Archive for January, 2007
Next Entries »Restaurant Distributors List
Friday, January 12th, 2007Since someone asked, and since a small restaurant or cafe can be a great addition to a retail store, I’ve decided to post a list of restaurant distributors. Some do food, some do equipment, and some seem to do a little bit of everything. As always, do your research when choosing a company to supply your needs - a listing here does not indicate that I’m endorsing the copany.
Distribution Solutions
141 N Sherrin Avenue Suite 229
Louisville, KY 40207
502-429-5826
Fox River Foods, Inc.
5030 Baseline Rd
Montgomery, IL 60538-0709
630-896-1991
Yes Distributing
1201 Mendota Heights Road
Mendota Heights, MN 55120
800-215-3088
American Pride Seafoods
19518 Alabama Hwy 69 N
Greensboro, AL 36744
800-343-8046ext
Kast Distributors
541 Harding Hwy
Carneys Point, NJ 08069
856-299-3553
Manchester Wholesale Distributors Inc. - These guys actually cover quite a lot of product areas.
64 Old Granite Street
Manchester, NH 03101
603-625-5461
Restaurant Financing
Friday, January 12th, 2007I got an e-mail a few days ago complaining that I never talk about restaurants. While this blog is normally aimed more at retail stores and ecommerce site owners, this post is for that reader.
When people are starting their new business - whether it’s a restaurant, store, or website - the most common question is, “Where will I get the money?” Honestly, I think that question may represent the biggest barrier to entry for any business, since a lot of people who could qualify for small business loans assume that they wouldn’t be able to finance their dreams.
There are a number of places you can go if you’re looking for a business loan, and Advance Restaurant Finance is one of them. They specialize in working capital loans for restaurants, but nearly any industry has at least one similar type of lender.
If you’re looking to get a loan for your business, be sure to check out all the possible avenues - bank funding, specialized lenders like this post’s sponsor, Advance Restaurant Finance, and even more creative methods like friends and family or interested private investors. Not having enough money to grow and change your business can be just as devastating as not having the money to pay your everyday bills.
This post is sponsored by Advance Restaurant Finance.
January 2007 Women’s Apparel Trade Shows
Thursday, January 11th, 2007January is a big month for wedding shows that are open to the public, so not much else happens on the women’s apparel front during that time. All the same, here are the ones that WILL be occurring this month.
Florida Fashion Focus
Jan 21, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
International Lingerie Show - Miami
Miami International Merchandise Mart, Miami
Jan 21, 2007 - Jan 22, 2007
Dallas Women’s & Children’s Apparel & Accessories
Dallas Market Center, Dallas
Jan 28, 2007 - Jan 31, 2007
Dunecraft - Fun Science Toys Wholesale
Thursday, January 11th, 2007Dunecraft is one of those companies that makes really cool stuff that not a whole lot of people know about - at least, not outside the worlds of science and toys. If you own a general merchandise store or online retailer, you may find that some of their novelty products have a great broad appeal.
My personal favorite from their product lineup is Space Sand:
You can put it in water and mold it, but it doesn’t get wet like normal sand. Once you take it out, it’s dry. Now I don’t really know what I’d do with it after the first 15 minutes of playing with it, but that’s okay. At less than $10 for most varieties, most of us aren’t going to expect much more than 15 minutes of fun.
If you’re interested in reselling Space Sand or any of their other fun products, contact Duncraft at:
Dunecraft
P.O. Box 808
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Phone: 800-306-4168
Fax: 800-306-4167
info (at) dunecraft (dot) com
Buy or Sell A Business
Thursday, January 11th, 2007Sometimes when you’re getting started, it’s easier to start with an established business. If you buy a business many parts of the business are already established - a location, a customer base, etc. It lets you focus more on the parts you find most difficult.
And of course, if your business does well, you may instead want to sell a business. There very often comes a time when the passion fades or you’d like to pursue other ventures, and there’s no shame in selling.
Either way, you can take care of it at Key Mergers, - assuming that you’re looking for a UK-based transaction. Key Mergers has sponsored this post.
Mathmos - Wholesale Lamps, Lighting, & More
Thursday, January 11th, 2007Mathmos is the company that brought us lava lamps a few decades ago. Today, they keep trying to recreate that success, but nothing seems to match it. That’s not to say that they don’t make good stuff, they just haven’t made another lava lamp.
Located in the UK, Mathmos is surprisingly easy to work with. There’s no language barrier, of course, if you’re a U.S. reseller. Also, since their items tend to be the kind of stuff you’d see in kitschy little shops, their minimum order requirements are refreshingly modest.
A lot of their stuff looks like you’d find it in the spec unit of a new loft building. These light shades are actually quite cool, considering that there’s no real installation involved:
I’m also pretty fond of the AirSwitch lamp. You just wave your hand over the top and the light turns on or off. By raising or elevating your hand over the top, you can even adjust the brightness. AirSwitch. It just makes sense. It would be great on a bedside table.
If you’re interested in carrying Mathmos products, get in touch with them at:
Mathmos
22-24 Old St.
London EC1V 9AP
Toll Free Tel: 1 866 867 4560
Fax: 01144 20 7549 2715
E-mail: us-support (at) mathmos (dot) co (dot) uk
Scheduling Software with Net Simplicity
Thursday, January 11th, 2007Depending on how large your business is, you may find that you benefit from some kind of scheduling software. They have scheduling software that helps you with managing assets and room scheduling, and they offer a 30 day free trial so you don’t have to invest anything but time to see if it works for you.
