A Vendor’s Guide to Renaissance Fairs Part 5: Booth Product Reviews & Recommendations
Hello, faire friend! If you’re reading this, then two things must be true: 1) you are a vendor who wants to sell your goods at renaissance fairs, and 2) you need a little help with your applications, your booth, product planning, and more. I’m happy to help!
In case you’d like to know more about me first - my name is Sara and I’m a leathercrafter who has been selling at local renaissance fairs in the northeast Georgia and South Carolina area since 2019. I literally picked the worst possible time to try to start a business, but it still worked out! In this series, I want to dive into my experiences as a renaissance fair vendor. Topics will include:
Booth Product Reviews & Recommendations (this post)
In my previous post on booth design, I broadly discussed more overall design tips and advice. This post, however, is going to go into detail on specific products I’ve used over the years. I admit, I do get a LOT of my booth display products on Amazon, so many of these links will be affiliate links. Any purchases made as a direct result of using these links will let me earn a tiny bit off the purchase at no additional cost to you. So lets get into it!
Canopy Reviews
ABC Canopy
My preferred booth setup for multi-day events (or large one-day events) is a double space using my ABC Canopy 10×20 popup tent. (As of right now, I only do single-day or single-weekend events so this is often more than sufficient tent-wise.) I purchased this canopy several years ago and this has been by far the best investment in my vendor journey. I specifically purchased the heavy duty commercial steel frame instead of the aluminum option. It is significantly heavier than the aluminum frame option, but that frame weight combined with my 80lb weights have left me with great peace of mind during unfortunate weather. Another thing to note is that my 10×10 frames both have the ability to keep the canopy cover attached to the frame, but that is not an option with the 10×20 frame based on how it folds down. That does mean I have to put the cover on during setup at every event, then remove it and fold it up at teardown, but the travel bag/case that the frame comes with also includes a large pocket to keep the cover in, which is pretty convenient.
When I initially purchased this setup, I got only the frame and cover option, no walls, in beige. Then, at the first event I used it at in January, it rained so much overnight, then froze/snowed, and the cover got so waterlogged that it did begin leaking. I have since replaced it with a new burgundy cover to better match my branding and haven’t had any issues since.
10×20 booth setup featuring numerous products mentioned in this blog post, including tables, table cloths, curtains, mannequin, and multiple display items.
Eurmax
Eurmax canopy with the awning attachment before the rain hit
Recently I also purchased a new 10×10 Eurmax canopy with the awning option because I was getting tired of my products getting rained on. I usually have some kind of display setup just outside of my canopy at events, and it’s been raining at quite a few events lately, so I was hoping that the awning option would work for me. Unfortunately I didn’t have a great experience with this. Generally speaking, I think the Eurmax canopy with the awning works well enough if your purpose is shade, but if your purpose is to keep products dry in the rain like me, this did not work. There was no support on the front edge of the awning, only two poles on the sides, and when the rain hit, I ended up with a little waterfall right in the middle at the entrance of my booth. I’m not linking to this product because I would not recommend it to anybody else and will be selling my Eurmax canopy soon.
I do plan on looking into a new brand, Cobizi canopies, as their awnings look far more well-designed and like they’ll actually function like I need them to. Whenever that happens, I’ll report back.
Another thing I bought recently from Eurmax is their horizontal frame supports, and these work quite well. I primarily use these frame supports behind my hanging grid walls to keep them from leaning too far backward when I put product up, but they’re also great for just having additional frame support on the canopy frame itself. I don’t have any photos of these currently, but I’ll add a photo whenever I remember.
Other Items
Some other Items for my canopy frame specifically that I’ve ordered are these tent stakes from Amazon. I’ve tried a few different stakes for my canopies and these have worked the best for me so far. They drive in the ground pretty easily (unless you hit a tree root) and they hold well in the wind. That said, I haven’t used these in winds above about 10-15mph so I can’t speak to how they work in those instances. Typically, if I’m going to an event and it looks like I might be dealing with wind over 15-20mph, I’m bringing the 80lb concrete weights I made instead, and those haven’t failed me.
Curtains & Decor
When it comes to decor, there’s a LOT of stuff that I’ve tried, even several versions of the same, so I’m just going to go over what I currently use. To dress up my canopy, I use these burgundy curtains with gold embroidery alongside these gold sheer curtains at each corner of my booth. If I’m doing a multi-day event, I’ll also use these bug net curtains that zip up so that I can open and close my booth but still have more natural light and a breeze coming through the sides that I wouldn’t open. From there, I use these gold curtain tie backs at each corner to gather my burgundy & gold curtains. And then lastly, I have these beautiful valances made of recycled Indian sarees that I attach to my canopy for some texture and color. I’m considering swapping these out though because, even though I love them, I just can’t seem to find a way to attach them securely to the canopy covers. Safety pins work in a pinch, but nothing seems to work as a repeat solution.
