CaliforniaMart Is Place for Garment Networking

Q I am interested in opening a men’s retail store next June. I am having difficulty finding wholesalers for brand-name clothing. Is there any information that you can provide to assist me in my search for wholesalers in the Los Angeles area?

--Sal Ruiz, Los Angeles

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A You need to get plugged into the extensive Southern California network of apparel manufacturers, marketing companies and retailers that congregate around CaliforniaMart (https://www.californiamart.com), at 110 East 9th St. in downtown Los Angeles.

The Mart sponsors market weeks in various segments of the industry, including men’s, and publishes directories of local manufacturers as well as additional useful information. An industry publication, the California Apparel News at https://www.apparelnews.net, can also provide you with information on local trade shows and markets.

You will probably be purchasing your inventory directly from apparel manufacturers. Be aware that as a small retailer you may be subject to minimum opening orders from popular labels. To differentiate yourself from the pack, and put your shop in a professional tier, you should make up a portfolio or press kit about your business that you can distribute to manufacturers on initial contact. Include a biography of yourself and your business experience, a short synopsis of what you hope to accomplish in this retail venture, your financial backing and capitalization, contact information for your banker and your accountant, your store opening date, square footage and location, your anticipated first-year revenues and your anticipated annual growth.

Plan to attend the MAGIC show, a semiannual trade show of the Men’s Apparel Guild in California (https://www.magiconline.com). It is the largest and most precise meeting of the apparel market for the U.S. Contact the organization’s Woodland Hills headquarters at (800) 421-9567 for the dates of shows scheduled in 2001.

--John R. Calvert, president, Garmentrade Corp., San Francisco

A Bright Idea?

Q My family runs a successful janitorial business and is now interested in opening a retail shop selling lighting fixtures. How do we find dealers and choose the inventory for our showroom in the most economical way possible?

--Kalvin Luong, El Monte

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A Before you start thinking about inventory, take a step back and ask yourself: What’s your family’s interest in the lighting industry? Do you have a passion for this business, or an inside connection to the industry? Perhaps selling janitorial supplies would be another retail option that you could pursue that would be much easier and more logical for your family.

Jumping into the retail world from a non-retail service business is very difficult, and it is naive to assume you can make it unless you have a real affinity for the product. You can easily spend $200,000 as a start-up retailer, for deposits, building improvements, security systems, carpeting, fixtures, inventory and computers.

If you truly have passion for and interest in this business, I would suggest that at least one of your family members takes a part-time job working in a lamp store. Choose an independently owned store--not a chain outlet--and work for several months just to get some hands-on experience in retail and learn about the lighting industry.

After you have taken the time to research the industry, and gotten a more realistic idea of what it takes to be successful, I’d recommend that you start by seeking out lighting industry trade shows. Almost every segment of retailing is serviced by trade shows, which typically occur in February and August, around the retailers’ busy times of year.

Search for trade shows on the Internet, then make up some business cards and go to the show as an attendee. This is the best place for you to make industry contacts, evaluate what kind of inventory is available and estimate what it will cost you to start up your own shop.

--Bill Pearson, consultant, Retail Analysis and Planning, Pasadena

Writer Needs Readers

Q I’m a technical writer who can write clear product instructions to practically anything. How do I go about finding clients for my freelance writing business?

--Mike Crook, Torrance

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A You must identify your target clients before you can go about finding them. Look back over your previous clients and try to put together a profile of your ideal client. It seems to me that marketing communications agencies, advertising agencies and corporate marketing directors would be among your top targets.

Next, make sure you can quickly and clearly communicate what you do, and how it benefits your clients: In other words, perfect your “elevator speech.� Check out your portfolio--what kind of shape is it in? Do you have an impressive package of previous work to show potential clients?

Once you get your business pitch ready, put together a database of prospects, including current and former clients and referral sources, and figure out a way to keep your business in front of them, through direct mail, e-mail (avoid spamming), a newsletter, or some other source.

There are some great target organizations you should check out: the International Assn. of Business Communicators, L.A. (IABC), the Public Relations Society of America, L.A. (PRSA); the Public Communicators of Los Angeles (PCLA). I would also check out some of the new-media organizations, such as Venice Interactive Community (VIC) or the Software Council of Southern California.

Contact some of the larger ad agencies as well, and consider running a small ad on a consistent basis in Adweek. We found a terrific copywriter through one of those ads.

--Sharon Berman, marketing consultant, Berbay Corp.,

Tarzana

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Send letters to Karen E. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 1333 S. Mayflower Ave., Suite 100, Monrovia, CA 91016, or e-mail [email protected]. Include your name, address and telephone number. This column answers questions of general interest. It should not be construed as legal advice.