I certainly didn't think that lighting would be a big deal. I thought a lamp is a lamp is a lamp. Just grab a lamp not in use and we would have plenty of light in the tent. This is sadly not the case.
When it comes to lighting your craft tent it is just as important as buying the proper tent. The lighting illuminates your products and provides a welcoming glow to your tent. It welcomes the customers in to stop and look at your products. After all no one wants to enter a dark cave. Lesson learned the hard way.
If you want to get an idea of what type of lighting you should use, I suggest going to a craft show / farmers market near you and check out the vendors tents. You may also take note of how they display there products for ideas on how to display yours.
These are the lamps we noticed a lot of vendors using in our area. They are aluminum work clamp on lamps. The 10" lamp can handle up to a 300 watt bulb. It also throws 30% more light out in to a bigger area then the 8.5" work lamp. I haven't noticed the aluminum getting hot enough to burn any thing but as always use with caution. Most of the vendors we have seen use them by hanging them from the tent top, sides or center and focus them outward on to the products.
When it comes to lighting your craft tent it is just as important as buying the proper tent. The lighting illuminates your products and provides a welcoming glow to your tent. It welcomes the customers in to stop and look at your products. After all no one wants to enter a dark cave. Lesson learned the hard way.
If you want to get an idea of what type of lighting you should use, I suggest going to a craft show / farmers market near you and check out the vendors tents. You may also take note of how they display there products for ideas on how to display yours.
These are the lamps we noticed a lot of vendors using in our area. They are aluminum work clamp on lamps. The 10" lamp can handle up to a 300 watt bulb. It also throws 30% more light out in to a bigger area then the 8.5" work lamp. I haven't noticed the aluminum getting hot enough to burn any thing but as always use with caution. Most of the vendors we have seen use them by hanging them from the tent top, sides or center and focus them outward on to the products.
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| 10" Work Lamp |
The 8.5" work clamp lamp can hold up to a 150 watt bulb.
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| 8.5" Work Lamp |
We are trying to keep the cost down so we used old clip on lamps that we had left over from my mothers shop. We have a few of the 8.5" aluminum clamp lamps and a couple of small desk clip-on lamps. The 8.5' lamps will be used to highlight our products on the tables and hanging from the walls. The desk top lamps will be used to highlight our company name tent banner on the back wall. They can't handle more then 70 watts but that should be enough to spot light the banner. All we needed to do is buy bulbs for them. The brighter the better. We bought two 150 clear watt and one clear 200 watt bulb for the 10" and 8.5" lamps and two 70 watt for the desk lamps. Lots of Light...
When it comes to bulbs, there are so many choices out there. There is soft light, warm light, clear, vivid light. Then there is halogen, florescent or led lights. Not to mention, there is single spot lamps versus track lighting. Some bulbs simulate a higher wattage verses the illumination. There is a lot to choose from. Now that the bulb/lighting regulations have changed I would ask the store what would be best for your situation.
We will eventually upgrade to the simulated 1200 watt to be used in the aluminum work lamps with the lower (70watt) actual watt usage. These bulbs can be pricy but they last a little longer. When we have enough money we will buy a few more aluminum 10" clamp lamps from Lowes or Walmart. They run around $10-$15 each.
***Special notation*** If you are doing craft shows in the cold and raining months you can replace one of the light bulbs with a heat bulb. This will help keep you and your tent warm.
***Special notation*** If you are doing craft shows in the cold and raining months you can replace one of the light bulbs with a heat bulb. This will help keep you and your tent warm.
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