Do any of you dealers need help? Lol.

Seriously, let's talk more about your booth. Now that you have it decorated and ready to go what else can you do to make some extra holiday cash? Sell Christmas decor of course! I can't speak for everyone, but ornaments have done really well for me. I price them individually but if I have mass quanities I will bag up 6 or more and in a clear bag and tie them with a pretty ribbon and embellish the bag.

Other Christmas items that are popular are

~Christmas cards
~Holiday photos
~Christmas postcards
~advertisements
~glasses
~dishes
~linens
~blow molds, 
and those gorgeous aluminum trees

People go nuts for this stuff. They are not only shopping for gifts... they are shopping for parties too.  Oh and don't forget those ugly Christmas Sweaters. Those are always hit if you are allowed to sell them in your booth. I have done really good selling these on eBay.

Now let's talk about pricing. You are going to have all kinds of folks with different budgets. Try to have items at different price points. Especially items that are $5 and under. Those make great stocking stuffers. You want everyone that visits your booth to be able to buy and afford something. Do you offer handmade goods? Let your customers know by placing a sign in your booth. If you take custom orders just be respectful and make sure all sales go through the register.

Gift baskets are hot ticket items. A couple of years ago I bought the cute little, mason jar candles at the Dollar Tree. I decoupaged a bunch of small matchboxes with cute Christmas scenes and paired them with the candle. I dropped them down in a clear bag and then added a cute To & From tag on the outside and these flew out the door. Little gift baskets for neighbors and co-workers are great items to have on hand.

I was in an antique mall last year and saw these chocolate-covered, marshmallows on a stick. They have a cute note attached that reads Additional $5 off your purchase of $25 or more. We thought this was a great idea to encourage shoppers in your booth. They are getting a deal and treat or the kiddos are getting the treat.


This idea could be used with cookies or any type of treats and at various price points. Just make sure they are in in some type of clear bag. When children see these the parents are going to have a hard time telling their children no. Great marketing move. I whipped up my own little tags for you to enjoy. These are complimentary and you are more than welcome to use them on your own treats. Just email us if you could like a copy. BoothCrush@gmail.com
Another idea you can implement in your booth is hide the - - - - - - - ? This can be a Christmas ornament, or item such as a tophat, or snowman. When the customer finds it have them take a selfie holding up the item and tag your booth in their social media shout outs!

Giveaways are another way to generate sales. Have your customers place their name, contact info and item purchased on a slip paper, and place the paper into jar or basket. Check with your store manager to make sure it is okay to place this in your booth or at checkout. You can say something like spend $20 in our booth and entered into our gift basket giveaway. Some dealers just offer a gift basket with no purchase necessary. This would be totally up to you.

We hope these tips and ideas will help you to have a successful 2019 holiday season. We would love to hear your ideas and things that have worked for you in your booth or shop. Please feel free to comment on this Facebook post or e-mail us at BoothCrush@gmail.com

I have had most of this post written since August and it would be a shame not to share it but honestly, with everything that has happened this year, it's kind of hard to get in the Christmas spirit. I have lost several family members and more recently my fur baby of 12 years passed at the end of October. For those of you that took the time to leave condolences on Facebook or send me a private message thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your kind words and supportive comments have been very uplifting. Through tears, I have been trying to reply back to each of you. It's just taking a little longer than I thought.
Now let's get to the fun stuff. For those of you that are new to the industry, you may be asking yourself what do I stock my booth with? The answer...lots of Christmas goodies. Even better if they are vintage Christmas items. I have compiled a cheat sheet for you. While I realize I'm very late to the game in posting this info, I figure better late than never right?

Some shoppers (not vendors) look all year long, but I would say the majority starts looking for Christmas items around mid to late Septemeber. A lot of stores including where I had my big booth, The Queen of Hearts Antiques & Interiors have their open house in November. If your store hosts a holiday event, be sure to get your booth ready. Shoppers love these events. They are in the buying spirit and they will buy something even if it's just a small ornament. I can't say enough about ornaments. I always sell a ton of these. All different kinds. New, old, handmade etc.

If you are fortunate enough to stumble across ANY of these items while out pickin grab them and grab them FAST! Because there are always other pickers out there shopping too. Even if you are pickin in the Spring...always be thinking ahead.  Without further ado here are our top Christmas items.

*Aluminum Christmas Trees
*Ceramic Christmas Trees 
*Old-fashioned Christmas Lights 
*Replacement Bulbs
*Ornaments
*Blow Molds (Santa, Snowman, Candles)
*Santa Mugs
*Christmas Books
*Wreaths
*Sleds
*Ice Skates
*Gurley Candles
*Christmas Cards (1900 - 1960)
*Christmas Ephemera
*Putz Villages
*Christmas Toys
*Wooden Nutcrackers
*Nativity Scenes
*Reindeer & Figurines
*Christmas Photos (1900-1960)

Always be on the lookout for these items and consider yourself lucky if you do find them. They are highly sought after and if priced right they will sell. Not everyone will be looking for antique and vintage decor. Some shoppers, especially the millennials will be looking for newer items. So if you want to pad your pockets for the holidays try to have something for everyone.




This next topic is a little touchy because I know I have a lot of vendor friends that only want to see true antiques and vintage goods in a booth. Most antique stores make you have a certain percentage of A&V merchandise while the other 20% of your merch can be newer items.

So if you crafty don't forget about all those unwanted wreaths at yard sales and thrift stores. There seems to always be a plethora of those around. Last year I picked up this large wreath for $5. I knew the moment I saw it what I was going to do with it. I removed the big red bow, painted the deer and added some leftover Christmas picks.  It took me less than 30 mins and it sold it the 3rd day for $85. I don't say this brag, but to show you there is money on the table.


Here is another inexpensive makeover I did with some thrifted picture frames a $1.00 bag from Dollar Tree. These sold like crazy for me.

I hope this post helped even if it was late. You still have time to get those Christmas items in your booth. People are still shopping. Happy Selling!!

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