When we launched our new online store for petite women, www.forpetitesake.com, I put my “buyer’s hat” back on after a long hiatus. Quite frankly, I wasn’t prepared for how dramatically the wholesale side of the petite business has changed. I was a Petite Buyer for major department stores during the days when manufacturers were jumping on the petite bandwagon right and left. Everybody wanted to cut their merchandise in petite sizes. Now manufacturers are dropping their petite lines like flies. My goal for the online store is to find quality petite clothing at affordable prices, avoiding the lines that department stores carry. I had no idea how difficult this challenge would be. Reality is that the petite market is now dominated by department store lines, the same ones I want to avoid. National chains like Ann Taylor and Talbots produce merchandise under their own label. So small independent clothing manufacturers simply cannot afford to stay in business and compete with the “big boys” anymore. This domino effect has made it very difficult for petite specialty stores to stay in business. I was sad to learn that one of my favorite petite stores, The Petite Boutique in Franklin, Tennessee is closing their doors due to sluggish sales. I know the buying power of petite women is still tremendous and have been shocked at how many manufacturers no longer cut petite sizes. On a bright note, we have discovered some great new lines out of Canada (Lana Lee, Jag, Softworks) where they have a very developed petite business. So I am reaching out to all of my readers. I could use your help finding unique petite clothing lines with a great fit. Send me the name of your favorite brands, preferably not the lines found in major department stores. Your input is welcome and very much appreciated.