Hi all!
I am interested in exhibiting in a trade show for the first time. My
designs fit in the fashion jewelry category. Do any of you have any
suggestions on which shows a should apply to? most of the ones I
have found are for fine jewelry. since it is my first should I just
consider non-juried shows? I would really appreciate some
suggestions.
Take care!
Cristina
Hi Christina, I used to sell to the accessories market. I had sales
reps in San Francisco, Denver, and Seattle. The reps were all very
good and sold a lot of “jewelry” for me. They also carried other
items such as socks, belts, hair accessories, etc. My jewelry just
kind of fit in. I had accounts with Marshall Fields, Nordstoms, and
many small boutiques. It is a whole different market than fine
jewelry. There is a lot to learn from these reps. First, they want
know if you can produce for them so they can sell because they
usually need a 15% commission. So, can you make enough in 4-6 weeks
to fill their orders on time? Can you wait at least 30-90 days to be
paid and give the Department stores a discount and ship separately to
all of their stores? It is a big step. Try to get into an accessories
market trade show as a guest and find someone who may have the time
to talk to you about your “line”. Or try some place like Nordstroms.
Find out who their jewelry buyer is in your area and see if you can
show them your jewelry. They do like to buy unique designer jewelry
in silver and semi precious stones. Start small. It can become
overwhelming if you get too many orders at once. Have fun!