Help & How-To

Starting Up
How do I contact clothing distributors and manufacturers?
I want to start a clothing store, but I still don't know how to get in touch with the distrubutor and the people that make the clothes even after reading about 10 books. Not one of them go into detail about clothing stores.

Asked by anonymous
Posted: Monday, June 11, 2007  |  Found in Starting Up


More answers by Rieva Lesonsky
Answer by Rieva Lesonsky
Manufacturers of evey product made in America can be found online at www.thomasnet.com. But if you want to open a clothing store, there are easier ways to find items you want to sell. You don't say what type of clothing you want to sell, but one of the best ways to find clothes and accessories for your store is to attend trade shows where manufacturers display their wares in hopes of catching retailers attention. For trade show listings go to www.tradeshowweek.com. Specificially for clothes check out www.apparelsearch.com. Or you could go to showrooms located in many of the major cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angleles. For instance in New York there are streets and streets of stores offering wholesale clothing of every type.

Another way to find items to sell in your clothing store is to go to www.ebay.com and check for wholesale lots of clothing being sold there.

Entrepreneur publishes a business startup guide about setting up a clothing store. You can find it listed under Clothing Store at www.smallbizbo
oks.com
. Or you can order our latest, brand new e-book, Sold! The Essential Guide to Finding Products to Sell for only $19.95.
Rieva Lesonsky, a senior vice president and editorial director of Entrepreneur Media, is a well-respected entrepreneurship expert who has co-authored several business books, including the best-seller Start Your Own Business. During her 26 years with the company, she also has appeared on national TV programs and served on SBA's National Advisory Council.


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