Something like Net Simplicity can be especially helpful if you find yourself in one of those shared office situations where you split a meeting space with several other small businesses, or if you have a large business where EVERYTHING gets tough to coordinate.
This post is sponsored by Net Simplicity.
Auto Anything - Automotive Wholesale Products
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007Sometimes it’s easiest to start out selling products that people don’t necessarily need, but that they can easily be convinced that they need. Automotive products can be just that kind of item. Auto Anything sells a variety of automotive products that aren’t highly technical in nature, but they’re most famous for their garage floor liners.
Given the price range of most automotive products, there’s a great potential for good profit on each sale. If you’re interested in contacting Auto Anything, you can reach them at:
AutoAnything
9210 Sky Park Court
San Diego, California 92123
1-800-874-8888, ext. 100
wholesaleinfo (at) autoanything (dot) com
Can You Imagine - Gift and Novelty Wholesaler
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007Can You Imagine, or CYI, is a US-based wholesaler of a variety of strange and fun products. They’ve got clocks, wind spinners, Airzookas, and even these cute vases:
Can You Imagine is a very active novelty wholesaler, and they’re always eager to add new resellers. You can find them at most of the big gift industry tradeshows, or you can contact them at:
Can You Imagine
9314 Eton Avenue
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Tel: 818-727-9555
Toll Free: 800-275-4624
Fax: 818-727-1911
Finance for my UK Readers
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007As you may or may not know, I try not to make a practice of giving explicit financial advice. Instead, I like to point out certain options and opportunities and discuss them in a more objective manner. It’s hard to give good financial advice that applies to everyone, and even the worst advice for most can be good advice in some situations.
That said, I want to make my readers in the United Kingdom aware of a new site that I came across today. It lets you compare UK loans from one main site, which is quite a time saver. Unlike a lot of sites, it’s not all about mortgages, or all about automobile loans - it deals with a variety of both secured and unsecured loans.
As with a anything, you should definitely read all the terms before you sign anything, and try to be objective about what’s best for your business. You shouldn’t be afraid of looking for loans on the internet, though (no matter what your local banker may try to tell you). There are plenty of great deals to be had if you’re diligent and sufficiently cautious.
I don’t know of any resources like this for U.S. people, but I’ll post if I ever find one. This post was sponsored by My Loan Quote UK.
Architec Housewares - Kitchen & Housewares Wholesaler
Tuesday, January 9th, 2007If you’re a foodie, you probably understand the excitement that comes with bright and shiny new kitchen supplies. If not, don’t worry. You don’t need to understand it to profit from it. Architec Housewares is just one of the many companies that can help you.
Architec sells a number of different colorful cutting boards and spoonrests, and that’s about it. There’s no brand confusion here - they don’t make measuring cups, or pots and pans, or silicone jumpsuits - just cutting boards and spoonrests. Here’s an example:
To get in touch with Architec, e-mail them at jenna (at) plastecproducts (dot) com or call at 1-877-4GRIPPER
January Gift & Decor Trade Shows - 2007
Thursday, January 4th, 2007If you’re into the whole tradeshow scene, January could be a busy month for you. Here’s a list of the big gift and decor shows going on this January:
Portland Gift & Accessories Show
Oregon Convention Center, Portland
Jan 06, 2007 - Jan 09, 2007
Philadelphia National Candy, Gift & Gourmet Show
New Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City
Jan 07, 2007 - Jan 09, 2007
Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market
Americasmart Atlanta, Atlanta
Jan 12, 2007 - Jan 16, 2007
The St. Louis Gift Show - I might actually make it to this one!
Gateway Center, Collinsville
Jan 15, 2007 - Jan 17, 2007
CMC Gift & Home Market
California Mart Exhibit Center, Los Angeles
Jan 16, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
Dallas International Gift & Home Accessories Market
Dallas Market Center, Dallas
Jan 17, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
California Gift Show
Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles
Jan 19, 2007 - Jan 22, 2007
Columbus MarketPlace For Gift, Garden & Home
Columbus MarketPlace, Columbus
Jan 19, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
Minneapolis Gift Mart
Minneapolis Gift Mart, Minnetonka
Jan 19, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
ASD/AMD’s Variety Merchandise Show
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York
Jan 20, 2007 - Jan 23, 2007
New York International Gift Fair
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York
Jan 27, 2007 - Feb 01, 2007
If I’ve missed any big ones, feel free to clue me in and I’ll add them. I’ve only listed U.S. shows, but I’ll happily add international shows, too.
USB Gadget / Electronics Wholesalers - USBGeek & More
Monday, January 1st, 2007 Business Broad Wholesale Product SourcesSo the topic of the day is USB gadgets. There are tons of different USB gadgets, and they’ve gotten increasingly popular in the last year or two as retailers like Thinkgeek.com have promoted them. They’ve got mouses (novelty and plain), card readings, scrolling LED name badges, and even USB Missile Launchers:
USB Missile Launcher
If you’re interested in selling stuff like this (and they’ve got something cute of useful for almost everyone), there are two major distributors:
USBGeek - Hong Kong
reseller (at) usbgeek.com
Brando - Also in Hong Kong
usb (at) brando.com.hk
Dreamcheeky - Another one in Hong Kong
The most important thing to remember with either site is that they are located in Hong Kong, and shipping will not be cheap. Both companies are happy to accomodate relatively small orders, but pay careful attention to the cost per unit once you factor in shipping. On heavier items, you may find that you need to order a fairly large quantity to bring the shipping cost down to a reasonable amount.
The other downside, of course, is that all business is typically done by e-mail. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may be better off asking the company if they work with any U.S.-based distributors for the products you’re interested in.
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