Sales Reps for the Gift Market

Trying to break into the Gift Market? Our list of over 120 sales reps can help you set up your own sales rep distribution network! At only $24.99, you can’t miss this great deal if you have a gift product!

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Selling into the Gift Market

Gifts can be sold in any number of stores, card shops, flower shops, drug stores, cooking stores, airport shops, Christian gift stores and hospital gift shops.  Gifts represent an enormous product category, with products covering the gamut from home made sewing items to high tech widgets and gadgets. Though the stores are many and often small, the gift market is an attractive market for new product developers because they are sold through a well-oiled, and fairly easy to penetrate distribution channel. An additional advantage the gift market has is that new products can be sold locally, at a relatively low cost until the new product developer knows the product will be a success.

The gift market distribution channel consists of gift shows, gift reps, gift marts and finally the store that sells the gifts.  The distribution channel is expensive though and you need to be sure that you are able to sell your product at retail for about five times its manufacturing costs.  The strategy most new product entrepreneurs follow is 1) attend a few gift shows, 2) attract the names of some reps with a presence in at least one gift mart and then 3) sell through the reps to the stores in his or her geographic area. Most people start in their local geographic area and then just keep expanding into new markets following the same introduction strategy.

Industry Magazines

As in any market, you need to start by getting copies of the trade magazines. They will have articles on distributors, distributor margins and the names of key trade shows and contacts that will help you determine your marketing strategy. They also typically have a yearly products directory that will help you understand what competition you are facing. The leading trade magazines for the gift market are:

Giftware News, 20 West Kinzie, 12 th Floor, Chicago , IL , 312-849-2220, Fax: 312-849-2174, www.giftwarenews.com

Gift Shop Magazine, 195 Hanover Street, Hanover, MA 02339, 800.936.6297, Fax: 888.213.1857, www.giftshopmag.com

Gifts and Decorative Accessories, 360 Park Ave. South , NY , NY 10010 , 646-746-6400, Fax:  66-746-7431, www.giftsanddec.com

Giftbeat, 317 Harrington Ave. Closter , NJ 07624 , 800-358-7177, Fax: 201768-3894, www.giftbeat.com

Gift Biz Buzz, 302 Washington Street, #617, San Diego, CA, 92103, Phone: 858-657-9134, www.GiftBizBuzz.com

Gift Shows

The gift industry has a large number of state wide and regional shows that you should attend, first if possible, as an attendee to see what the show is like, and second to meet sales reps. Most booths at these gift shows are run by sales representatives who carry a wide range of products. Almost all gift products from small manufacturers are sold through sales representatives (sales representatives that are independent business people and carry products from a number of manufacturers) and you need to start talking to them, hopefully finding one who will carry your line, or if that doesn’t work out getting some insight into what they feel you might need to do to attract a sales representative to work on your product. Sales representatives will also help you set a realistic price, decide on the type of distribution discounts you need and determine the type of sales flyers you might want to prepare. (Note: you can also obtain this information if you order a marketing plan from onestopinventionshop.net.) You should also look for small entrepreneurs at the show who are trying to sell their products. They typically will tell you what they went through to get started in the industry and they will often provide you some start-up hints. At the end of this article there is a list of some of the more important gift shows that you can attend. When you approach the show they will usually resist letting you attend if y ou are not a buyer. You can ask for exception if you say you are in the process of starting a company that sells gifts and you want to see what the show is like. If that doesn’t work, you can try to having a store that sells gifts in your area designate you as their representative to get into the show.

Gift Marts

Besides gift shows, the gift industry depends on gift marts to sell to retailers. Gift Marts have showrooms, typically run by independent sales representatives but sometimes run by companies , where store buyers can come and buy products. At the end of this section is a listing of most of the major gift marts. The showrooms are often open only by appointment, but the gift marts will offer special days, often once a quarter where all the showrooms will be open. If you are a buyer, or have a buyer’s pass from a store that sells gifts you can see the showrooms and meet reps. But even if you can’t get into the marts, they still can provide a valuable service in finding the names of representatives that you can approach to sell your product. To find the names of reps, start by going to the gift mart and go to a listing of the showrooms, many of whom will be representatives. For example here are a sampling of names from the show room listing of the Seattle Gift Mart. This is a small listing, there are many more on their website.

