Last week, I headed to New York to show my jewelry line to store buyers. It was a lovely couple of days hanging out with some fantastic fellow jewelry designers and getting to see and connect with my buyers in person.
But on the way home, I started thinking about a trend I’ve been noticing with brands and advertising lately, especially in the jewelry industry. I’m seeing more and more brands shouting about how they are being transparent in their pricing by “cutting out the middleman” and passing those savings on to consumers.
On the face of it, it seems like a worthy cause, one that directly benefits the end customer.
But my experience in New York last week got me thinking… “what’s so bad about the middleman?”
These brands who are cutting out the middleman would have us believe that the middleman is a greedy, sleazy dude just trying to take our hard earned dollars.
But after almost 12 years of selling my jewelry to stores, I can tell you for a fact that is not the case. First off, the middleman isn’t likely to be a man at all.
The middleman, more often than not, is a woman.
And these aren’t sleazy women trying to take an unfair cut of the of the profits. These are vibrant, creative women whose stores add tremendous value to their local communities.
They are women with homes and families who are just trying to earn a living by championing the artists, makers, and products they are passionate about.
They are women that I can happily spend hours chatting with, who all have tremendous warmth and energy, and I feel very fortunate that they love my jewelry enough to bring it into their stores.
And yes, from a consumer standpoint, the markup from wholesale to retail feels steep. But running a store is not cheap, and that markup has to cover so many things, from rent to insurance to staffing to inventory.
But the tradeoff is worth it. Because the tradeoff is incredible, vibrant spaces that add so much to the local community. (And the economy.) The tradeoff is more jobs created and more women able to make a living doing something they love.
So the next time you see a brand shouting that they have “cut out the middleman” I want you to picture the whole truth.
Imagine the vibrant, creative women who run the beautiful boutiques and gift shops in your local neighborhood. (Or, if you live where I live and you don’t have those, think about how much better your town would feel if you did.) Are these the kinds of people we really want to be cutting out?
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Want to support these wonderful stores? Check out my current retailers!
Know a store that should carry my work? Leave their name and city in the comments below!
Want to carry my jewelry in your own wonderful store? I’m currently accepting new wholesale accounts!
Want to learn how to sell your own products to wonderful, creative stores? Check out my class on Creative Live, Sell Your Products to Retailers!
Want more support for your wholesale business? (Or any part of your creative business?) Join my online mentorship program, Artists and Profit Makers!
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