Craft Store Inventory Suppliers: 8 Top Options

Running a craft store is all about flexibility. You’ve got a dozen moving pieces to juggle, from seasonal trends to holiday rushes. If you want to survive in an industry where your customers’ creativity is always keeping you on your toes, you need the right inventory — and that means you need the right suppliers.

Finding reliable craft store inventory suppliers isn't easy. You need vendors who get that craft customers buy by project, that seasonal swings can make or break your cash flow, and that managing everything from fabric by the yard to individual beads requires a completely different approach than typical retail.

That's where having the right supplier partnerships makes all the difference. We'll walk you through the top wholesale suppliers that successful craft stores rely on, plus show you how the right point of sale (POS) system makes vendor management a breeze.

The Craft Store Supply Chain Challenge

Craft store inventory management is its own animal. Your customers don’t usually pop in for a single item or buy the same products consistently over time. Instead, they’re constantly starting new projects that require specific combinations of supplies.

Let’s break down some of the unique inventory needs for craft stores:

Seasonal demand swings: You have back-to-school scrapbooking rushes and holiday crafting swings that start in November. Your inventory needs to be able to pivot to meet that demand.
Project-driven purchases: Customers need everything for one project right now. If they find nine out of 10 things they need in your store, they’re still frustrated. You need to be able to supply everything they need at a moment’s notice.
Diverse product categories: You juggle fabric, yarn, scrapbooking supplies, jewelry-making tools, and countless other specialized items.
Mix of consumables and tools: Some products are used up quickly, while others are one-time purchases that customers keep for years. You need the right systems and suppliers in place to help you balance these needs.

When you choose the wrong suppliers, you tie up cash in slow-moving inventory while running out of the basics customers actually want. But partner with suppliers who understand craft retail, and you keep your customers and your cash flow happy.

10 Top Craft Store Inventory Suppliers

With all this in mind, let’s explore our list of eight craft store inventory suppliers.

1. Notions Marketing

When craft store owners talk about reliable suppliers, Notions Marketing always makes the list. As the largest arts and crafts wholesale distributor in the industry, they've built their reputation on understanding what craft retailers actually need.

They have a massive product catalog with over 150,000 products, and they’re always adding new items as new crafting trends pop up. They’ve been in business since 1938, and they know the crafting industry inside and out. If you’re looking for a one-stop shop for craft supplies, Notions Marketing is a great place to start.

Benefits of Notions Marketing:

Understanding of seasonal patterns and trending products
One-stop shopping
Complete reliability and consistency

Rain POS bonus: We've partnered directly with Notions Marketing to make your life easier. Import their product catalog with images, create purchase orders directly from your craft store POS, and get alerts when it's time to reorder your bestselling supplies.

2. Michaels Wholesale

You know Michaels as the craft retail giant, but their commercial sales division offers bulk access to the same popular brands your customers already recognize and trust. Michaels might be a competitor day-to-day, but using them as a supplier gives you an advantage over other independent craft stores.

When regular Michaels shoppers see familiar products in your store, it makes it a lot easier to get them to buy from you. If you want mainstream craft supplies or if your customers keep asking for products they’ve seen in mainstream stores, Michaels Wholesale might be a great partner.

Benefits of Michaels Wholesale:

Wholesale pricing on familiar craft supplies
Mainstream products with proven demand
Reliable supply chain that rarely lets you down

Michaels Wholesale also offers long-term payment plans through Affirm, so if you’re just starting out and have a limited budget for your starting inventory, this might be a strong option for your store.

3. Arteza Wholesale/Plaid

Now partnered with Plaid, Arteza represents the newer generation of craft suppliers. These companies lean into the trend of quality over quantity, providing top-tier, top-dollar craft supplies for the serious crafters in your audience.

Arteza offers curated art supplies, markers, paints, and crafting tools. Their contemporary branding is also a plus if you’re targeting a younger demographic of crafters.

Benefits of Arteza:

Products photograph beautifully for social media
Appeals to serious artists and DIY enthusiasts
Materials that perform well and look professional

This supplier tends to work best for stores targeting dedicated artists who are willing to pay for better materials.

4. Discount School Supply

As the name suggests, Discount School Supply initially sold exclusively to the educational market. Since then, they’ve expanded to serve craft stores and other retailers who need basic supplies at competitive prices.

Discount School Supply offers basic craft supplies and educational materials for art teachers and teachers of younger kids. Their bulk options focus strictly on fundamental materials, so you likely won’t be using this supplier for your niche products. They’re a great source for reliable staples.

