For me, just walking in off the street has been the best. We have a line of gourmet dip mixes, dressings, cheesecakes, cheeseballs, bar-b-q`s, picklers, soups, etc. My main market is gift/novelty and gourmet stores. I also have found that some deli`s, beauty salons, spas, ceramic stores, etc, do well selling our product. Don`t limit yourself to just jewelry stores, if you haven`t thought of all the places that your jewelry will sell. Sit down and make a list. I had never thought of a beauty salon, but, they are frequented by lots of people, every day, lots of women and our mixes do fantastic. I oftentimes see little cases of jewelry. This might be a good outlet for you. Women come in, get their hair done, are going to something special, see your jewelry and maybe need something new to wear. How much better could it get. I have found that cold-calling is fantastic. I have tried both routes, sending info and samples and emailing and snail-mailing and calling and just walking in gets their attention.
I try to keep info and sample packs with me at all times, so if I am in a new area and see a store that I think would be a great fit, I just walk thru the door and ask if the owner or buyer or person responsble for buying is available. If they are not, I leave the info, if they are there, I am very seldom turned away and most of the time, I pick up a new location. If they are not interested, they will tell you, if they are in and have time to talk, they will invite you in. If they can`t talk, they will make arrangements to set something up. Usually, they have time to talk. I have walked in and have had someone spend well over an hour chatting with me on my business and our products. One of the best was when the store owner thanked me and commented on how pleasant it was that I took the time to stop by and show her what I had so that she could see and decide if she was interested. She said she has purchased from other companies that she has never met the owner or a rep and has ordered from them for years (like 15 years). She asked if I do this with all my customers and keep in touch and it resulted in her ending a 20 year relationship with a large supplier and going with my company.
I think that it helps to walk in with something that they can actually see and feel rather than getting a call or a letter. They may immediately have a need for it, or have just the "perfect" spot for it in their store. I have received orders on the spot from just walking thru the front door.
I think your situation is very similar to mine. I think in your case, with jewelry that you are making, that you should take a few of your favorite pieces and walk thru the door and ask if they would be interested. They will let you know if they are and will let you know if now is a good time, or if you should return and how they would like to handle the meeting. This way, you know right away if there is interest or not and you don`t waste their time, or yours and much money in sending and re-sending info.
The worst that is going to happen is that they will say no, or won`t be interested. You are no further behind than before you asked, just chalk it up to experience and get on to the next place!
Hope this helps.
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