Collapsible Market Stall

Build a unique and collapsible market stall for around $100. Use it for your booth at the farmer's market or craft fair, or to provide a little shade over whatever you're into, from bluegrass band to lemonade stand!

Tarp:

• 8'x14' (many different kinds will work, but I used this one)
• Bungee cords (the "ball" kind or the "hook" kind, your call).

Lumber:

• Two six-foot 2"x2"
• Three eight-foot 2"x2" (I used 2" rounded garden posts)
• Two ten-foot 1"x4"
• Two eight-foot 1"x4".

Hardware (all 1/4" x 20; here's what that means):

• Two 2" hex bolts
• Four 2" hanger bolts
• Two 3" hanger bolts
• Two 4" hanger bolts
• Two 5" hanger bolts
• Ten washers
• Ten wing nuts*
• Two hex nuts
• Ten lock washers
• *Threaded knobs would also work).

Tools:

• Driver/drill
• Drill bit: just a little larger than the 1/4" bolts; the next size up is 17/64" but a range of sizes would work.
• 1/4" hex driver bit
• Jigsaw
• Saw (for cutting 90 degree angles; any species will do)
• Sander.

I needed a shade solution (mainly for pumpkin carving events), but I've never liked most of the designs on the market: they’re clunky, squeaky, expensive, boring and are always trying to pinch your fingers.

While searching for DIY options, I liked the look of a lot of “Viking” style market stalls, many of which have an integrated tent so you can actually set up camp. But one that really stood out for me was made by a Czech company called “Xmarkt,” which has a very small footprint on the web (at least when viewed from here in the U.S.), except for some mentions about a market in Prague which features lots of them in different colors, all looking quite badass alongside one another.

Their design features bright white fabric with what looks like hefty 2"x6" lumber, sewn pockets for the horizontals, cables with turnbuckles holding everything together, metal stripping for asphalt protection and built-in tables. From the photos they appear to be 6 feet wide but that's just a guess.

Lacking sewing machine skills and access to whatever fabric they’re using, I opted for bungee connections for a pre-fab grommeted shade cloth, and hanger bolts and wingnuts instead of cables. A table across the whole front of my design seemed a little claustrophobic (how would you escape, out the side? A tripping hazard, can’t possibly be OSHA approved!) so I opted for a separate, 6’ table. Another design I saw uses the same diagonal idea but has a triangular plywood joint in the middle of the “X.” But I kept returning to that general outline: a vertical back and a lopsided “X.”

Now that I've finally bult it, I really like the aesthetics of this layout; it has nice dynamic diagonals that showcase the paint job, and a wide-open, inviting “front.” I can hang things from it (like signage and pumpkin skulls, ew!!), and it (just barely) fits inside my Honda Pilot, or can be strapped to the roof. 

Mine cost just over $100 to build. Your mileage will of course vary depending on the price of lumber and hardware in your neck of the woods, but it's bound to be cooler than anything you can buy off the shelf. I opted for thinner stock, but the design will work using many different dimensions of lumber. I used hanger bolts and wingnuts, but another plausible option is dowels and pins, just like the Vikings used due to their inability to access hardware stores, or store-bought threaded knobs like these.

I’d done some doodling, figured out some dimensions and kept revising the design, but I kept getting stuck on the tarp: I didn’t want the common blue plastic kind because they “rattle” quite a bit when the wind picks up, and they look exactly like blue tarps*. I’d found several other contenders including reclaimed billboard vinyl, oilcloth and standard plastic tarp, but they all seemed too pricey or heavy or ugly. I bought one shade tarp that looked okay online, but I returned it as soon as it arrived because it was far too flimsy. Finally I found this 8’x14’ shade cloth with grommets that really fit the bill, for a little over $40. Many different dimensions will work, but matching the width of the tarp makes everything easier. 

I used 2”x2” for the verticals. I had a few eight-foot long, 2” thick garden poles on hand so I used those for the three horizontal poles, but 2”x2” lumber would work there instead. I used two ten-foot and two eight-foot 1”x4” pine boards for the diagonals, for a total of $45 or so. Adding in the hex and hanger bolts, washers and wingnuts, I ended up spending around $65 in both lumber and hardware.

*A blue tarp would work just fine; no judgement if you’re one of those freaky blue tarp fans.

