How many new vendors do you add per year? How do you decide which ones to take a chance on?

There's no formula. If I leave a market with five new vendors, I feel good. Ten for the year is average. Sometimes, it could be only two. It's all about sales and listening to customers. I read fashion magazines because eventually that trickles down into home. I don't want to be trendy because it's short-lived, and I don't want my product to end up at a garage sale. It's all about finding product that looks like the brand I want to be. I consider the style of the store more than what I hear is hot. I look for artisans, as handcrafted as possible, but not countrified. Sometimes, if they're new, they may not have the business side down yet, but you have it first. I consider the seasons, and what did and did not sell the last season; price point and delivery too, but I can tolerate production times if I really get a gut feeling that this is my store. At the end of the day, maybe only half of the lines will continue. Reps bring new lines that you're trying sight unseen, and I might read something in a magazine or on the Internet, so it can add up.

I don't have a set number of new vendors per year, but it is increasing each year as we get better with our buying habits. We're picking a minimum number of items from each, as opposed to buying a lot more from a couple of vendors. I bet we added 30 new vendors this year. Some are four- piece vendors and from some we are adding pretty massive amounts. I like vendors that protect their product line with us. We like products that are very different from what you see all the time, and that have good story lines attached. We like to support vendors that support the independent retailer and products that are made in the United States. Our clients notice that. It depends on the relationships we can build long-term. Our most successful products are those where we have good relationships with the vendors, where we can get to know the principals and work with them creatively. We are looking for those that have unique, innovative term programs, especially for holiday product; good follow up, whether it's from the vendor or a particular customer service person or a rep; and provide images and help with our events.

Every time I go to a show I add new lines. I add an average of 10 lines a year. Typically, I add them at shows because you can see the new products. I always try to leave the show ordering brand new stuff, preferably from brand new vendors. It's a staple of staying in business and being successful: customers don't want to see the same thing all the time. I consider whether it works well with the product mix I currently have. Is it something I can blend right in or something I can add to another line, like jewelry? The quality obviously has to be there. It's kind of a gut feeling. But once you've been in business a while you get to know what your customers like and what they don't like. Price point certainly plays a key role, but I usually think of that in terms of the value. Will my customers pay the markup that I need to get? I've passed on products I loved when the price was too high. If it's something that's seasonal, something brand new for the holidays, that fits into my store, I'll definitely go for it. There I'm not as concerned about price point because people are prepared to pay more for certain things.