Jerry Cwiklik of Iconeum, a vendor-friendly supplier of religious goods, tells FleaMarketZone that his hottest product is an exclusive line of rosary cards. Rosary beads are among the most popular devotional items for Roman Catholics, but they aren’t very durable. Rosaries come apart. That’s where Iconeum’s unique rosary cards come in. A rosary card is made of plastic, as durable as a credit card, and it fits in a wallet.
Company owner Cwiklik says that at trade shows, it’s not uncommon to hear nuns jokingly refer to the rosary cards as “credit cards to Heaven.” He says that the flea market and swap meet vendors can do very well with his products. “We have a few customers who buy products specifically for flea markets,” he says. “And I tend to tell people, the majority of our products are imported from Europe, so the price point is what it is.”
According to Cwiklik, his prices reflect an extra value that offers vendors an opportunity to stand out in a crowd. “We pay a little more because the quality is much better than what we can get in China,” he says. “You get a quality product that no one else in another booth has.”
Cwiklik is enthusiastic about his rosary cards. “We are exclusive suppliers in the U.S. It is more than just a prayer card. It is a standard credit card size, plastic card that fits in a wallet. It has raised beads on one side of the card, like Braille, and the raised beads form a rosary on the back of the card. So you can use it to pray the Rosary. It’s convenient, inexpensive, very durable, and we have a selection of images.”
There is a minimum order of 500 cards for customized images, but there is no minimum for cards in the standard catalog.
Specializing in Catholic/religious jewelry, Iconeum focuses on two things: Rosaries and religious bracelets. The rosary cards wholesale for $1.65, and the suggested retail price is $3. The company is now selling a discount bundle of bracelets, 120 bracelets for $100.
Iconeum has no required quantity on any particular item, just a minimum size of $100 for the total order, which fits the needs of people selling at flea markets and swap meets. “We let the customer decide what they want to buy,” says Cwiklik. “You can just get one or two of any particular item, We don’t force you to buy a dozen of anything.”
For more information:
Iconeum
P.O. Box 571
Mohegan Lake, N.Y. 10547
Tel.: 800-741-7754
Fax: 914-514-8047
Web site: iconeum.com
E-mail: sales@iconeum.com