Adventures, Accolades, and the Art of the Stretch – GMA Launches a Wholesale Jewelry Division

01 Mar Adventures, Accolades, and the Art of the Stretch – GMA Launches a Wholesale Jewelry Division

The winter of 2016 will go down in GMA history as the season of the stretch.

After more than two decades of selling my work directly to my retail clients (custom and otherwise), I stretched myself during the last year to:

• put together a wholesale collection around the themes I had noticed over the years of designing jewelry for clients,
• create spreadsheets and price lists and line sheets and banners and a catalog and a wholesale website (oh my!),
• design a trade show booth (twice),
• develop an idea of what kind of venues I would want to offer my work to and through,
• travel to Washington, DC, and Philadelphia to offer my collection to wholesale buyers,
• streamline production to be able to meet demand (fill orders) more efficiently,
• and, to tell you the truth, there was a lot more to it than even this list.

(And, now, Stretch Armstrong from my childhood comes to mind. Remember him? 😉 )

The view from inside the booth in Philly.

I’m so glad I did all of that. At this point (because of all that stretching…), GMA Jewelry is available (or will soon be available) in venues from Santa Fe to New York City, from Florida to Indiana, and in North Carolina, too, of course.

Along the way, I found so many helpful resources and new good friends. I celebrated winning the title of “Best Emerging Artist Booth” at my first ACRE show (American Craft Retailers Expo). I’m particularly excited about that one because it was voted on by my fellow artists, in all media (not just jewelry). That’s pretty cool.

And now, as the laws of physics kick in (expansion being followed by contraction), I continue to regroup and plan my next steps. All while I’m filling those jewelry orders, of course.

The reason for all of it is that I believe in my work, and I want to send more of it out into the world.

Custom jewelry will always be my first love, but I’m excited about how the GMA Signature Collection is being received and the potential for it to soar.

*Oh, and one more thing: Shout out to Melissa and Brian, Jimmy, Christine, Angela, Amy, Cindy, Brandi, Elaine, Sara, Jason, Lucy, Tavia, Olivia, Mae, and Nanette – you guys rock. Thanks!