Two verticals: (six-foot 2"x2's):

These two (A) have a hole drilled about 1" from one end. This is so the top of the horizontal (D) will be flush with the top of the vertical (A). It's 1" from the end for my 2"-thick horizontals, but it would be 3/4" if your horizontals are 2"x2" (which are really 1.5"x1.5", which is just dumb).

They also have hanger bolts sticking out of the center of their base, pointing down, long enough to make it through the ground-level horizontal (C).

I rigged a makeshift “sideways drill press” so the pilot holes for the hanger bolts were as straight as possible, and it very nearly worked. Luckily, perfection is not required here; all the holes you're drilling are bigger than the bolts going through them, which means you've got some "wiggle room." I found the depths by measuring how much bolt needed to be sticking out - enough to make it through the lumber, with enough thread for the wingnut - and marking the drill bit with a felt-tip pen so I knew where to stop. Then I'd push a little wood glue into the hole and drive the hanger bolts to the correct depth.

Tip: you can convince a hanger bolt to behave like a regular hex bolt by nesting a pair of hex nuts together; one pushes up against the other one and keeps it from spinning, so your hex driver bit can grab that "headless" bolt and drive it with no trouble. 

Three horizontals (rounded or 2"x2*):

1. One eight-foot horizontal (B) with 2" hanger bolts at each end. There should be sufficient threads exposed to make it through the 1"x4" diagonal (E) with room for the nut; in my case 1" was plenty.
2. Another eight-foot horizontal (C) identical to the first, except it also has two holes drilled 2.25" from each end, for the hanger bolts at the bottom of the verticals (A). I flattened my rounded horizontal a little where it meets the vertical for a better fit, but that wouldn't be needed if you're using 2"x2" for the horizontals.
3. A third horizontal (D), seven foot, 7.25 inches (or, 4.75" shorter than the others), with 5" hanger bolts sticking out far enough to get through both the verticals (A) and diagonals (B) with wingnut room, so about 2.75".

Note: Because my rounded garden poles had pointy ends that I had to remove, my horizontals ended up a little shy of 8 feet long (which actually simplifies tarp attachment a little). But since that’s probably not going to be the case for most folks, this Instructable assumes a full 8’ width for clarity. Should you opt for a narrower stall, you can easily reduce the dimensions of those horizontals (or increase them for that matter), as long as the two long ones are equal, and the short one allows for the thicknesses of the other pieces.

Two pairs of diagonals:

1. Two ten-foot 1"x4's (E), with a hole about 1" from each end and a hole at the four-foot mark.
2. Two eight-foot 1"x4"s (F), with a hole 1" from one end and a hole at the four-foot mark.

I rounded off the ends of the 1”x4” boards with a jigsaw, drilled holes at the four-foot mark and used 2" hex bolts to stick together two pairs of the 8’ and 10’ 1"x4"s, forming the lopsided "X."

These are the clunkiest components, and the ones most likely to bite you, so beware: they're swiveling around like giant scissors and really want to smoosh your fingers!

When the other poles are disassembled every time you pack up, these parts can remain stuck together.

I applied several coats of paint, trying to adhere to a paint scheme I’d doodled on my computer (purple and green), but I mixed up a couple poles during the disassembled confusion, so I have a purple piece that was supposed to be green and a green piece that was supposed to be purple. Will I fix that at some point? I do hope so. 

For added durability wherever wood touches wood, I cut little 2” circles from plastic “coffee can” style lids with a hole saw, sliding them over the hanger bolts and stapling them to the wood. 

Since I’m mostly setting up on dirt or grass, I opted for rubber feet: stapled 6” sections of bike tube. If I were to do a gig on pavement, I’d go with metal. Come to think of it, maybe a bike tire would be more versatile, like a section of mountain bike tread? I like that idea, and am going to go do it now. You can stop reading and come back when I’m done.

Ok that was harder than I thought; the tire wasn't flexible enough to make the turn I was asking for. I'm not giving up though; it's a good idea that I'll revisit.

Erecting the whole thing proved to be a bit tricky, and I managed to drop a pole on my head at least once, but I feel just fine now and wait what were we talking about?

After a little trial-and-error I landed on a procedure that excludes cranial injury. It's no problem to set this up all by yourself, but it's quite a bit easier if you have a friend/volunteer/service robot who can hold pieces up while you tighten wingnuts.

Set up (the TL;DR version):

Set it all up on it's "back" with the front legs pointing up at the sky, then gently rock it forward when it's done.

