How did you decide on what type of shop? (i.e. things to sell?)
There's a short and long answer to the question, but I'm gonna try to keep this brief. When I started blogging in 2006 I sometimes posted photos here and on flickr of cute cupcake decorations I purchased at a local cake and candy hobby shop in Virginia. Slowly but steadily I began to get emails from people asking where I found the decorations. I assumed that there was an awesome cake hobby shop like that in every town. I was wrong. When several people started to ask if I would buy the items and sell them online, I had light bulb moment. There was a need - and I could fill it. At first, I actually ordered in bulk through the local shop (and they were very nice to work with me.) Slowly, with time and lots of sleuthing, I found the wholesale suppliers and began ordering directly from them, and I also found tons and tons of new things that that little store in Virginia never carried (but should have.) I feel like my story is not what people would want to hear. I've always loved baking, decorating, crafting, etc - but it wasn't born with a whisk in my hand, saving up every penny to open the baking supply shop I had been dreaming about my whole life. I really kinda fell into this gig, but that doesn't mean I'm not passionate about it or that I am unqualified. I actually think my inexperience gives me a little advantage, makes it easier to think outside of the box. I'm certainly not the first person to run a shop like this, there are many other larger, well-established baking hobby shops online, but I really do feel like I bring something special to the table. At the heart of it, I really love running this shop. I love finding new and exciting goods, designing kits, conversing with customers, and even packing orders. It's not what I ever expected to be doing, but it's awesome. After all, how many people stay on the same path their whole lives? If I had stuck with my childhood dream, I'd be a dolphin trainer right now. Imagine that.
As for deciding on the individual items I sell, it's something I always struggle with. I try to keep within my shop aesthetic, which is ever evolving. I also like keeping up with trends and I try to find items that are popular or that people want. I always buy items I love, whether or not the customers love them is a different story. Sometimes I'll get a new product on a whim, not being too jazzed about it personally, just to watch it fly of the shelves at lightning speed. You never know. I have so may suppliers now, it would be easy to just run down the list and just buy one of everything, but I wouldn't like that. Where's the challenge there? Sure, it'd probably all sell OK, but I'd be so bored, in a giant warehouse full of stuff. Having a shop that is unique and sort of "curated" is much more fun, and hopefully in the end, what people really want. For example, I do not carry any Wilton products. Wilton is one of the biggest suppliers in the industry, too. I have nothing against them, I just feel they are pretty easily accessible (you can find their products at Michael's, Target, Walmart,) and I don't think their stuff is very inspired. It's also mostly licensed cartoon characters, and I sort of draw the line there. I want my shop to be special, and I try to stick to the vintage-retro vibe. That being said, I recently added a Kid's Classic Topper section to the shop, but I only carry characters that I personally loved as a kid and are "old school" in nature. Wonder Woman, Tom & Jerry, Snoopy, etc. Max begs me to buy the Pokemon and Bakugan cupcake toppers, and I'm sure they'd sell like hotcakes. I'm just not into it right now. There's a fine line between having a niche and being in a rut. I feel like I'm alwasy dancing between the two.
My question is how you found your wholesale sources?
At first, I relied on Google. It's hard and tricky and a huge time-suck, but that's all I had. I've found some pretty sweet stuff by googling, though. It's all about using the right words, and not giving up, even when it seems like you're following a trail of breadcrumbs. I still use google now, and I'm amazed that I can search for the same thing over and over, and find something new every time. Now, when I'm out and about, I will write down the company name of a cute product I see in a boutique or store and research it when I get home. I just when to my first trade show last month and that was very helpful (and all-around awesome.) I look forward to more of them in future, I could easily become an Expo-Junky! All those free samples?? Love.
Sourcing can be a big headache, believe me. You just have to be persistent. Don't just email a company you like, call them if they have a number available. If you annoy someone long enough, they will work with you just to shut you up. I don't take no for an answer.
Did you have a minimum that you had to purchase, what if it the quality wasn't what you expected from their website/catalog?
Most companies have minimums ranging from $50-$250 or more. I've had a lot of people ask if I ever get nervous spending money like that up front. What if the products don't sell and your'e stuck with them? I actually never worry like that, the things I buy always sell. It must mean I have good taste or, more likely, that on a long enough time line, everything will sell eventually.
On the rare occasions that I receive product that doesn't meet my expectations, it was invariably my fault for not reading the description carefully enough. I've bought several toppers that looked small in the catalog, but were ridiculous-huge in person. I also neglected to look at the dimensions of a popcorn box once, and they ended up being enormous, jumbo-sized. Returns can be a headache, so I usually take a loss on these items and just chalk it up to experience. Or put them on sale.
Do you talk to your suppliers by phone or is it via email?
Both equally. Some companies prefer you to call or fax orders in while others have easy on line ordering. I prefer the online ordering, because I tend to be dyslexic and will read product numbers off incorrectly. This once resulted in me ordering 24 chocolate molds that I thought were little roses, but were actually 4" inch pill shaped PMS molds. Interesting, but not really my aesthetic. What are you supposed to do with a giant, chocolate pill with PMS written on the front, anyway?!?
(Part 4 coming up soon, be sure to leave any new questions in the comments!)