Displays
For display items, I have again used a LOT of different things, but I’m going to go a little more in detail about some of these as even though they ended up not always working for me, I do think they would work well for a lot of other vendors.
The primary selection of items I used to use that I think would work well for others include a few different bamboo display items. What I primarily used are the following items: a folding plant stand (also pictured in the 10×20 booth photo above), a clothing rack with side shelves and top shelf, and a standalone 4 tier shelf. The plant stand body folds down, but the top hanging bar should be removed for travel, and then both of the other two had to be fully assembled on site and then disassembled afterward. Mostly the reason I ended up moving away from using these is just because I got tired of the hassle of setting them up and then taking them down. That, and it always seems like everything fits in my car perfectly fine on the way there, but after events, even though I will have inevitably sold stuff and have less stuff to bring home, nothing ever fits back in the car quite as well… so that is definitely something to consider.
Aside from the bamboo shelving, there are a few other tables I have since purchased. First is this small folding round table that I’ll use to put a small display on at larger events where I have the floor space in my booth. I also use it pretty frequently at home as my table for product photography. The next one is this folding bar table that I use for my checkout area. It folds down flat and comes with two inner shelves and its own carrying bag, which is super convenient. I will say, the carrying bag is not very high quality and I definitely ripped a seam open when I took this to its first event, but I haven’t repaired that seam at all and the bag still works just fine over a year later. Last up is this little tiny folding camping table. This table is pretty small so it fits great in the back of the booth for my boyfriend & me to keep our drinks and snacks on, it has extra shelves and a little net add-on that you can put up, and extending table legs. Best of all, this thing is entirely self-contained and folds in on itself so it’s really easy to carry and store.
From here, I also have a few folding 6-foot tables. I got mine locally, but Amazon has these similar tables too.
Dress form setup outside my booth with the folding bar table + champagne table cloth behind it.
As I’m writing this, I’m realizing I need to do better taking pictures of my booth…
Anyway, last up for displays is going to be my mannequins. Most of my mannequins were acquired from a local department store after they upgraded theirs, but I did order one dress form mannequin, who I have affectionately named Francesca. I think if I was using this mannequin for her intended purpose, as a dress form for sewing, then I would have far fewer issues, but alas, I do not. As such, I would probably avoid getting this particular mannequin due strictly to her base. The mannequin itself works perfectly, but the base is made of somewhat flexible plastic that doesn’t stand up well on flat surfaces, let alone uneven or rocky ones like what I’m usually on for events. Still, she works just fine as long as the base situation is kept in mind, and I don’t plan on replacing her any time soon. So, I guess maybe I would recommend her?
Since the green color doesn’t really go with my burgundy & gold branding, I did also buy this velvet mannequin cover very recently. I’ll get around to dyeing it burgundy eventually.
For the 6 foot tables, the one round table, and my checkout table, I have ordered several different sizes of table cloths. I like that I can get these table cloths in a bunch of different sizes, shapes, and configurations, all while making sure they all match. The plain square and round table cloths can be found on a separate listing from the 6-foot table cloths. Keeping that cohesive color palette is really important to me and these make that really easy.
Briefly, on the topic of table cloths for 6-foot tables specifically, I generally lean more towards the looser fitting ones rather than the fitted ones, especially for faire. I find the looser fitting ones more aesthetically pleasing than the fitted ones, and it’s much easier to hide anything I need to under a looser fitting table cloth than the fitted ones.
Lighting
Up next is lighting. This isn’t necessary for everyone, but I have found myself doing more and more events that run after dark, so it’s become something I’ve invested in. Initially, I started out with this string of outdoor lightbulbs. This one string is enough to wrap all the way around the inside of my 10×20 booth, but the light is just kind of alright and they pull quite a bit of power from my battery packs (I’ll mention those later). At the first event I attended where I used these, we were open until 10pm and they drained the battery and died with a little over an hour left of the event (bearing in mind sunset was roughly 7:30ish). Most people weren’t bothered, though, and just shopped by the light of their phones. I still ended up selling one of my $150+ pirate hats! I have also used this string in my 10×10 and I think they were a lot more successful in the smaller booth, so if you’re considering these and you use a 10×20 frequently, I would get two, possibly even three, and layer up.
From there, I tried a few other things, including fairy light curtain strings. Those? Absolute nightmare to take down & store, 0/10 do not recommend. Did I just choose a poor option? Most likely, yeah. They are probably fine for someone’s bedroom, but they didn’t work for what I needed them for. After that, I tried out these magnetic under cabinet lights, and those work kind of okay for lighting up my booth. They do best for ambient lighting so I do continue to use them in combination with the next two lighting options.
Most recently, I got these rechargeable spotlights. These made a huge difference in my booth, and not just after dark. One problem I have to deal with is my burgundy canopy really darkening my booth inside and also turning everything slightly pink. Using these lights during the day, especially on cloudy days, seems to help mitigate the en-pink-ening of my products. I plan on investing in so many of these… and maybe also a custom gold canopy someday?
