Approaching Retailers Seminar - long post!!

This post was originally posted in February last year but I thought it would be useful to share again :)

Last Wednesday I went to a seminar held at Inc Creative in Keighley. It was run by Neil Campbell from Business Specs and it was a very interesting evening. The first point he made was about your actual product - where does it sit in the market? What is your price point? And most importantly, what is your USP (unique selling point) If you don't have a USP then price has to be your key selling point.

My USP is that the large majority of my stuff is unique - once it's gone, it's gone!

Then you need to look at the sector of the market that your product fits into. Also observing trends helps as you can see where your product fits in with those. Also understanding your consumer is vital - certain products fit certain people and once you know who your demographic is you can target them. All of this is more about your product and not the retailers yet but of course you have to get your product right before approaching retailers.

Then Neil said something which I think is very difficult for for the small scale designer/maker to comprehend - we should make the retailers think that they are lucky to have our work in their shop. Now I don't know about you but when I get a retailer who wants to stock my things I jump for joy (often literally!) and often feel very grateful. Neil thinks that we should actually choose the retailers who stock our work very carefully which is a strange concept for me - in the past I have grabbed any opportunity that comes along. But thinking about it, it makes much more sense - target your products to the right people and places and avoid making mistakes.

He is just here to add some colour to this post!

There are 2 main types of deal that retailers will offer you - wholesale or sale or return. I won't go into these as I'm sure you will know about them but there are some points Neil had about SOR. Get them to sign for the goods on the delivery so that both parties know where they are (I do this already so do I get a brownie point?!) and have a return notice period which I hadn't thought about at all. It makes a great deal of sense though so that each of you knows exactly where you stand. And it also gives an opt out from both sides if the goods aren't selling or either side isn't happy for any reason. Neil suggested 7 day terms but I think that isn't enough - I would aim for 3 or 4 weeks myself. It's a good deal for the retailer as stock rotates fairly quickly and they get fresh things in (providing they want to continue stocking you!) There should also be a ceiling price on your goods that you should stick to across all your shops/stockists/websites so that retailers don't think that they are competing against your own website. And another good point that Neil raised is once you have these contacts, then make sure you keep them. Get in touch with your retailers and see how things are going. Pop in if you can and try to foster a relationship with them. If they are decent retailers they will want your work to sell as it means money for them as well as for you!

So how do you pitch to potential retailers? Research the shop first - will your products fit? Are they at the right price point for that particular shop? A phone call to verify the best time to go in is a good idea and then make sure you stick to that! Introduce yourself and your company. A great opening line is 'I've chosen to call you and I'd like to work with you because........' Another good line is 'I believe my products are complimentary but I would like to know more about your business' Next is when you show off your product ask about comparable product lines and how many they sell. What do they expect from you in terms of lead times? And always repeat back what they have said to you to make sure you both understand where you are coming from.

The last little bit is rushed as I have been writing this blog post for the last two hours and it's bedtime but I would love to know what you think. Are these things you stick to? Do you have any other advice? What works for you in terms of approaching retailers?

New stockist - The Imaginarium Gallery

I got a few wholesale orders from being at BCTF and I was thrilled when one of them was from The Imaginarium Gallery in Haworth. I dropped some stock off there last week and it is an absolutely gorgeous shop.

This is the outside and inside is beautiful with a newly opened back room for more goodies!

If you look very carefully you can see a pair of chickens in the window :)

So if you are ever in Haworth then pop by - you might just see some chickens!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

A box of chicken paperweights off to their new home in a shop in Harrogate :) There are some doorstops hiding underneath too but they were shy and didn't want their photo taken!

New stockist!

I have a brand new stockist for Swirlyarts :) It's a shop called Junc in Shipley and it is run by a lovely lady called Bella.

This photograph was taken from the Junc Facebook page. You may have guessed from the name is that the emphasis is on recycled/upcycled products so my products fit right in!

