Affordable Art Booth Setup Tips for Beginners
Thinking about setting up your first art fair booth but don’t want to spend a fortune? I get it. When you’re just starting out, the cost of tents, display walls, print racks, and everything else can add up fast. But the good news is, you can create a great-looking, functional booth without breaking the bank.
I put together this article to go along with a video I made sharing tips for setting up a budget-friendly outdoor art booth using gear I’ve personally used and tested during 10+ years of selling my work full time at art fairs across the Midwest. I cover everything from the cheapest tent I recommend, to print displays, weights, and how to take payments — all with affordability in mind.
Watch the full video below: I show everything I talk about, plus examples that are easier to understand visually.
Links to all of the products I discuss are in my FREE art fair supply list >> click to download
Choose the Right Tent (That Won’t Fall Apart)
A good tent is non-negotiable. It protects your art from rain, wind, sun, smoke, and whatever else might float by at an outdoor show (bubbles, cigarette ash, or the occasional flying water bottle — yes, that’s happened to me).
If you have the money for it, the Flourish Trimline tent is the gold standard, but it’ll set you back around $2,000. When you're on a tight budget, I recommend getting a pop-up tent instead. The one I've used and had excellent results with is in my art fair supply list, it's around $250. It’s waterproof enough for shows with some rain, but not as good as the Flourish Trimline tent. You can also find cheaper options at Walmart or Big Lots for around $100, especially on sale. But the cheaper pop-up tents are usually not waterproof so you have to be careful with these. They might not protect your art as well as a little more expensive pop-up tent.
Don’t Skip the Weights
Whatever tent you choose, make sure it’s secure. You need at least 25 lbs on each leg — that’s 100 lbs total — to keep it from flying away. 40 lbs on each leg is even better! I’ve seen booths go airborne and crash into other artists’ setups more times than I can count.
You can buy affordable weight bags on Amazon (I linked the ones I’ve used for over a decade), fill them with gravel from Lowe’s, or even use dumbbells or weight plates you already have at home. Just don’t skimp on this — it’s about protecting everyone’s booth, not just your own.
Wall Display Options for 2D Artists
Professional mesh panel walls cost around $850. They’re worth it — I use them now — but when I was starting out, I used mesh tarps from Amazon that cost about $40 each. You can bungee them to your tent frame and hang your art with hooks or clips. They won’t be as tight or stable as high-end walls, but they look clean and get the job done.
The links to these are in my free supply list, along with links to a video where I weight tested them and set up advice on using the mesh tarps properly.
But whatever you do, don’t set up easels in the wind. They’ll fall over, ruin your art, and distract customers from nearby booths. Easels are not a reliable way to display your art at outdoor art fairs.
Print Racks on a Budget
Don’t just toss prints in floppy sleeves on a table — they’ll blow around, wrinkle, and look unprofessional. Use a print bin. You can get sturdy metal ones for around $50, or upgrade later to something like Pro Panels' $250 rack. I used the $50 ones for years, and they worked great when I was getting started. For a deeper dive into print racks, make sure to check out this article because I go over several different styles and what I've learned over the years using them.
Chairs and Checkout Setup
Bring a chair — and if you can, use a tall director’s chair. It puts you at eye level with customers, making it easier to talk and build rapport. But if money’s tight, any lawn chair will work until you can upgrade.
As for taking payments, use Square. It’s easy, free to start, and works on your phone. I used it for years before upgrading to an iPad and stand to save my wrists (thanks to tendinitis). But you don’t need anything fancy to start taking cards and making sales.
Links to all of the products I discuss in this article are in my FREE art fair supply list >> click to download. If you don't want to download the list, you can also go to the description of my video because many of the products that I recommend are linked there as well. Hope this helps!