WHOLESALE For HANDMADE - Finding Retailers Who Might Want To Carry Your Product

So, if you've been tuning in, you know that we've talked about wholesale pricing already,  and of course we discussed setting up your wholesale linesheet, a copy of which you should already have tucked nicely away into  your very inexpensive-but-neat notebook/binder to be ready for presentation. 

Okay, so you now have your steller product, a solid wholesale price, and a beautiful linesheet. What next? 

You need to start thinking now about what retailers you'd like to try to market your product to.

Here are some tips for finding retailers/boutiques that may want your merchandise.

1.  Your Local Chamber of Commerce is a great starting point.

From what I've seen, a lot of indepent artisans and crafters overlook this completely, and that is a definite mistake.  First of all, your local Chamber is going to have a listing of member organizations that will fall under certain categories, like retail, for example.  Depending on where you live, you may be able to find their site on line and actually search the member directory there.  You can get some names and  possibly some addresses, and this is a great starting point.

2. Drive!

Or walk, depending on where you live. If you live in the suburbs, or in a rural area (like I do) then this might cost you a tank of gasoline.  Take a drive or a stroll through the shopping districts and see what shops are there.  But you need to do more than just drive by.  You need to actually go inside and take a look to see what merchandise they have available for sale.  Is it neatly arranged?  Are the displays current? Is there a lot of traffic to and from the shop? And more importantly, are the people INSIDE the shop actually buying things?  It wouldn't do to have your work present in a fabulous upscale boutique if there weren't any paying customers, would it?

3. Ask Questions.

Strike up a conversation with the boutique owner and/or employee.  How long has the shop been open? What's their busiest season?  Are they interested in carrying products made my local/independent designers?  A WORD OF CAUTION HERE:  if the employee/owner says the retail location has only been open for a few weeks or a few months, take this under advisement.  It may not necessarily be bad news, but  you  may want to proceed with caution if you plan on marketing your product to them.  On the other hand, new shops are sometimes more open to working with new artisans than more establishes venues. 

4.  Pay Attention to Products.

This is probably the most important part of your research, and is really so common-sense that it is often neglected.  Pay attention to what types of products are being offered and retail locations.  If you find a boutique and/or establishment that you want to introduce your products to, what other types of products are they carrying? If you want to try to sell your pearl button cufflinks to a card & stationery shop, for example, you're probably going to have a rough go of it.  Make sure their inventory is similar enough to what you're selling - otherwise you're going to be doing more work for  nothing.

4. DON'T OVERLOOK  UNCONVENTIONAL VENUES!

One of the very first venues I marketed my handmade soap to was a plumbing suppy shop.  They caught my eye because they actually sold handcrafted plumbing fixtures that used to be made by a semi-local artisan.  I was very impressed, and immediately struck up a conversation with them. They were one of my very first wholesale customers!  You can't overlook unconventional venues.  They may turn out to be some of your most loyal clients!


5.  Attend Local Trade Shows, Too.

Because of the huge movement back to "handmade" some trade fairs may have exhibitors who might be a fit for your work.  I wouldn't recommend attending trade shows that are out of your area (at least not yet) because you want to keep your expenses as low as possible until you have your feet on solid ground when it comes to income.  But it WILL BE worth your while to visit local ones and take notes.  You may even get some good design ideas!


When you've done the leg work, make some lists.  Who are your top choices?  Why are they  your top choices?  How can you find a way to approach them with your products so that they'll want to buy? 

We're going to address some of these questions in my next post, too.  For now, you've got a list of potential retailers you might be able to turn into paying customers.  That's a good place to start. It's always a good idea to start where you are, too - we'll talk later about branching out into other areas.

Do you have any other ideas about how to search for suitable retailers? Any suggestions that might help indie artisans identify potential wholesale clients?