Distributors/Vendors
« Previous Entries Next Entries »3 More Distributors You Should Check Out
Friday, November 16th, 2007If you’re looking for last minut gift items, you should check out the companies below. They’re all especially great for gift stores, but it’s not like their stuff wouldn’t do well in general merchandise or other more specialized areas.
Knock Knock - They sell cool paper producs.
Fred - I promise you: If you know anything about gifts, you will recognize their products.
Kikkerland - I’ve never been crazy about their customer service (it took 4 weeks and 4-5 calls to get a paper catalog, and their website doesn’t have everything), but they do have some cool products.
If you check them out, let me know how it goes!
Starting & Stocking Your Video Store
Thursday, November 15th, 2007I recently got an e-mail asking how to get started in the video store business, assuming that you’ve got the location and funding nailed down. Basically, the reader wanted to know how to find the items to put IN the store for sale and rental. That’s actually much simpler than you might guess. Here are a few companies to get you started:
Baker & Taylor - This is one of the biggest distributors of books, music, and video. The setup process can be a little intimidating, but it’s worth it.
Ingram Entertainment - Based out of Tennessee, this is another big entertainment distributor.
Navarre - There’s not much difference between Navarre and the others, but there are definitely some titles that will be at one of the 3 but not the others.
And, failing that, just go to Amazon.com. These things are pretty easy these days.
Good Cook Wholesale Kitchenware
Wednesday, November 7th, 2007I probably don’t spend enough time talking about kitchenware. The thing is, even gift stores can benefit from carrying kitchen items because everyone has a kitchen. I’ve always felt like the best way to stock a gift store is to strike a balance between items that people would only buy as gifts and items that people would actually purchase because they fulfill a need (an unimagined one, not the kind where you NEED fresh flowers for your dinner table or pretty knick-knacks for your shelves).
Anyway, if you’re looking to get into a few kitchen items, check out Good Cook. They carry a wide variety of the basics, so you really can’t go wrong with their stuff.
If you’d like to get in touch with Good Cook, do so at:
Bradshaw International
9409 Buffalo Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
91730
1.800.421.6290
Accoutrements - Cool, But Can You Spell It?
Sunday, November 4th, 2007I’m a huge fan of novelty products, especially in brick and mortar stores. Small gifts under $5-10 are a great way to increase your average sale without having to persuade your customer to buy another huge item. Accoutrements offers a variety of super-cool novelties that would be great for that very purpose. I guarantee that a large percentage of the people I know would be open to getting SOMEONE one of these gummy tapeworms:
If you’re interested in getting in touch with them, contact Accoutrements at:
Accoutrements
PO BOX 30811
SEATTLE, WA 98113
USA
• ph. 425.349.3838
• fax 425.349.5188
• info (at) accoutrements.com
Another Chinese Wholesale Source
Friday, October 26th, 2007If you’re looking for a Chinese source for electronics and USB gadgets, check out China Grabber. Unlike a lot of sites, they actually show you the items without a lot of jumping through hoops. Check out a couple of their items:
They’re actually based out of Portland, Oregon, so you have a U.S.-based company to deal with. If you’d like to get in touch with China Grabber, you can do so at:
China Grabber
818 SW 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204
Besheer Art Tiles
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007People have been using tiles for decoration for hundreds of years, so it shouldn’t be surprising that they continue to do it with products like Besheer Art Tiles. The company has been making art tiles for museums, stores, and consumers for years now, and they definitely have some neat designs. No matter what you’re interests are, there’s probably something there that might appeal to you.
I was a little disappointed to see that their bird section didn’t include any of my personal favorites, but the designs they did have were very simple and attractive like this one:
They also had lighthouses, vegetables, victorian designs, and more. While I think that many of their tiles could do well almost anywhere, I suspect that their products would perform best in more craft-y areas. For instance, I think they’d do extremely well in my midwestern hometown.
If you’d like to get more information, contact Besheer Art Tiles at:
BESHEER ART TILE
P.O. Box 10456
Bedford, NH 03110-0456
Toll Free: 888-307-8308
Tel: 603-472-5288 Fax: 603-472-2021
email: mail (at) besheerarttile (dot) com
Bella Cucina
Wednesday, October 10th, 2007I don’t know many people who aren’t fond of Italian food and the Italian lifestyle. Bella Cucina can help you capitalize that by offering products like olives, antipasti, and cookbooks. While they have a ton of cool products, this cookbook stood out. It offers 25 SIMPLE Italian recipes, which is always a good thing. Most cookbooks require a lot more ingredients that the average person keeps around.
