I sent out my very first wholesale invoice yesterday. Yup. I am so very thrilled needless to say.  It all happened thanks to a lovely lady friend of mine who happened to be in this amazing boutique wearing one of my bags. The shop owner apparently loved it and asked where it was from. And voila, the rest is history now.

If ever you are in the picturesque town of Wakefield, Quebec, (just 30 minutes north of Ottawa) be sure to drop into Burro Borracho on Riverside to see Eva. (No web site just yet) She is amazing. (and not only because she likes my bags!) Her selection of shoes and clothing is enough to make any girl want to just whip out that wallet and splurge on something to make her feel just wonderful all over. Eva has an amazing design sense and will fit you out in something that will make you smile for a week.  I myself picked up a groovy pair of shoes by El Naturalista last Saturday and am still smiling! (OK – it’s been a long time since I bought a pair of shoes, I am a bit over-the-moon about it)

Cute or what?

anyway.. that was my splurge for the summer.. Yay!~

These days I am busy making sure I stay on top of scouting retail opportunities. Last night I composed a long, format letter of introduction that I will email to shops in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto with my wholesale price list attached.  Thanks to my good friend Kelly in Toronto, I have a few stores on my list to contact in that city. Montreal is close by so I can check out the scene with friends there soon enough.  Ottawa is going to be the easiest search since it is in my back yard and I had a list made up a while ago.  Might work on Vancouver this year as well.

The tricky part is learning when retailers place their seasonal orders well in advance of the time of delivery. At least eight months ahead.  I am definitely late on the orders placed for this Fall. But where I think I can have some success is on filling in the merchandise gaps at the end of a season (and hopefully during), with a small selection that is not a huge financial outlay for the boutique owner.  I am working on getting myself into a few wholesale trade shows this year.  That is my target audience. What vbetter a venue that one which brings all the retailers to you?  I am no longer interested in the craft show circuit and will only invest time, energy and finances on the big gift shows at Christmas time or a few well established events that are more than less guaranteed to generate wholesale leads and sales. I decided I can invest in two of these shows per year. It is such a huge time commitment that must be worth my while.

I ordered some amazing felted wool made by  German company and distributed in Boston at FilzFelt. It came in last week. I finally chose a product after receiving samples from a few companies in the US and China.  I will use the few metres of felt for making sample Tote bag sets to present to store owners this Fall. It is amazing fabric. I can think of a multitude of design applications for it. I chose three colours to start. I think it best to keep the selection small to begin with and if I get a positive response, will invest in more colours later on. Can’t wait to get going on this work.

Next on my list of investments: a blanket stitch sewing machine. I was referred to the Merrow sewing machine company by a woolen mill owner I contacted last Winter. (I had purchased a blanket from his store years ago and liked the blanket stitch he uses) Merrow manufactures a seemingly infinite number of sergers for special design applications. I found the one I like but it costs over $3000 US.. ugh..  the representative at Merrow was so very kind enough to connect me with a Canadian company that refurbishes used Merrow machines where I have since found the model I like, for considerably less. I am planning a purchase in late August. Stay tuned!

Some people get a thrill buying a bike (like my husband) or a painting, or a new pair of shoes!  I get my most serious thrills collecting colourful skeins of wool, finding vintage or funky fabric, admiring my button collection and acquiring sewing machines!   Crazy. I know.  (but I bet some of you out there can relate!)

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