Another win was a TikTok shop purchase, but I found something very similar on Amazon: these camping fans. Firstly, depending on how high you run the fan, the run time on battery power is multiple days’ worth of time. Even at the highest fan speed, it’s still long enough to last all day. Not only that, but it tilts, oscillates, it can hang from canopy bars, has built in LED lights, AND you can even use the base as a charger for small devices like a phone. Yeah, I bought two and will probably order more at some point. These are VERY much recommended.
Light up mushrooms were a huge hit at Mirth & Mischief 2025. You can also see the fairy lights, which were less awesome.
In the realm of lighting are the less useful, more vibey option: candles. I have a growing collection of flameless LED candles in various heights that I use for vibes. They provide zero functional light, but they’re cute. My biggest thing to note here is don’t get the candles that are made of wax. I had some. They melted at a particularly hot summer festival. I don’t recommend those specifically, but otherwise candles are a 10/10.
Last up is this ridiculous little chandelier with flameless LED candles. Don’t tell me it’s not cute and 100% necessary, I simply won’t hear it. Only problem is that tall people will absolutely bonk their heads on it, so I only hang it up directly over a table, usually my checkout table, so there’s no way someone could walk under it and get bonked.
I do have one honorable mention: giant light up garden mushrooms. My sister and I have slowly collected quite a few from our local Cracker Barrel over the past 3 or 4 years and they are always a huge hit at events. I tried looking for something similar on Amazon, but unfortunately could not find mushrooms even remotely close to what I have. If you have a Cracker Barrel near you, you may get lucky every spring/summer as it seems like they keep coming back. Each year seems like a new design is added, and I’m up to 4 different mushrooms so far.
Small display items
Next up is small display items. I have bought a number of different things, some of which I still use and some I don’t anymore. As with the bamboo displays above, I’m still recommending some of these items even though I no longer use them just because I’ve redesigned my displays, not because there were any issues with the products. Currently what I do use are: velvet headband tower, doll clothing hangers for my teacup holsters, one of the two foldable jewelry stands I have, and the grid walls plus numerous accessories not linked here. Otherwise, everything else has been phased out to a degree.
I will say, using the grid walls has been a GAME CHANGER in regards to how easy it is to set up and tear down my booth. They add all the height I could want display-wise, I can hang tons more product than I could lay out on a table, and there’s still plenty of room for people to come into my booth even in a 10×10 with both our chairs inside for those tightly spaced events. Depending on your product, if it’s something you can hang rather than stack, I would absolutely recommend going straight to the grid walls and various accessories. In regards to accessories, I mostly use 6” long pegs and 12” long shelf brackets with wooden shelf boards from Home Depot. I also have I think 3 or 4 of the grid wall hat holders for pirate hats, a few of the waterfall hooks, and a few wire baskets that I don’t use often. Lastly, honorable mention to the wood craft crates that seemingly everyone uses. I never set out to use them at first, and in fact tried to avoid it, but when my sister was getting rid of hers, I took them and I’ve been using them ever since.
Costume items
For clothing, I tried quite a few different things. Most items that I moved away from, I only did so due to ease of wearability and how it affects me being hot as heck and dealing with my health issues during events. There are so many here, I’m just going to leave this up to a gallery. This collection of items is mostly summer items with the occasional winter accessory thrown in, and a mix of mens and womens items. It’s also going to be a bit of a hodge podge because I’ve definitely purchased new items to meet certain themes for different events I’ve done, like a Viking-themed event I got an inexpensive apron dress outfit for.
Hardware & Miscellaneous
This last section is for all the hardware and other miscellaneous things I’ve purchased for my booth. Most important for me were these portable power stations. Initially I ordered one and only used it for powering my lights, but the more shows I went to, the more I found myself using the pack to charge my phone or for my boyfriend to charge his laptop. I bought a second one last year, and honestly these things are so handy. The battery life is pretty good and I can charge or run a few different things off of one battery charge. I will say, it was this battery that I had my light bulbs mentioned above plugged into when they died, so they’re not perfect, but they’re a great inexpensive option.
Another must-have for me is this real estate sign that I use to hang my business sign off of. This sign is pretty sturdy and is comprised of several small sections of tube that screw together into the full size sign post. The bottom of the post can be driven into the ground but it does leave a bit of a hole, which may not be welcome at all venues, so I’m not always able to use it.
One fun thing I bought for myself that is definitely not a need is a tongue drum. My boyfriend is a musician and regularly brings his guitar to play or his laptop to work on music. I bought myself a tongue drum to bring to events and it’s been quite a lot of fun learning to play. The tongue drum is also a great option for the vibes because it’s a pretty relaxing sounding instrument.
That’s it! I hope you found this blog post and some of the stuff I’ve listed here useful. Not sure what my next blog post will be, but I hope you stay tuned!