Set up (the full version; see the diagrams and below): 

1. Slide the bolts on the short horizontal (D) through the holes at the top of the 6’ verticals (A). Slide the bolts at the bottom of the two verticals (A) through the holes in the the long horizontal (C), tighten wingnuts.

2. Slide the diagonals into place (avoid pinching!): the bottom of the long diagonal (E) goes through the bolt on the side of (C), and the top of the short diagonal (F) goes through the bolt on the side of (D), tighten wingnuts. Repeat for both sides. Tighten wingnuts on the diagonals, too.

3. Attach horizontal (B) to the top of the long diagonal (E).

4. Attach front edge of tarp, using whichever bungee strategy sparks the most joy in your heart.

5. Make sure the area is clear of bystanders or pets or fragile glassware. Standing behind structure and rock it forward by lifting up on (D) until the front feet of (E) hit the ground. Note: Keep the tarp pushed to one side so you can see where (and upon whom) the feet are landing!

6. Stretch the tarp over the frame, pull tight and attach with bungees.

7. If there's any possibility the wind will pick up even a little, anchor all four feet to the ground. You can weigh them down with sand bags, or drill holes (like I did) at the bottom of the diagonals for tying paracord to big stakes, or use cement-in-coffee-can anchors, whatever works for you.

Break down:

1. Detach the tarp from everything except the front edge (B), drape tarp out of the way (so you can see what you're doing).

2. Slowly tip the structure until its back hits the ground.

3. Remove the tarp from the front edge, detach the top horizontal (B) from the long diagonals (E).

4. Remove wingnuts from the ends of the diagonals, then carefully slide them off their bolts. Don‘t let them collapse like giant scissors and decapitate you.

5. Lay out tarp, detach all poles (leave diagonals attached to each other). Roll all parts into the tarp, leaving a few wraps between each piece so they don’t scratch each other in transit. Tie it all up using bungees and/or rope, and off you go!

There are countless tweaks that will work here!

This design can be easily adapted to different lumber dimensions. Using 2"x4" or 2"x6" would be quite unwieldy but super sturdy, and would be perfectly fine especially if you're setting up for like a week at a time instead of a few hours. I like the idea of rounded poles, particularly on the "middle" horizontal (D) so it's gentler on the tarp, but square stock would work there too.

The finish can also go in any direction; you can leave it unfinished or stain it and seal it or use any paint color scheme or carve intricate designs all over it like the Vikings did when they were bored. The tarp color is another obvious choice that affects the overall look.

For even more portability, the 10' boards (E) could be engineered with a split in them so they could fold down a bit; maybe the last two feet could swivel down to 8' and back, using a fixed bolt for the pivot point and another bolt to lock it open (and closed)? Actually you could even use that trick on all four diagonals, and get it all to fold down to 6'! Maybe I'll do that if I ever build another one of these, we'll see!

A bag like this might come in handy.

Personally I'm planning to expand the items I have for sale during pumpkin carving season (I have a book for sale, but I'm thinking of offering woodcarvings and carved avocado pits too); retail feels more plausible now that I have this designated space. Besides always having a perfect spot to hang my banner, I can dangle things from the frame, or mount little custom-made retail displays to the diagonals so they're right at eye level with no footprint! I'm also looking forward to my next outdoor music gig: I'll be completely self-contained, and won't get baked by the sun or even drizzled upon by the drizzle!

I suppose if that drizzle were to haul off and become rain, I'd like to have rainproof tarp on hand, along with the one I have now which is really only made for shade. Perhaps I'll become one of those blue-tarp people after all? Regardless, I'll be keeping an eye out for additional 8'x14' options.

And while I'm on the topic on inclement weather: right now I have pretty substantial tent stakes that I can tie to the feet as anchors, but I'd like to have beefier options on hand. Perhaps a sharpened length of rebar with a cross-piece I can step on, or drive in with a mallet? The point is, I have a decent solution for a slight breeze, but I'd prefer a more robust solution that will survive the coming apocalypse.

I'm going to keep fiddling with ways to protect the wood where it hits the ground (see the bike tire debacle in step 5).

I also might try plastic knobs in place of the wingnuts, or I may end up making these myself instead of buying them; you can glue a nut into a hole in a chunk of wood and cut out whatever shape you want, so it could be a round-ish knob or a lever or a t-shaped thing or a square or a random chunk of driftwood or an (ironic) "x," or maybe even a pumpkin shape? I'll let you know when I decide.

So, dear reader, what will you be doing under your market stall?

Best of luck with it, whatever it is!