My products have been given pride of place on a pretty coffee table just as you walk in :) The cute things to the right aren't mine - I must find out who they belong too though as they are lovely and deserve a Cuteable feature!

If you are in Shipley then drop by - the shop is at 7, Arndale Centre :)

Otley Courthouse

There is a new place you can see my work :) Otley Courthouse in, strangely enough, in Otley! The lovely Bec from Do You Punctuate? took some photos for me as I didn't take my camera!

My chickens and gift tags will only be there for February so if you like what you see in the photos then get there quick! My stuff may be back there in the future but I will (of course!) let you know :)

Thrifty and fabulous Thursday

Thursday was a busy and fantastic day :) I went to see two shops - one already stocks Swirlyarts items but the chickens just weren't selling there so I collected them and have arranged to take in some new stock to see if that fits the area better than the chickens did! Fingers crossed! The other shop is in Accrington and is called One Planet and stocks Fairtrade, upcycled, and recycled goodies along with local items. As my stuff is upcycled and eco friendly AND I'm local I thought my work would be a good fit. And the manager agreed! So I have another order to make for there too :)

As you may have guessed it was also a good day for thrifting - and when I say good, I mean fantastic! Be warned - they are lots and lots of pictures!

The bottom 3 books were 3 for £1 and the top one was 20p. All look brand new!

These magazines were 20p each and have already been cut up for my inspiration book!

This is a huge piece of fabric and it was only £1!

This pair of tablecloths was also just £1 :)

Two shirts - the one on the right is a Fat Face one and cost £2.95 and the one on the left cost £3.49 and has tiny birds all over it!

This dress was £1.00 and is for Tara.

This tank top is for Anya but I'm not sure she likes it so her sister may well get it instead! It should have been £38 but I got it for £5.99 - still complete with tags :) It's handmade too!

Two cardigans - the one of the left was £4.49 and the navy one was £3.99.

This large button is actually a mini sewing kit :) It was mine for £1.

The Fraggle Rock jigsaw and the napkin rings are for Anya's Attic - I couldn't resist!

This little guy is part of a pair of bookends and were £2 :) He is resting on the best buy of the day......

A bookcase for £4! Yep really :)  The girls books were stored in two orange boxes and they weren't easily accessible so I'd wanted a bookcase for that space for ages. The thrift gods answered my prayers!!

And these clogs were £1 too!! I'm not sure if they are branded or not but the label inside is ripped.

I'm sure I have seen clogs with this kind of yellow and blue label before but I can't for the life of me find any reference to it at all. Does anyone else know if I'm right or if I'm imagining things? :)

*Yeah* The Eternal Magpie swooped in and told me that they are Torpatoffeln clogs :) I don't have to wrack my brains (and google) now to find them!

Birdcage Vintage

If you follow me on Twitter then you have probably seen me talking about an exciting new stockist I have called Birdcage Vintage. It's in Skipton up towards the Castle, is a few doors up from the Oxfam Bookshop and is next to a pottery cafe which is called Coffee and Clay (I think that's what it's called anyway!)

Voila!

It was the 'Grand Opening' of the shop on Saturday and we went along just after lunch. It was very busy inside and lots of people were stopping outside to have a look to see what it was all about.

My things (chicken pincushions, envelopes, gift tags and cards) are in or on this gorgeous cabinet.

Chickens in a basket!

My cards and envelopes. As I say it was the grand opening yesterday although the shop has actually been open for about two weeks. My cards and envelopes are doing so well that I was asked yesterday to make some more for them :) :) It was so busy inside that I couldn't get photographs of everything - I had to wait a while just to get these!

P.S. You should check out the Facebook Group for Birdcage Vintage as it's not just a vintage/crafty shop. It's also a community interest company backed by Behind Closed Doors Yorkshire which is a charity providing support to those whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse. So well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Some half made chickens

Well I promised you some photographs of half made chickens yesterday so here are some :) These will be heading to Birdcage Vintage in Skipton, North Yorkshire tomorrow along with some envelopes, gift tags and cards - all upcycled!