ALAYNE GROTHEN & COMPANY – Suite 215
206-767-5720, 888-767-5722
Fax: 206-767-1707
E-mail: info@alaynegrothen.com
Open Mon-Thu; Design Trade Welcome

ARLENE OOM & COMPANY – Suite 291
206-762-3140, 800-228-5218
Fax: 425-649-0422; 888-892-0422
E-mail: toyrep@runbox.com
Open Mon & Tues, By Appt., Design Trade Welcome

ASSOCIATES MARKETING GROUP – Suite 375
206-762-1249, 800-775-6434
Fax: 206-762-2113
E-mail: assocmg@aol.com
Website: www.associatesmarketing.net
Open Mon & Tues
Design Trade Welcome

BANG-KNUDSEN, INC. – Suite 453
206-767-6970, 800-735-7241
Fax: 206-763-6985
E-mail: pbang-knudsen@bang-knudsen.com
Website: www.bang-knudsen.com
Open Mon-Fri
Design Trade Welcome
Open Mon & Tues

Using the list you can develop an extensive list of representatives that might be able to carry your product. You can also use this list to get a listing of representatives that might carry your product who don’t have showrooms. If you click on the sales representatives web site you can find the names of the lines they handle. If you check the web sites of those manufactures somewhere between one out of five or 10 will provide a complete listing of all their representatives. You need reps to succeed in the gift industry and you should be able to generate a list of between 200 and 400 reps who could sell your product. If you want to buy a list of over 150 sales reps for just $24.99, click here.

Gift Marts

Seattle Gift Mart
6100 Fourth Ave , South
Seattle , WA 98108
(206) 767-6800

Gift Center at Montgomery Park
2701 NW Vaughn Street
Portland , OR 97210
501) 228-7275

San Francisco Gift Center
888 Brannan Street
San Francisco , CA 94103
(415) 861-7733

Los Angeles Mart
1933 South Broadway
Los Angeles , CA 90007
(213) 749-7911

Denver Merchandise Mart
451 East 58th Ave.
Denver, CO 80216
(303) 292-6278

Kansas City Merchandise Mart
6800 West 115th Street
Overland Park , KS 66211
(913) 491-6688

Dallas Market Center
2100 Stemmons Freeway
Dallas , TX 75207
(214) 655-6100

Minneapolis Gift Mart
10301 Bren Road , West
Minnetonka , MN 55343
(612) 932-7200

Indianapolis Gift Mart
4475 Allisonville Road
Indianapolis , IN 46205
(317) 546-0719

The Merchandise Mart
Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago , IL 60654
(312) 527-4141

Columbus Gift Mart
1999 Westbelt Drive
Columbus , OH 43228
(614) 876-2719

Americas Mart Atlanta
240 Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta , GA 30043
(404) 688-8994

Charlotte Merchandise Mart
2500 East Independence Blvd.
Charlotte , NC 28205
(704) 377-5881

Mid Atlantic Gift Center
12260 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston , VA 22091
(703) 391-0095

The Pittsburgh Expo Mart
105 Mall Blvd
Monroeville , PA 15146
(412) 856-8100

Market Center
230 Fifth Ave.
New York , NY 10001
(212) 686-1203

New York Merchandise Mart
41 Madison Ave.
New York , NY 10010
(212) 686-1203

The Northeast Market Center
1000 Technology Park Drive
Billerica MA 01890
(800) 435-2775

Miami International Merchandise Mart
777 NW 72nd Ave.
Miami , FL 33126
(305) 261-2900

Michigan Gift Mart
133 W. Main
Northville , MI
(313) 348-7890

Action Plan

A strategy that typically works in the gift industry has just four steps.

