To pitch a boutique buyer by email, send it to the address the shop gives, use the subject line it asks for, and keep the body to a few lines: who you are, what you make, why it fits their shop, your wholesale price range and terms, with a line sheet attached. Then follow up once. The goal is an email a buyer can say yes to in five minutes, on a phone, between customers. I know, because that's how I read them.
Where should I send my pitch?
To the exact address and channel the shop names on its submission page, and nowhere else. Not the owner's personal Instagram DMs, not the general customer service inbox if there's a buyer address, and not a reply to a newsletter.
Of the 434 shops Open Shelf lists, 222 take pitches by email and 238 use an online form (some do both). If a shop has a form, use the form. An email to a form-only shop usually goes nowhere. You can browse the shops that accept email pitches if email is how you'd rather work.
Some shops ask for email and spell out what else they don't want. The New York Historical Museum Store says: "No calls, walk-ins or drop-offs. Samples by mail only (include return postage)." Catbird says "No phone calls."
What subject line should I use?
The one the shop asks for. 23 listed shops give an exact subject line, and using it is your first test. It tells the buyer you read the page, and it gets your email into the right folder. Real examples:
- Driggs Mercantile (Brooklyn): "ATTN: BUYER"
- Magpie (New York): '"Company name" - Product Submission'
- The Store at MAD (New York): "Your name – Artist Submission"
- Pema New York: "Linesheet Submission"
- Lundeen's (Culver City, CA): "PRODUCT SUBMISSION"
- Experiment PDX (Portland): "Maker Application for Experiment"
See them all on shops with subject line rules. If the shop doesn't specify one, keep it plain and searchable: Product submission: Your Brand (what you make).
What goes in the body of the email?
Five things, in about this order:
- Who you are and what you make, in one sentence.
- Why it fits their shop. Name a product or two and a brand they already carry that you'd sit beside. This is the line that shows you've looked at their shelves.
- Your numbers. Wholesale range, MSRP range, opening minimum and lead time.
- Your terms. Wholesale, consignment or both.
- Links. Website and Instagram, plus the line sheet attached or linked.
Shops tell you what they need. Driggs Mercantile asks for "a line sheet (clear photos, descriptions, wholesale prices, website and social links)." Paloma Consignment in Austin wants "your name, business name, website and/or Instagram, product costs and photos." The OMCA Store in Oakland asks for "other stores or sites that carry you, retail and wholesale prices, and your minimum order," and says to explain your link to the museum if it isn't obvious.
That last point matters. Some shops want you to make the case for fit. Pink Olive in New York asks you to "say why your product fits." Experiment PDX asks you to say why you want to partner with them, and to include "a fun fact about yourself."
Should I attach a line sheet?
Yes, unless the shop says otherwise. 33 listed shops name a line sheet in their pitch instructions. Pema New York's whole instruction is to email "with your line sheet," and Myrtle in Los Angeles wants "clear photos or a lookbook plus a detailed line sheet."
Send a small PDF, named with your brand and season, so it's easy to find later. If you don't have a line sheet yet, the free line sheet template includes a filled example and an order form.
What does a good pitch email look like?
Here's the template from our pitch guide. Swap in your details and keep it this short:
Subject: [The shop's requested subject line, or: Product submission: Your Brand, (what you make)]
Hi [shop name] team,
I'm [your name], and I make [what you make] in [city]. I think [one or two products] would fit [shop name] alongside [a brand they already carry], because [one specific reason].
Wholesale runs $[low]–$[high] (MSRP $[low]–$[high]), with a $[amount] opening minimum and [lead time] lead time. My line sheet is attached, and you can see more at [website] and @[instagram].
Thanks for taking a look. I'm happy to send samples if that would help.
[Your name]
[Brand] · [email] · [phone]
Notice what's not in there: no long founder story, no list of every product, no "let me know a good time to call." If I'm interested, I'll ask.
When should I follow up?
Give it time, then follow up once. 127 listed shops say they reply only if they're interested, so silence is common and isn't personal. Paperish Mess in Chicago says it responds "only to work they want to carry now and keep other submissions on file for openings." Home Malone in New Orleans says that if they don't contact you, "they don't have space or need right now."
A few shops give a timeline. Driggs Mercantile says "Response in 3–7 business days." Myrtle notes that "Responses can be slow during market seasons and holidays."
My rule from behind the counter: one polite follow-up after a week or two, ideally with something new (a bestseller, a seasonal piece, a new stockist). Reply in the same thread so I have the context. Then move on. Three follow-ups is too many.
What are the most common mistakes?
- Pitching the wrong channel. Emailing a form-only shop, or calling a shop that says no calls.
- Skipping the subject line. If a shop asks for "ATTN: BUYER," a creative subject line works against you.
- No prices. If I have to write back to ask what it costs, the email goes to the bottom of the pile.
- A generic blast. "Dear Buyer" with no mention of the shop reads like you sent it to 200 stores.
- Walking in to "follow up." 48 listed shops say no walk-ins. Email first, and offer to drop by if they're interested.
If you're starting in New York, the NYC guide lists shops with their exact pitch instructions, including several of the subject lines above.
FAQ
How long should a pitch email be?
Short enough to read on a phone: a greeting, three or four sentences and a signature. Let the line sheet carry the detail.
Should I put prices in the email?
Yes, a wholesale and MSRP range at least. Many shops, like Driggs Mercantile, ask for wholesale prices in the first email.
Can I send the same email to every shop?
Use the same structure, but change the fit line and the subject line for each shop. Buyers can tell a blast.
Should I send samples with my pitch?
Only if the shop asks. Catbird accepts mailed samples but says they're non-returnable. Others, like the OMCA Store, say "Unsolicited samples can't be stored or returned."
What if the shop never replies?
Follow up once after a week or two. Many shops reply only if they're interested, so after that, move on to the next one.