If you’d like to get in touch with Bella Cucina, contact them at:
Bella Cucina
Alisa Barry, Smith Hanes
497 Peachtree Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
Toll Free Phone: (800) 580-5674
Fax: (404) 872-8335
Email: bella.artFul (at) mindspring (dot) com
Inappropriate Holiday Cards
Friday, October 5th, 2007While it’s probably not appropriate for most retail settings, the holiday cards from Keep Your Receipt are pretty amusing. They’d probably do quite well in a Spencers-type store or somewhere with a “grown-up humor” section. Take a look at this one. The inside says “Shut Your F#$%ing Mouth”.
If you’d like to get in touch to get wholesale information, contact them at:
Keep Your Receipt
Humberto Ricardo
PO Box 3541
New York, NY 10008-3541
Phone: (212) 285-0358
Fax: (212) 285-0359
Email: info (at) keepyoureceipt (dot) com
All About the Impulse
Thursday, October 4th, 2007No store is complete without a good selection of impulse buys. They’re almost like free money, assuming they don’t cheapen the overall feel of your store. Of course, if you’re picking your impulse items based on the kind of store you run, that’s not a problem. Obviously, stripper lady inkpens aren’t going to go over all that well in a children’s toy store (with the parents, anyway).
Hayes Specialties offers a number of fun impulse items at closeout prices. I’m not sure how their availability is from season to season, but the prices are definitely right. The hat below is around $2, depending on the quantity ordered.
Get in touch with Hayes at:
Hayes Specialties
Dennis Schluckbier
1761 East Genesee
Saginaw, MI 48601
Toll Free Phone: (800) 248-3603
Fax: (517) 755-2341
Email: hayes (at) ehayes (dot) com
Home Storage Products
Wednesday, September 26th, 2007If you’ve ever looked through a Harriet Carter or Walter Drake catalog, you’ve probably noticed that they carry a lot of storage products. Drawer organizers, cabinet shelf organizational systems, and in-closet organizational products all do well with catalogs year after year. If you’d like to get in on the action, you can work with a company like 123 Axis. They offer a number of products in these areas, and they’re constantly developing and producing new items
On a side note, if you’re an inventor of household products, you should definitely have Axis on your cold-calling list. Like many manufacturers, they’re willing to help you develop your product at no cost to you. Instead, they take a portion of the item’s profits and give you a percentage as well.
If you’d like to get in touch with Axis, do so at:
Axis International Marketing
Andy Berger
1800 S Wolf Rd.
Des Plaines, IL 60018
Phone: (847)297-0744
Fax: (847)297-0877
Email: axismkt (at) aol (dot) com
Safety Products Distributor
Tuesday, September 25th, 2007If your business plan includes things like first aid kits, molded rubber tie down straps, and traffic safety products instead of candles and gifts, you should talk to All In Safety. Instead of seeking out separate sources for each product, you could contact them, since they act as importers and distributors for a number of products.
Even if you don’t want to re-sell safety products, you should also consider your store’s in-house safety needs. You can never be too careful, and it doesn’t hurt to do a regular check to make sure that your first aid kits are stocked, and employees have the items they need to protect themselves while doing their jobs.
Get in touch with AllInSafety.com at:
All In Safety.com
44 Skillman St. Suite 5-L
Brooklyn, New York 11205
1-800 376-8415
Island Inspired Gifts - Wholesale
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007Island decor seems to be more popular than ever before, though it can be tough to source related products for your store. When something’s trendy, a lot of companies stop working with the little retailers and stick to big chain stores. The Madden Corporation offers a great variety of contemporary island gift and decor products. Most are fairly neutral, too, so they have a pretty broad appeal. They also have bath and body products like this Coconut Willie Coconut Oil:
If you’d like to contact The Madden Corporation, do so at:
The Madden Corporation
Lynne Madden
94411 Koaki Street
Waipahu, HI 96797
Phone: (808) 564-8922
Fax: (808) 564-8877
Email: thowe (at) welcometotheislands (dot) com
Wholesale Cosmetics - The Balm
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007Unless you can catch a trendy company on the way up, it can be hard for a small retailer to get involved with a decent cosmetics company. Even when it is possible, wholesale prices aren’t always the best. The Balm is one great exception. They offer popular products like plumping lip gloss and anti-aging concealers, but they keep it pretty simple. They’re not like MAC where you practically need a degree in makeup to figure it all out.
If you’re interested in re-selling The Balm products, contact them at:
The Balm
Stacey Wexler
1550 California Street
Suite 255
San Francisco, CA 94109
Phone: 212 966-2280
Fax: 413 403-7660
Email: info (at) thebalm (dot) com
Scandinavian Housewares
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007When people think of Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden, they usually think of sophisticated, clean style. Swedish House certainly doesn’t disappoint. They sell a number of dishes, throws, and general houseware items that would fit into any semi-modern home. Most of their items are fairly neutral, too, so they appeal to that large group of people that is afraid to try anything too bold for fear of messing it up.
