If you’ve made handmade jewelry for any length of time, you’ve probably seriously considered starting your own jewelry design business. One of the best ways to test the market for your jewelry is to sell your jewelry to fashion boutiques or galleries in your area. Approaching a boutique or gallery for the first time with your jewelry designs can be a bit intimidating since there’s always the potential for rejection. It’s important to keep rejection in perspective since no jewelry design, no matter how beautiful, is right for every market.
To reduce your chance of rejection when approaching a boutique, it’s important that you do your research first to make sure your handmade jewelry appears to be the right fit for the store. Your first step should be to visit the store as a customer. Look around the store and make a mental note of the types of fashions and jewelry they carry. Make note of price points, how the jewelry is displayed, and how much emphasis is given to jewelry in the store. Is your jewelry of a similar general style and price point? If you design sterling silver jewelry pieces with semiprecious stones, your jewelry probably won’t sell well in a store that emphasizes lower end costume jewelry. Each boutique tends to attract a certain type of customer who has particular needs and tastes. Make sure your jewelry is consistent with what that store’s particular customer wants to buy.
When the sales person approaches, don’t reveal that you’re a jewelry designer at this point. You’re in the store anonymously to do your research. If you feel the store might be an appropriate market for your jewelry, take a business card from the store with you. so you’ll have their contact information.
Once you’ve identified a group of stores that might be a good market for your jewelry, you can begin the process of contacting the store owners.. Select your first business card and give the store a call. Politely ask to speak with the owner. Let her know that you’re an established jewelry designer and would like to set up an appointment to show you latest collection. In one or two sentences, let her know why you think your jewelry would be a good fit for her store. (this shows you’ve done your research). If she says she’s not interested at the present time, ask if you can contact her at a later time or send her a brochure. If she agrees to this, place her business card into a special file to remind you to contact her again in a few months or send her a brochure. If you get the appointment, congratulations!
Now, you want to prepare for the big appointment. Start by selecting a representative group of jewelry designs from your collection. Try to choose a few representative pieces from each style of jewelry that you make. You don’t want to overwhelm her with too many options since this can create indecision which diminishes your chances of a sale. On the other hand, the more types of pieces you take, the more you can sell. Important! Transport your handmade jewelry to the store in a professional manner. You don’t want to roll your pieces into a towel and stuff them into a bag. One professional option would be jeweler’s trays that you place inside a carrying case. Make sure the jewelry is firmly pinned onto the display so you don’t have a tangled mess when you arrive. This doesn’t make a good first impression. Also be sure to bring along business cards, an order book, copies of any favorable publicity or recognition you’ve received, and your portfolio.
Make sure you have a price sheet typed out and ready to take with you. Generally, boutique retailers use a keystone markup which means they double the wholesale price. Occasionally stores with higher overhead will mark up 2 ½ to 3 times the wholesale price. Keep this in mind when pricing your jewelry. You want your prices to be consistent with prices of other pieces in the store.
You’re almost ready to head out the door! Don’t forget to make sure that you’re well groomed and wearing one of your pieces of handmade jewelry, of course. You’re finally ready to meet with the store owner! You’re nicely groomed, wearing one of your best handmade jewelry pieces. Your jewelry is carefully arranged in a professional looking carrying case along with brochures, price lists, business cards etc. Congratulate yourself for taking the initiative to find a market for your handmade jewelry.
Make sure that you time your departure so that you arrive on time. The owner will draw conclusions about your ability to produce your handmade jewelry in a timely manner if you’re late. On the other hand, don’t be too early. The owner will likely be tied up with customers and won’t appreciate the additional pressure of having to divide her attention.
Be pleasant and try to establish good rapport with the owner from the beginning. As you show your jewelry, take the time to answer her questions in an unhurried manner. Reassure her that you’ll be available when she has questions or needs to reorder. Let her know that you won’t be marketing your handmade jewelry to stores in her immediate area.
Give her the time she needs to look at your jewelry without pressure. You may suggest some ideas on how to display your items and how best to merchandise them. Tell her which of your items have been most popular at shows etc. This is all valuable information to the retailer and further reinforces your professionalism as a designer.
If you are rejected, please don’t take it personally. There are many reasons a store owner doesn’t purchase from an individual vendor. She may be overstocked with merchandise, already have items of a similar nature, feel uncomfortable ordering from a new vendor, have insufficient funds for ordering at present etc. Let her know that you’ll check on her again in the future to see if her needs have changed. Be sure to leave a business card and encourage her to call if she has any questions.
After the meeting, it’s always classy to send a thank you card whether or not they chose to place an order. This small gesture goes a long way towards promoting good will and can result in an increase in sales of your handmade jewelry designs.
Hopefully, you’ve have established a relationship with the boutique or gallery owner and will be able to sell your jewelry line successfully through herretail outlet. If nott, arrange a meeting with some more stores in your area. Remember, it can take time to establish your market, but when you do the reward of being able to earn money from something you enjoy will make it all worthwihle.
