CANOPIES

When the artist or craftsman leaves the studio and heads for the marketplace he/she is no longer concerned with product creation. They are now involved in selling product. For the artist or craftsman this is sometimes a difficult separation. After all, the product you’re selling is your creation. But to be effective, you must shift your focus and think like a retailer.

Just like a gallery owner or a store manager at the mall, you must give your attention to developing a sales environment. The goal is to display your products in a manner that will encourage patrons to leave your “store” with your product in their hands, and their cash in yours. And just like any effective retailer, you need to take great care in choosing colors to background your product, light sources to illuminate it, and shelving and wall coverings to best display your product for the potential customer. You also need to consider the physical and comfort aspects of the selling space; you would like your “store” not to be too hot for our customers and for your sales personnel (that’s you), we want to be sure the roof won’t leak and damage our merchandise, and we’d like to feel reasonably secure that the roof won’t blow off the store.

Choosing a canopy is a daunting task and, for many a major investment. There are at least fourteen different canopies to choose from. How do you decide which is the right one to buy? Here are the essential qualities of a canopy. Each of the canopies on the market has its strong points and its weak points. Do a thorough investigation: review the canopy qualities, and then check the websites, phone numbers, and addresses listed below. Visit websites, request catalogs, and ask questions (via e-mail or phone), compare prices – what am I getting and for how much – there are lots of options for each unit - and if possible visit shows and talk to canopy owners.

• A canopy must be waterproof: its roof must not allow water to collect on it and it must not leak. The side-walls should close completely so that rain cannot blow in.
• A canopy must allow in a maximum of natural light to illuminate your product. The down-side of good natural light is often the build up of heat under the canopy. There are canopy styles that provide great light but no means of venting the built up heat that comes with it. There are canopies that don’t heat up as easily, but conversely don’t let in enough light either. And there are canopies that provide both good light and a way to vent the heat.
• Canopies tops and sides are made of either polyethylene, vinyl, nylon or polyester. Most manufacturers have abandoned polyethylene because it’s comparatively low cost can’t compensate for its short lifespan and more difficult handling than vinyl. Pop-up style canopies are usually covered with nylon or polyester. Vinyl is by far the heaviest material used, but its toughness, resistance to tearing or puncturing, and long life expectancy is the trade-off for the weight.

Please visit us at www.flourish.com for complete information and pricing on our full line of canopies and display products.