Swedish House also carries a small selection of spa items like these bath salts:
If you’re intereted, get in touch with Swedish House at:
Swedish House
Swedish House
Helena Nordstrom
PO Box 1044
Osprey, FL 34229
Phone: (941) 966-1160
Fax: (941) 966-1160
Email: helena (at) swedish-house (dot) com
Fashion Jewelry That’s Actually Fashionable
Monday, September 17th, 2007If you own a small store, you’re probably aware of how tough it can be to get major brands to talk to you. Frequently, popular brands either have special deals with certain stores only, or they require minimum orders that make it impossible to do business in quantities that would work. Fortunately, Faint Jewelry offers some more affordable options, and their designs have been featured in magazines like Teen People and Vancouver Magazine. The ring below is actually strikingly similar to a much more expensive ring from Cartier:
If you’d like to get in touch with Faint Jewelry, contact them at:
Faint Jewelry
1901 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 1J2
Canada
Toll Free Phone: 1 866 faint-4u
Phone: 604 612-7290
Email: faint (at) uniserve (dot) com
Jenny’s Country Kitchen - Holiday Items for Traditional Homes
Monday, September 17th, 2007In retail circles, Christmas is practically…tomorrow, so if you haven’t started to pick items for your holiday displays, now is the time. If you cater to a traditional, country kind of crowd, you’ll want to check out Jenny’s Country Kitchen. Unfortunately, their catalog page seems to be broken, but if you’re wondering what they carry, it includes Christmas products, cocoa & baking chocolate, coffee, tea, condiments, and cookbooks. If you’d like to receive more information, contact Jenny’s Country Kitchen at:
Jenny’s Country Kitchen
438 Main Street South
Dover, MN 55929
Toll Free Phone: 800-357-3497
Phone: (507)932-3035
Fax: (507)932-4777
Email: info (at) jennyscountrykitchen (dot) com
Fine Design in the Kitchen - EGO of Denmark
Thursday, September 13th, 2007If your store caters to a more upscale, design-conscious crowd, you might like EGO. All of their products have conventional functions accomplished with new and unusual (but not un-useful) designs. Their firm is the recipient of the Red Dot Design Award, too, so I’m not the only one who thinks so. Right now, I’m quite taken by their pasta disn and spoon:
If you’re interested in distributing EGO products, contact them at:
EGO
Dyberg-Larsen ApS
Middelfartvej 47
DK-5466 Asperup
Denmark
ph. +45 6448 1474
fax.+45 6448 1470
thomas (at) dyberg-larsen (dot) dk
Quick Links - 5 Great Jewelry Lines for Your Gift Shop
Monday, August 27th, 2007If you run a gift shop, either online or brick and mortar, you’re probably always looking for things that fit your style perfectly. To help you out, here’s a list of 5 cool jewelry lines that might just do the trick. Each line is described in 5 words that came to mind when I browsed their lines.
Alexa’s Angels - Simple. Heartwarming. Comforting. Family. Happy.
Blessing Rings - Positive. Cute. Quirky. Unique. Life-affirming.
Smart Glass Jewelry - Smart. Chic. Recycled. Sophisticated. Youthful.
Toby & Max - Destiny. Wise. Warmth. Live. Love.
Judson & Co. - Elegant. Costume. Practical. Glamourous. Shiny.
Relaxation with Poetry
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007No, I’m not talking about getting out a book of poems and soaking in a warm bath. That might be nice, but I’m actually referring to Poetry Intimate Ritual products. If you or your customers like the eclectic, slightly organic and artsy look, you’ll love their bath and body products. Take a look at these.
If you’d like to get in touch with Poetry to find out about buying their products for resale (or just personal use, I suppose), contact them at:
Poetry
(901) 355-4966
They don’t sell directly to consumers, but I’m sure they can tell you where a retailer is located if you just want to buy a few pieces.
NotNeutral, Not Even a Little Bit
Sunday, August 12th, 2007NotNeutral is a pretty cool company. I’ve seen their site before, but for some reason I’ve never gotten around to writing about them. When I saw these adorable garden stakes today, I knew that had to change:
NotNeutral is well-known in design circles, but I’m always surprised by how few small retailers know their line. If you’d like to get in touch with NotNeutral, contact them at:
NotNeutral
800.270.6511 ext. 208
sales (at) notneutral (dot) com
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