NEW CATALOGS

Headwear & Accessories To make it clear that it sells more than T-shirts, Preston, WA-based wholesaler SanMar launched Headwear & Accessories, a catalog selling more than 100 styles of headwear. Senior marketing manager Lee Strom says the company mailed “well over” 10,000 copies of the 54-page catalog in late March to customers and to prospects — resellers and retailers — it gathered through trade shows.

So far Strom says the venture is paying off. The response rate for businesses requesting the catalog to be imprinted with their logo, which the companies will then send to their customers, is 4%, slightly ahead of projections. — Heather Retzlaff

Product category: wholesale apparel First mailing date: March 2006 Size of distribution: more than 10,000 Target audience: apparel resellers, imprinters, and embroiderers Frequency: every six weeks Competitors: Alpha Shirt Co., Broder Bros., NES Clothing Co. Number of pages: 54 pages Trim size: 8-3/8" × 10-7/8" Telephone: 800-426-6399

Ladies Tool Zone Popular do-it-yourself home makeover shows such as Trading Spaces and While You Were Out often feature women doing much of the work, yet there's a lack of hand tools designed specifically for women's smaller hands. Karen Matthias recognized a market void that she could fill, and in September 2005 she launched the Ladies Tool Zone Website, with a print catalog following in November.

The initial drop of 25 copies of the 26-page catalog mailed to prospects gathered from the Website and to retailers interested in reselling its merchandise. Circulation increased to 100 during a spring mailing to both customers and prospects. To help bolster its house file, Ladies Tool Zone is advertising on Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and Amazon.com.

Matthias says the average order size is $50 and growing. “We're growing at a very rapid pace, and at the same time we're learning and fine-tuning our inventory. We feel like we're getting to a point where we're breaking through,” Matthias says. The company was prepared for an influx during traditional holiday season like Mother's Day, but wasn't as prepared for the influx of orders it received during graduation season.

The most popular item is a 95-piece pink tool set that costs $24.99. Other products include a $21.99 cordless pink drill and a $19.99 10-pocket pouch. Although pink is the favorite color among Ladies Tool Zone buyers, the company offers tools in orange, green, blue, yellow, and a floral pattern as well. “Pink hits a core with our customers because it definitely separates those tools from the other tools in the house and provides ownership for them,” says Matthias. — HR

Product category: tools First mailing date: November 2005 Size of distribution: 25 Target audience: women 18-45 and gift buyers Average order size: $50 Number of pages: 26 pages Trim size: 8-1/2" × 11" Telephone: 614-397-3493