Stacy London, co-host of TLC’s well-known fashion makeover show, “What Not to Wear,” explains to her weekly fashion victims that simple and classic items, such as a cardigan, pencil skirt, or black patent leather heel can make an outfit, and accompany any look. Fashion can’t be defined by fads, and is more appropriately defined as a well put together style pairing bold items and classic items. Initially importing sterling silver jewelry designs from overseas and the Southwest region of the U.S. in 1993, Plum Island Silver, a wholesale distributor of sterling silver jewelry has come to recognize throughout its years the failure in fads, as customers are drawn to classic designs to accompany their style.
Independent Retailers Able to Supply to Today’s Fashionista
Larger retail chains, like Target and TJMaxx, bombard the airwaves with promises of smart and trendy fashion items for today’s fashionista, those customers dedicated to fashion, or as TJMaxx, a bargain clothing store, likes to call them, Maxxinistas, However, smaller independent retailers are also beginning to market to the growing fashion conscious shopper. Jewelry, whether it be earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or charms is part of any fashionista’s checklist, and if they are looking to accessorize with a simple style for a classic look, this is where the smaller boutiques, gifts shops or jewelry stores may come into play.
According to Guy Andrews, CEO of Plum Island Silver, “The wide variety of clientele Plum Island Silver supplies to, which at one time included a large amount of flea markets, now covers salons, gift shops, small jewelry stores and more. We cater to smaller independent retailers rather than chains.” Once a traditional catalogue-based wholesale distributor, Plum Island Silver now showcases over 20,000 different items on its website, ensuring that those independent retailers showcasing their jewelry have a classic accessory to offer for every style. A lot of the items can be found on the website’s Closeout page, but are also featured in a Sales Item page. Andrews describes the Sales Item page to hold, “big discount, overstock, and most importantly, current items,” which are limited to the quantity of the overstock supply.
Fashion Doesn’t Stop When the Economy Falls
One wholesale category that survived the economic downturn, and again gaining momentum, is jewelry. This was confirmed in a recent interview with blog.wholesalecentral.com, as Andrews discusses the results of 2010, announcing, “Earrings were very popular this year. We had a good recovery over the past year, and business has been steadily gaining.” As with everyone else, Andrews is keeping a cautious eye on the economy in general and spending in particular.
With the understanding that customers are being cautious about overextending themselves, Andrews keeps his prices in the wholesale range of $5 to $15, with a suggested retail price ranging from $15 to about $50, maybe $100. No minimum order size is required as people are trying to regain their footing, and with fashion items such as jewelry sustaining in sales and picking up interest once again, sample-sized orders may grow over time.
For more information:
Plum Island Silver/PI Corp
PO Box 60
West Newbury, MA 01985
Toll Free: 800-543-7177
Fax: 978-499-8208
Email: sales@plumislandsilver.com
Website: www.plumislandsilver.com