If your store serves schools or camps or runs a lot of workshops and classes, especially for beginners or youngsters, this supplier might be a good fit.

5. Regional Craft Distributors

While national suppliers (like the ones we’ve listed so far) get most of the attention, regional craft distributors are a great option for stores looking for specific products or niche advantages.

Some examples of regional distributors include Thomasnet in Michigan or Ecstacy Crafts in Ontario, Canada.

Related Read: E-Commerce Logistics for Retail Stores

Here are some key benefits of working with a regional distributor:

Faster shipping: Having suppliers that are closer to your store means you get quicker restocks (and cheaper shipping costs).
Personal relationships: Build connections with sales reps who get your local market.
Local market knowledge: These suppliers understand what works in your area.

Remember: These suppliers tend to have a more limited selection than national distributors and may have a higher per-unit cost — they’re best for filling gaps in your inventory, accessing unique products, or as a backup for when your main distributor falls short.

6. Specialty Suppliers by Category

Sometimes you need suppliers who live and breathe specific craft categories. These specialists bring expertise that generalist distributors can't match. You might need a specialty supplier if your store sits in a particular niche, you want specialized products you can’t find anywhere else, or you want to take advantage of an upcoming trend the big distributors haven’t yet caught on to.

Here are some examples by category:

Fabric/quilting: Moda Fabrics
Yarn/needlework: Premier Yarns
Jewelry-making: Artbeads

These suppliers work well for stores with a strong category focus or stores with customers who are always looking for the latest trends.

7. Direct-From-Manufacturer Relationships

Another option is to get supplies directly from a specific manufacturer. When you cut out the middleman, you can often get better profit margins, access to exclusive products, and brand partnership opportunities.

Of course, this approach also has its challenges, including:

Higher minimum order quantities
Longer lead times (production schedules vs. immediate fulfillment)
More logistics handling on your end

Overall, this approach works best for established stores with predictable sales volume in very specific categories and brands. If you've identified a bestselling brand, going direct for those products can boost your margins, but managing them might be a headache.

8. Online Wholesale Marketplaces

Last but not least, consider a digital wholesale platform like Faire. These platforms let you search across a variety of categories and product types. They also often offer flexible ordering with lower minimums than traditional wholesale, which can appeal to smaller stores or brand-new businesses.

However, there are a few disadvantages to keep in mind when buying from an online wholesale marketplace:

Quality verification can be tricky since you can't handle products first.
Relationship building is often nonexistent.
Some of these suppliers are newer companies without established track records, so you’ll need to do your homework before buying from on.

These suppliers can be great for testing new products or filling specific inventory gaps. However, we recommend ordering samples or minimum quantities until you can verify the quality of their products.

How Your POS System Transforms Supplier Management

Remember the days of managing suppliers with spreadsheets and sticky notes? You'd guess when to reorder, manually track which vendors were reliable, and cross your fingers that you wouldn't run out of yarn during back-to-school season. That approach is more stress than it’s worth.

The better move is to let your POS system handle the heavy lifting. Instead of guessing what to buy and when, you get real data that tells you exactly what's selling and what's sitting on shelves.

When choosing a point of sale system, check for these specific supplier management features:

Automated reorder alerts: Set minimum stock levels for each product and get notifications when it's time to reorder your bestselling supplies.
Vendor performance tracking: Monitor which suppliers deliver on time and track how products perform by vendor.
Inventory analytics: See which products sell best by season and identify slow-moving inventory before it becomes dead stock.

We built Rain POS specifically for specialty retailers like craft stores. Our integration with Notions Marketing lets you order directly from the industry’s largest distributor, and craft-specific features like fractional inventory make tracking products sold by the yard or ounce easier.

Check out a demo of our solution today to learn more.

Managing Your Craft Store Inventory Suppliers

The suppliers we shared in this list all offer strong benefits for craft stores like yours. But finding the right supplier mix is just the first step to running a successful store. What you really need is the right suppliers and the right tools for managing those suppliers — and the inventory you get from them.

Your POS system should help you manage vendors, transactions, and inventory, all in one easy-to-use tool. When you have the right solutions in place, vendor and inventory management stop being a headache and turn into something that practically runs itself.

Ready to streamline your supplier management? Schedule a demo today to see how Rain POS makes inventory management and vendor relationships easy.

Craft Store Inventory Suppliers: 8 Top Options

The Craft Store Supply Chain Challenge