Maine Made Certified Retailers: How to Get Your Products on Store Shelves
Selling at craft fairs and festivals is a great way to build a customer base, but it's seasonal and weather-dependent. If you want year-round sales without relying entirely on your own online store, getting your products into retail shops is the logical next step. The Maine Made program has a built-in pathway for exactly this: the Certified Retailer network.
What Is a Maine Made Certified Retailer?
A Maine Made Certified Retailer is a brick-and-mortar shop that carries at least 75% Maine-made products in its inventory. These stores earn official certification from the program and get listed on the Maine Made website, which drives foot traffic and online discovery from customers specifically looking to buy local.
For makers, these shops represent a curated wholesale channel. The store owners have already committed to stocking Maine-made goods — they're actively looking for products like yours.
Why This Matters for Craft Fair Vendors
If you've been selling at events for a while, you've probably noticed a ceiling. You can only do so many shows per year, and each one requires booth fees, travel, setup time, and a full day (or weekend) on your feet. Wholesale through certified retailers lets you move product while you're doing other things — sleeping, making more inventory, or setting up at your next fair.
The math is different from direct sales. You'll sell at wholesale prices (typically 50% of retail), but you're selling in volume without the per-event costs. Many vendors find that a mix of direct event sales and wholesale creates a more stable income than either alone.
How to Find Certified Retailers
The Maine Made website maintains a directory of certified retailers, searchable by region. These shops span the state — from Portland's arts district to coastal tourist towns to inland communities. Some are gift shops, some are galleries, some are general stores with a strong local focus.
Start by identifying retailers whose customer base matches your products. A high-end gallery in Kennebunkport attracts different buyers than a farm stand in Aroostook County. Visit shops in person if you can. Browse their current inventory online. Get a feel for their aesthetic, price range, and what they're missing.
Preparing for Wholesale
Before you approach any retailer, make sure you're wholesale-ready:
Pricing structure. You need a wholesale price (what the shop pays you) and a suggested retail price. The standard is a 2x markup — if your wholesale price is $15, the retail price is $30. Make sure your wholesale price still covers materials, labor, and a reasonable margin. If you can't sell at wholesale and stay profitable, you may need to adjust your production process or pricing before pursuing this channel.
Line sheet or catalog. Create a simple document showing your products with images, descriptions, wholesale prices, minimum order quantities, and ordering terms. This doesn't need to be fancy — a clean PDF works fine.
Inventory capacity. Retailers need reliable supply. If a shop orders 50 units of your best-selling item, can you deliver? And restock when they sell through? Be realistic about your production capacity before committing.
Packaging and labeling. Products on store shelves need retail-ready packaging. Each item should have a price tag or label, your brand name, and ideally the Maine Made logo (which you can use once you've been accepted as a member).
Terms and policies. Decide on payment terms (net 30 is standard for wholesale), return policies, and minimum order amounts before your first conversation with a buyer.
Making the Approach
Start local. Visit shops near you that carry products similar to yours. Introduce yourself, leave a line sheet, and ask if they're open to reviewing new vendors. Many shop owners prefer to meet makers face to face.
Leverage your Maine Made membership. Mentioning that you're a Maine Made member signals that your products have passed a juried quality review. For certified retailers who are required to carry 75% Maine-made inventory, this makes you a natural fit.
Use trade shows. The Maine Made program offers DTAP grants for trade shows, which are specifically designed for wholesale buyers. Shows like the New England Made trade show put you in front of hundreds of retail buyers in a single weekend.
Follow up professionally. If a shop owner expresses interest, follow up within a week with your line sheet and any samples they requested. Treat it like any professional sales relationship.
What Certified Retailers Expect from Vendors
Shop owners talk to each other. Your reputation matters. Here's what they're looking for:
Consistency. The product quality and look should be the same every time they reorder. Customers come back for items they've seen before.
Reliability. If you promise delivery in two weeks, deliver in two weeks. If you're running behind, communicate early.
Professionalism. Respond to emails promptly. Invoice clearly. Make reordering easy.
Flexibility. Some shops want to start with a small trial order. That's normal — let them test the market before committing to a large buy.
Becoming a Certified Retailer Yourself
If you run your own shop and carry mostly Maine-made products, you may qualify for certified retailer status. The main requirement is that 75% or more of your inventory is made in Maine. Certification gets your shop listed on the Maine Made website and gives you access to the certified retailer branding, which appeals to the growing number of customers who actively seek out locally made products.
This can be especially powerful if you operate a studio-shop where you sell your own work alongside products from other Maine makers. You get the retail foot traffic, the Maine Made directory listing, and the wholesale relationships all working together.
Building Both Channels
The strongest position for a Maine maker is having multiple sales channels reinforcing each other. Your craft fair booth introduces customers to your brand. Your Maine Made directory listing helps them find you online. Certified retailers put your products in front of people who might never attend a fair. And your website captures everyone else.
Each channel feeds the others. A customer discovers you at a summer fair, sees your work at a local shop a month later, and finally orders a gift from your website in December. The Maine Made program ties these threads together with consistent branding and credibility.