316 | The State of Independent Retail with Jen Palacio & Katie Wilson [Part 1]

<p dir="ltr">Over the last few months, I’ve had a lot of private conversations with store owners about the state of independent retail. They’ve confided in me about a wide range of challenges that they are facing - individually as well as collectively. Things like the economy, less foot traffic in their stores, staffing and cash flow limitations - have forced them to rethink how they are running their businesses and also planning for the future.</p> <p dir="ltr">Here at Proof to Product, we focus on teaching you how to sell wholesale and independent retailers make up the majority of our alumni community’s wholesale revenue. Which is why it is important that we not only build strong relationships with these shop owners, but that we also take time to listen to the challenges that the are facing. </p> <p dir="ltr">Over the next two episodes of Proof to Product, we’re taking you behind the scenes into a candid conversation with two shop owners who are giving us an inside look at the state of independent retail and the challenges that many shop keepers are currently experiencing.</p> <p dir="ltr">Our guests for two-part podcast series are Katie Wilson of Crush & Touch and Jen Palacio of Tiny Turns Paperie. Katie owns an art supply store in Southern California and Jen owns a stationery & gifts shop in Massachusetts. </p> <p dir="ltr">In today’s episode, we’re talking about their summer 2023 sale season, how they are preparing for the Q4 holiday season, how the current economic climate is affecting their businesses and what’s on the minds of shopkeepers right now.</p> <p dir="ltr">Today’s episode is sponsored by our <a href= "http://www.prooftoproduct.com/unlock">Unlock Buyer Secrets interview series</a>. To make a strong first impression with wholesale buyers, we need to do a few things really well:</p> <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">We need to make it easy for stores to purchase from us</p> </li> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <p dir="ltr" role="presentation">We need to have clear p