Selling to a quilt store
 

I'd like to get feedback from anyone on the board who sells a product to quilt stores, or who buys products for a quilt store. How do you market your product (email, direct mail)? I would like to market a quilt pattern, and am not sure how to start. Email would be the easiest, least expensive way to go - but do the quilt store owners pay any attention to that? Direct mail would be much more expensive, but is it more likely to get attention? Thanks in advance!

I'm not exactly sure how to go about this. I would start by talking to quilt shops that I familiar with. Let me know how it goes and I do wish you the best. I like your pattern and will purchase it as soon as my fiancial situation improves. Grace

Thanks Grace. Actually I have talked to my LQS, and she is already carrying the pattern (and has sold out her first batch) but I would like to sell to other regions. My DH suggests that we write off a trip to Hawaii as a business expense (visiting quilt shops there):rolleyes:, but I told him that wouldn't work. (At least he's trying to be helpful!)

Lolllll! Too funny... As for marketing your pattern, I would take the pattern in person to some of your local LQS's and let them know that so and so already carries your pattern and it sold out. I think the face-to-face approach would be best. This way, they can see the person behind the pattern and if they have any questions - I am sure they would feel more comfortable discussing it with you in person. When I ran some businesses, most of the time I did not pay much attention to what was sent via email, or snail mail. But, if you were in front of me presenting your wares, and I got a chance to see with whom I was dealing with.... that usually made all the difference. If the other regions are not too far away, then face-to-face is best. You can always write off the gas mileage as an expense. Otherwise, a professional looking e-mail would do (only if the other region's shops are too far away).

Can you sell it on this board ? Then they can tell their LQS about you.

When I had my QS a few years ago, I would get phone calls from Pattern designers asking if I would sell their patterns. I also had a couple of local gals that I sold patterns for. As to the phone calls, I would ask for 5 copies of their pattern and a letter of introduction to display with their pattern. This usually got good results, and it gave everyone, including myself, a chance to have a little history on the designer. I would pay the designer half on delivery and finish paying for the patterns in 30 days. It never took the 30 days, because I was always looking for more copies of the pattern within a week or two. I really believe the letter of introduction made the difference.
Good Luck on your venture!

Most quilt shops buy their patterns from big distributors, so rather than try to sell direct to quilt shops, you may be better off selling to the distributors who sell to quilt shops. If you're writing patterns for specific fabrics or feature some specific fabrics, try going to the distributors that sell those fabrics. A few of them who deal a lot of patterns are Brewer Sewing supplies, Checker Distributing, Petersen-Arne, EE Schenck Co. There are lots of other ones.

Thanks for the advice. The problem is that the quilt shops get 50%, and the distributors get another 30% (or thereabouts). After printing and packaging, I doubt that I'd show a profit.

a good way to start is with your local shops- and submitting to magazines-
with your local shops you can take in the sample quilt-and the patterns- sometimes they will buy them outright from you=sometimes they will sell them (commission style) for you- if you get some local interest going-then if they participate with other shops for shop hops you may be able to get the other shops to start carrying your patterns- it takes time- magazines that encourage/showcase new designers can really get you alot of exposure

The local shops here that 'support' local designers often offer classes taught by the designer on how to make one of her quilt patterns. The shop gets people coming in for the class and shopping afterwards, the designer gets her pattern sold and interest raised in her work, and the customers get to learn a new pattern directly from the designer. Everybody wins.