The Framers Forum

Hello again.

I just wondered if anyone has any experience in setting up a trade stall at county shows. I finally have enough stock to attend one of these things, but no idea what to hang the frames from. From what I can gather, the show organisers generally hire out little bays with a 3m frontage. So, I'd imagine I'd need some sort of eight foot high aluminium 'trellis' or something which I can just erect and then hang the frames from? Plus some spotlights and a trestle table to stand behind I guess. No idea! I probably should have gone to a few shows this summer to see what others are doing.

I know the framing suppliers do all sorts of fancy mounting systems, but I wondered if anyone had used cheaper alternatives.

Cheers

Jon

many, many years ago my wife did antique fairs and sold pictures (framed) primarily and she had some over friendly local make up a stand which comprised 1" weldmesh squares framed with half inch square tube and then the bottom of the frame had a piece of flat welded to it and the whole lot was sprayed. This was then clamped to a table, but great care had to be taken to ensure it did not topple over. She had about 6 of these that would go in the back of an estate car and were held together when vertical with tiny clamps. It was very successful as I remember. It was so many years ago now that I have no pictures of these unfortunately.

Jon -
I've done quite a few outside events and use two way gridwall display stands from a company in Wimborne in Dorset - you can order direct from their website www.shopfittingwarehouse.co.uk. They do a really solid stand which is 1890mm tall and will take a number of framed pictures with ease. Code is 2032301. They deliver nationwide free over £95.00. They work really well, but make sure you swap the nuts provided with wing nuts otherwise you'll take forever to take the legs off each time. The stands are smart and heavy duty, are fairly economical and I've been really pleased with them. I've tried attaching a screengrab but it seems to be beyond me but the website is pretty clear.
Good luck
Jonathan

I would suggest that you contact Morplan and request one of their catalogues. They do lots of retail display and shop fitting type of stuff and all this sort of stuff is supplied in a broken down format, so it is easy to assemble on site and dismantle after the show finishes and therefore very convenient for transporting. There are of course plenty of other companies offering the same sort of stuff, so look around. Some where you'll find what you are looking for.

That's brilliant - Thanks again for your help. I would have never have found them.

Cheers

Jon

Why not buy several square trellises and bolt or clamp them together to make a small room open at the front. Then hang loose white fabric either in front or behind the trellis which you could also paint white. I'd say beware the horrible corporate look you often see a these shows.

vintage frames, what a great idea and I would try joining them with those black plastic ties . A set up along those lines would be a lot cheaper and could look very good and as you say "less corporate" and more artisan.

Peter.

Thanks Vintage, it is a good idea. I'll have a think about how to do it. It would need to be sturdy as there'd be quite a few frames on it, so maybe I should buy 'feet' for the trellises.

Cheers

Jon

It's not the flimsy folding trellis I'm talking about. It's the sturdy square wooden trellis that you buy in garden cenrtres They're about 6' high and various widths, so as to fit easily in a car and two clamped together at right-angles will make a very strong free-standing wall.
For fabric, you could look at the cotton drill dust sheets that Toolstation sell.

If you have panels/trellises/whatever you can fit them together with this type of hinge:



Then you can link the panels together in a zigzag arrangement and separate them for transport.

Simples.

Oh aye, that'd do it. B&Q it is then!

In what ever you do you need to properly consider weather conditions. We watched 80% of the pop-up marquees and gala type tents simply blow away in 4mins of 90mph winds at one of the recent events we were exhibiting at