The best wholesale hair bow assortment for a children's boutique starts small and focused: solid colors that match your clothing, two or three bow sizes, clips and headbands for the ages you serve, and a few seasonal styles. You don't need every color and style on your first order. Start with bows that each have a clear reason to be there, then reorder what sells.
We've been designing hair bows since 2008, and we've sold more than 2 million of them, both to families in our own shop and to boutiques through wholesale. This guide covers everything we'd think about if we were stocking bows in a boutique for the first time.
1. Start with the customers you already have
Your bows should support the clothing you already carry, not live off in their own corner. Before you order, think about who shops with you:
- What ages make up most of your clothing?
- Which colors show up again and again across your collections?
- Do your customers shop mostly for everyday outfits, holidays, school spirit or special occasions?
- Which outfits in your store don't have a matching finishing piece yet?
- What accessories are customers already asking for?
A baby boutique will need more soft headbands and smaller bows. A store full of toddler and big-girl clothing will sell more classic clips, oversized bows and long tail styles. If you're near a few schools, school colors may sell for you all year.
2. Build around core colors
Solid color bows are the foundation of any good bow assortment because one bow can match lots of outfits across lots of seasons. Start with the colors that appear most in your clothing, and buy deeper in the ones that match several pieces.
If you want a head start, white is by far our best-selling solid bow color, followed by red, light pink, black, pink and navy. We go into much more detail, including a 16-color starter plan, in our guide to how many hair bow colors a boutique should stock. You can also see every shade we carry in our solid color hair bows.
3. Carry two or three bow sizes
A few clearly different sizes give customers real choices without overwhelming your display:
- Small bows for babies, toddlers, pigtails and anyone who likes a more subtle look.
- Classic bows for an everyday boutique look that works on lots of ages.
- Oversized or long tail bows for statement outfits, holidays, photos and game days.
Label sizes on your display or show them on a model so customers can tell the difference at a glance. Our hair bow size guide breaks down which sizes work best for which ages.
4. Choose clips and headbands for the ages you serve
The attachment decides who can wear the bow. Alligator clips work for kids with enough hair to hold them, and larger clips give extra hold for oversized bows. Soft headbands let babies and little ones with fine hair wear a bow before they're ready for a clip.
If you carry baby through girls' sizes, stock both. Our bow headbands pair nicely with a clip selection, and our guide to choosing the right hair bow clip explains how each attachment holds. Make the attachment easy to see on the card so customers don't have to pull the bow off to check.
5. Add seasonal bows that match your clothing
Seasonal bows give customers a reason to come back and make easy add-ons next to holiday clothing. Plan them on the same calendar as your apparel, from back-to-school and pumpkin patch season through Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter and summer.
Our seasonal hair bow guide for boutiques walks through what to stock for each season and when to bring it in. You can browse current styles in our holiday hair bows.
6. Mix solids with printed and embroidered bows
Solid bows sell all year. Printed and embroidered bows bring personality and seasonal excitement. A good assortment needs both.
Pick designs that connect to what's already in your store. A turkey bow sells best next to a Thanksgiving outfit. A Santa bow belongs with your Christmas clothing. A bow with no outfit to go with is a lot harder to sell.
7. Look for consistency and retail-ready packaging
Your customers will notice the bow long before they'd ever think about what you paid for it. When you're comparing wholesale suppliers, look for:
- Consistent size and shape from bow to bow
- Secure stitching and sturdy clips
- Colors that stay the same when you reorder
- Retail-ready cards, so bows go straight from the box to your display
- Fast processing times
- The ability to reorder your best sellers
Consistency matters more than people expect. When a customer comes back for the same red bow she bought in August, it should look just like the first one.
8. Think about retail price, not just wholesale cost
The cheapest bow isn't always the best deal. A well-made bow on a retail-ready card that matches several outfits will usually earn you more than a bargain bow you have to repackage or that doesn't go with anything in your store.
Bows are also a small, easy yes. A customer who just picked out a dress is usually happy to add a bow or two, especially when it's sitting right there next to the outfit or at the register.
9. Start focused and reorder what works
Your first wholesale bow order doesn't need every color, size and style. A good first order includes:
- Solid colors that match your current clothing
- Two or three clearly different sizes
- Clips and headbands for the ages you serve
- A small seasonal selection
- A few statement or trendy styles to test
Then track what sells by color, size, attachment and season. Pay attention to which bows sell on their own and which sell with clothing. Having enough of the colors your customers actually want works better than having a little bit of everything.
10. Put bows where customers pick out outfits
Keep an organized main bow display, but don't keep every bow there. Put matching bows next to seasonal racks, sibling outfits, baby gifts and the register. Online, show the bow in your outfit photos and suggest it as a "complete the look" add-on. Customers shouldn't have to imagine whether a bow matches. Show them.
For more display ideas, read our children's boutique merchandising tips.
Stock our hair bows in your boutique
Our wholesale line includes grosgrain bows, moonstitch bows, oversized and long tail bows, bow headbands and seasonal styles, all on retail-ready bow cards. You can mix bows with our children's clothing and accessories to reach your order minimum.
Wholesale orders are placed through Faire, with no annual purchase requirement. Visit our wholesale page to learn more.
Wholesale hair bow FAQs
What wholesale hair bows should a boutique carry first?
Start with solid color bows in the colors that appear most in your clothing, in two or three sizes, with clips and headbands for the ages you serve. Add a small seasonal selection and a few statement styles, then reorder based on what sells.
What hair bow colors sell best?
In our shop, white is by far the best-selling solid bow color, followed by red, light pink, black, pink and navy. Your best colors will also depend on the clothing you carry and the schools near your store.
How many hair bow sizes should a boutique carry?
Most boutiques do well with two or three clearly different sizes: a small bow, a classic everyday bow and an oversized or long tail statement bow.
Should a boutique carry clips and headbands?
Yes, if you serve babies through older girls. Headbands work for babies and kids with fine hair, while clips work for ponytails, half-up styles and kids with more hair.
Are seasonal hair bows good products for boutiques?
Yes. Seasonal bows match holiday clothing, give customers a reason to come back and make easy add-on sales, especially when they're displayed next to the matching outfits.
Where can retailers buy The Hair Bow Company bows wholesale?
Our wholesale hair bows, headbands, children's clothing and seasonal accessories are sold through Faire. Start on our wholesale page.