The chickens just need to be filled with rice and sewn up and they are ready to go. I meant to take a picture of them before they got their eyes sewn on but I got carried away while watching Homes Under The Hammer and forgot!

Check out some more Creative Spaces here - almost guaranteed not to have half sewn chickens :)

My Creative Space - yet more chickens!

As like last week my Creative Space has been the same for the past couple of days but instead of a quilt it has been chickens :) I am stocking a new website called Dorothy and Theodore which is baby and child oriented and my chicken doorstops are a big part of that.

It launched today and has been very well put together. They are going for a much sleeker way of shopping and I only have one product on there with options to choose the fabric you want which does make it easier for the customer to find exactly what they want without wading through pages and pages of stuff they don't want! I'm going to show you the other fabrics available to buy there - all are exclusive to Dorothy and Theodore so you won't be able to buy elsewhere!

I only have 5 fabric options at the moment but have a nice pile of new fabrics waiting to be turned into chickens and all will be exclusive to Dorothy and Theodore. It's rather exciting to be able to offer an exclusive range! Oh and some (like the red,green and blue) are limited edition - I only have 10 of those available so if you spot something you like then grab it now :)

More Creative Spaces over here.

New Stockist!

If you follow me on Twitter you will have known that this week I was finishing off lots of items to go to Handiworks in Keighley. Handiworks is a brand new shop that sells handmade items with some vintage and sewing accessories thrown in - the perfect shop for me really! I dropped my stock off there yesterday and Elaine (the lovely lady behind the shop) let me take some photographs so I will let them do the talking!

The front of the shop - note the nice big windows and pretty bunting

Pretty hanging hearts

Pretty display ideas

Nice deep shelves which are perfect for rummaging through!

Deep shelves from a different angle

Select your own beads and a necklace will be made for you. Oh and pretty Liberty dressing gown!

More pretty storage

More shelves with goodies

 The whole shop was very pretty and nicely laid out with a good selection of handmade goodies. My things (doorstops, pincushions, cards, gift tags and envelopes) should fit right in! As you can see from the first picture Handiworks is right next to the big church (Shared Church?) in Keighley. The address is

29 Church St. 

Keighley

BD21 5HT

There is parking in the street outside which is free for 1 hour so you will have plenty of time to browse! Let me know if you pop along and see my work displayed!

I'm a third of the way through a wholesale order at the moment so don't expect lots of fabulous posts for a while. Unless I sew and make very quickly :)

My workspace today

I'm a mean mummy and I made the girls clear off their craft table in the front room so I could use it last night and today :)

On the table today are, bottom right, 3 packs of finished envelopes. Top right, 7 more sets waiting to be stuck together and packaged. Far top left, some of the girls books they have been making and next to that is a pile of envelopes for me to use for sending out parcels - when they have been stuck together that is! Not seen (which is a task for later) are lots of sets of gift tags that need sticking.

Busy day planned and as these are going to a new stockist on Friday I'd better get my bum in gear!

Gallery order

Is all done and delivered too :)

 46 sets of gift tags, 15 recycled cards and 16 sets of envelopes! I'm hoping to get to the exhibition when it is set up so I can show you my things in situ in the shop.

What I did on Sunday

We took an impromptu trip to the in-laws on Saturday and I hastily grabbed some tags to make that are due to be in the Arts Factory shop (part of the gallery) in Keighley soon (eeeek*!)

I made this little lot (15 sets so 150 tags in total) on Sunday morning while everyone else was out at church. I already have about 10 sets of tags ready to go and have about another 15 sets to make! Saturday evening I made 10 sets of envelopes too. Why do I leave everything to the last minute??? I was like that at school too and when I was a teacher....... You'd think I would learn!

*The eeek is for 'shit, I still have a lot to make and it needs to be done by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. Shit!'