Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Hello,

I am looking to connect with an experienced jewlery Representative to sell my line of handmade jewelry to New England Retail boutiques and eventually accross the United States. If anyone has information or knows a good rep, please share your contact information with me.

Thanks!

Italia,

Get thee to a trade show! There are plenty of them. It`s a simple process.

1. Go to one show to see how it`s done (you probably already did this)
2. Get your best jewelry together and a plan for supplying large amounts
3. Register for a show
4. Sign `em up and sell sell sell.

Ok that`s an incredible oversimplification of the process but that`s what it comes down to. This one is in RI in September how about it? ifjag.com/PreReg.htm

 

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~Eric
JE Design Group, LLC
If all you do is what you`ve done, then all you`ll get is what you`ve got.
www.jedesigngroup.com

Thanks Eric, I appreciate your input. I am actually a smaller scale business (not at the large volume wholesale stage yet) so I was looking for an individual rep to place me in stores (not through wholesale shows). Thank you for your reply though, I might go to another show and try to contact a rep that way since they sometimes will be in a booth with many designers represented in their display.

Susan

Susan,

I understand. Forgive me if I am approaching this topic in a manner remedial to your level of expertise. I`m not familiar with your position enough to know otherwise.

I would always argue that you are better off on the exhibiting side as reps walk the entire show looking for new and unrepresented designers. Do you think that because you have an exclusive line it could make your designs that much more attractive? I know the small boutiques attend exhibitions looking for the new and interesting all the time and it doesn`t have to be wholesale. Exclusive can`t be wholesale by nature. Necessary as it may be I`m not a fan of dealing with the wholesale market. As an artist I`m sure you can appreciate that.

True the expense may be there to pull this off properly, but I think you`ll find more control and interest on the exhibition side and a lot more of waiting and wondering on the approach side.

I`m not in jewelry of course but I`ve been to enough various trade shows to see this phenomenon repeatedly: The exhibitors will draw attention and invariably a vendor of whatever sort approaches the exhibitor to offer their services. This is to be expected but consequently and most often, their business card ends up in a pile with 20 others.

Stated otherwise, if your intention is to show your product your very best results will come from the showing/exhibiting side. You`ll see more interested parties and hence, gain the most controlled choices about which direction you will turn with your buyers all the while knowing that you are fielding interest from buyers everywhere. Even if you can only handle a few boutiques, it will be your decision who becomes your boutique. They don`t have to know exactly how many you can produce. If demand grew, I`m sure you would find a way to make your business meet that demand

Inversely, and now I`m stating the obvious of course,  if you are buying, your best effort should be directed from the attendee side.....Unless of course you are attending an odd show that has designers running around and the buyer sitting in chairs.(Haven`t been to that show yet)

Getting back to what it is that you do, I`d love to see what you have to offer. Do you have anything that can be viewed online? I know of an aquaintance that lives not far from me that started making jewelry as a hobby years ago. She had little in-house boutique shows where she would peddle her original work. Well that was doing so well she couldn`t keep up and had to hire outside help. Now she is considering the next step which would be where you are..at the cusp of an independent and thriving business. Strange how word travels when you have something of value in your hands.

Regardless of how you achieve your goal. Please keep us informed along the way. Your experience is sure to shed light on somebody else`s plight or perhaps even help you find that one person that will help you take your business to the next level. That`s what SuN is all about.

Best of Luck to you Susan.

~Eric

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~Eric
JE Design Group, LLC
If all you do is what you`ve done, then all you`ll get is what you`ve got.
www.jedesigngroup.com

Thanks again Eric,

I understand what you are saying about having presence at a show versus schlepping all your goods to each retailer. I am still at the tender stage of only being in two stores and really needing to be in a few more stores to realize enough capital to enter a wholesale show (the fees are too high for me right now). I do attend retail or public shows and I have a retail website that you can view at http://www.adornamenti.com

Please aks your friend if she might share some advice since she is a little further advanced than I am with my business.

Thanks again for all the input, it is helpful and I do appreciate it!

Best,

Susan

wanna see my jewelry collection?

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