Having narrowed down the type of clothing you need you will then want to consider what kinds of styles, fabrics and colors that you wish to carry. Write all of these down in your business plan. At first you will want to keep this scope narrow as your finances will not be able to cover every color and style that is possible. Your lines will be able to expand as your shop grows in size and revenue. Most shops that do well can expect approximately a 15% increase per year for at least the first five years and that will open up many possibilities for expansion as you go. When making purchases many manufacturers will push for you to purchase at least four pieces per size and per color. Four pieces is fairly reasonable as long as you keep the number of colors and sizes in check. If you are pressured to purchase six do not do so as it will be far more merchandise than you can turn over swiftly.

As far as sizes are concerned most sizing for tops runs in Petite to Extra Large, and pants from size 0-14. If you need to acquire sizes that are outside of these typical ranges you will have to meet with manufacturers that specialize in over or undersized clothing. You should plan to bring in several sizes per cut or style of clothing. Before you begin purchasing merchandise you will want to acquire your small business license and wholesale license. These licenses will open the door to merchandisers that otherwise you would not be able to make purchases from. It is vital that your own purchasing be at the lowest rates possible so that the merchandise in your clothing store can be kept at a reasonable price for your customers. Too much mark up in order to make up for high purchasing prices will keep clothing from selling and be detrimental to your business.