Finders Keepers + Stall Design
The Recap:
Wowsers - how sweet it was to be back again!
Amy and I are slowly coming back to earth after our first big market since 2019, Finders Keepers Sydney at The Cutaway in Barangaroo last weekend. It was such a joy to share with you all our new work in person - tea towels, prints, takeaway art kits, cards, new ornament/topper designs and especially our Paradise Collection. After so much time behind a screen connecting with people about our work we loved interacting and reconnecting!
We are so thankful to everyone who came out and visited our stall for a chat or some serious smizing. It was truly heart warming to see everyone again and we felt the support for local artists, designers and makers big-time over the weekend.
Thanks especially to the team at Finders Keepers who persevered through some tricky last minute COVID changes that kept the markets open and everyone inside safe. It felt like a big step back to normalcy and we loved it.
It was also especially joyful to reconnect with fellow stall holders after so much time apart - we missed our market buddies!
Our next market in person is Handmade Canberra at the end of June. Mark your calendars ACT!
The Stall:
We get a lot of questions about our stall, so I thought I’d share our process. For starters, we’ve been stalking the aisles of Reverse Garbage for years as well as council pick-ups for great items to repurpose and reuse. Our furniture and displays are wooden and just like all our products, plastic-free. A run down:
The backdrop - This is the only part of our stall that we custom ordered. We worked with a local Sydney artisan Woodman Designs, to create a custom backdrop that could be easily assembled/packed down and display our Christmas bon-bons on top.
The table - This is actually Amy’s work desk! So whenever we have a market, she takes her laptop elsewhere to get things done. We purchased it at Mitchell’s Antiques in Sydney. If you haven’t been, spend an afternoon perusing its many vintage delights.
The shelving - We purchased this accordian at Reverse Garbage and painted it to be a bit more festive. It came navy blue and we gave it a good sand and paint job. Reverse Garbage is a truly magical place in Marrickville which has an ever-changing supply of items seeking a second home to repurpose and reuse. Individuals, shops and schools donate their items here to be sold instead of thrown out. We’ve bought everything from airbrushing kits (brand new) to a giant clam that was part of a theatre production to most of our stall items.
The A-Frame - This beauty is also from Reverse Garbage, darker blue in a previous life and we gave it a good sand and a new paint job. We measured out where ornaments would sit well and attached hooks - it was all very mathematical, calculator and all. At the bottom, we attached two large hinges for it to sit safely on a plinth for stability.
The plinths - We have two plinths that we use, a yellow/pink plinth and a two-toned blue plinth, both purchased from Reverse Garbage in Marrickville. All they needed was a bit of a sand and a new paint job.
The tea towel rack - This blue charmer was salvaged from the curb near our house and we gave it a good clean and upgraded some of the hardware. We kept it blue as it was such a happy vibrant shade.
We can’t wait to see you at markets this year - we’ll be in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, come say hi we’d love to meet you!
Cheers,
Stephanie