ALASKA

The Wholesale Alaskan Gift Show, www.newimpressions.com

ARIZONA

OASIS Gift Show, www.oasis.org

ARKANSAS

Eureka Springs Gift Show, http://www.eurekaspringsgiftshow.com/default.htm

CALIFORNIA

California Gift Show, www.californiagiftshow.com

California Market Center, www.californiamarketcenter.com

Gourmet Products Show, www.glmshows.com

IDEX (Collectible Doll and Bear Exposition), www.dollexpo.com , www.bearexpo.com

International Gift Fair, www.weshows.com

LA Gift MART, www.lamart.com

Long Beach Furniture & Accessory Market, www.kemexpo.com

NASFT Fancy Food Show, San Francisco, www.fancyfoodshows.com

San Francisco International Gift Fair, San Francisco, www.sfigf.com

CANADA

Alberta Gift Show, www.albertagiftshow.com

Canadian Gift and Tableware Association http://www.cgta.org

Montreal Gift Show, www.montrealgiftshow.com

Vancouver Gift Show, www.vancouvergiftshow.com

Vancouver British Columbia , www.coffee-expo.com

COLORADO

Denver Merchandise Mart, www.denvermart.com

International New Age Tradeshow, www.inats.com

FLORIDA

Orlando Gift Show, www.orlandogift-how.com

IDEX (Collectible Doll and Bear Exposition), www.dollexpo.com , www.bearexpo.com

International New Age Trade Show East, www.inats.com

Miami International Gift & Decorative Accessories Show, and Miami Resort

Merchandise Show, Miami International Merchandise Mart, www.urban-expo.com

Tampa Furniture & Accessory Market, www.kemexpo.com

Orlando Variety Merchandise Show, www.merchandisegroup.com

GEORGIA

ACC Craft Show, www.craftcouncil.org

Atlanta International Gift Market, www.americasmart.com

The Gift Fair in Atlanta , http://www.thegiftfairinatlanta.com

HAWAII

Hawaii Trade Shows, www.douglastradeshows.com

ILLINOIS

ACC Craft Council Shows, www.craftcouncil.org

Beckman Handcrafted Show, www.mmart.com/giftandhome

Chicago Gift & Home Market, The Merchandise Mart, www.giftandhome.com .

International Housewares Show, www.housewares.org .

NASFT Fancy Food Show, www.fancyfoodshows.com

St. Louis Gift Show, www.stlouisgiftshow.com

PromoExpo & Conference, www.promoexpo.com

INDIANA

Indiana Gift Mart; tel. 217/423-5185.

Heritage Cash and Carry Wholesale, www.heritagemarkets.com

KANSAS

K.C. Gift Mart, www.kcgiftmart.com .

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Crafted, www.kycraft.org

Louisville Gift, Craft & Jewelry Show, www.louisvillegiftshow.com

LOUISIANA

New Orleans Gift and Jewelry Show, www.gift2jewelry.com

MAINE

New England Products and Trade Show, http://www.nepts.co m

MARYLAND

ACC Craft Show, www.craftcouncil.org

East Coast Gift Expo, www.urban-expo.com

MASSACHUSETTS

The Premier Show, www.thegiftcenter.com

The Cape Cod Gift Show, www.capecodgiftshow.com

Boston Gift Show, www.bostongiftshow.com

The Buyers Cash & Carry Wholesale Mart, http://www.marketsquareshows.com

Heritage Cash & Carry Wholesale Market, www.heritagemarketing.com

MICHIGAN

Michigan Gift Mart, www.michigangiftmart.com

MINNESOTA

Minneapolis Gift Mart, www.mplsgiftmart.com

MISSISSIPPI

Biloxi Gift Show, www.wmigiftshows.com

MISSOURI

St. Louis Gift Show, www.stlouisgiftshow.com

NEVADA

Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show,  www.urban-expo.com

Las Vegas Trade Show, www.merchandisegroup.com/merchandise/index.jsp

NEW JERSEY

Atlantic City Variety Merchandise Show, www.merchandisegroup.com/merchandise/index.jsp

NEW YORK

American Gift and Art Show, www.westernnewyorkgiftshow.com

New York International Gift Fair, www.nyigf.com

225 Gift and Housewares Show, www.225-fifth.com

Upstate New York State Gift Expo, www.upstatenygiftexpo.com

Variety Merchandise Show, www.merchandisegroup.com/merchandise/index.jsp

West New York Gift Show, www.westernnewyorkgiftshow.com

NORTH CAROLINA

Charlotte Gift Show, www.charlottegiftshow.com

OHIO

Columbus Gift Mart, www.columbusgiftmart.com

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City Gift Show, www.wholesalemarketinc.com

OREGON

Portland Gift Show, www.portlandgift.com

PENNSYLVANIA

Cash and Carry Wholesale Market, www.marketsquareshows.com

Philadelphia Gift Show, www.urban-expo.com

Pittsburgh Gift Show, www.westernnewyorkgiftshow.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise Show, www.urban-expo

TENNESSEE

Norton ‘s Gatlinburg Gift and Variety Show, www.ommart.com

Smoky Mountain Gift Show, www.smokymtngiftshow.com

TEXAS

Dallas International Gift Market, www.dallasmarketcenter.com

Houston Variety & Merchandise Show, www.merchandisegroup.com/merchandise/index.jsp

San Antonio Gift Show, www.wholesalemarketinc.com

UTAH

Salt Lake Wholesale Gift Show, 801-566-9300

VIRGINIA

Washington Gift Show, www.washingtongiftshow.com

WASHINGTON

Seattle Gift Show, www.seattlegift.com

WASHINGTON DC

Greater Washington Gift Mart, 703-352-8010

Washington Gift Show, www.washingtongiftshow

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