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If you have been following along on my handmade business journey you know that I was recently able to participate in my first “post” corona craft show (post in quotes since we are still very much in the middle of the pandemic as a whole, I just live in an area with very low case numbers, mask mandates, etc) and getting back in the swings of things when it comes to vending at shows wasn’t as smooth of a transition as I hoped it might have been.
Earlier in the spring I spent some time reimagining my booth set up as I lamented the lack of craft shows by scrolling through Pinterest and Etsy for display items that would take my products up that extra notch, which is how I came across Vertical Ledge.
Vertical Ledge sells high end, collapsible product display shelving units in a variety of sizes and shapes for all sorts of products. Made of a high quality wood and designed to fit together like a puzzle, all of their items have a very sleek, modern, and neutral look that can go with just about any display style.
After researching the stands a bit online but not finding a whole lot of reviews on the products I decided to just pull the trigger and buy two of the Jumbo Displays for $250 to use for my signature Triple Threat Pouches.
These displays are definitely an investment since they aren’t something that really serve multiple purposes, especially during a time when I wasn’t sure when I would be back to doing shows. But they offered a coupon for joining the email list so I just decided to bite the bulletin and go for it.
It took about three weeks for the displays to arrive. They came well packaged yet unassembled with packing material in between each layer of pieces to keep them from scratching. Right out the box I did have a few pieces that had splintering around the edging. I simply took some sand paper to those spots to smooth them out before starting to set up the shelves for the first time.
Set up of these displays is a breeze. Each one takes about two minutes to set up and the hardest part is getting that first shelf in to hold the legs up right. They are designed to have a very snug fit so it does require a bit of force to slide the shelves into the legs but once you get the hang of it set up is near instant.
One thing to keep in mind during set up is that you are NOT supposed to wiggle your shelves into place but instead push them. This was a bit challenging for the first couple of times I set up the shelf because of how snug the fit was but after the third or fourth set up they wore down enough to slide in easily and smoothly.
As for how they performed during the show, I have no complaints! They were sturdy enough to hold up to people grabbing off of them all day and because of how super smooth they are I didn’t have to worry about the fabric of my items being snagged when shoppers were less than careful putting items back.
They also cleared up a large amount of table space and allowed me to create a mini checkout space int he back of the them, hidden from customers.
Overall I am so glad I splurged to buy Vertical Ledge display shelves! While the initial upfront cost was quite an investment for my micro-business that was in the red after Covid canceled all of my spring and summer shows, after getting a chance to use them in front of real people was a game changer for my booth.
I was able to fit so much more product on my tables than I ever could with the crates and they looked more professional while doing it! I loved how little room they took up in my car and how light weight they are again compared to the crates. If you have been looking into to them but holding off because of the price I would definitely say its worth it!
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