Maryland
Independent sellers
8,000
Average annual sales
$140,000
Items sold
34 million
Maryland business owner credits Amazon for being seller-centric
Berlin, MD
Gifts Fulfilled
Kim Shanahan, owner of Gifts Fulfilled, said Amazon has made a tangible shift in the last few years to help small businesses, like hers, leverage their own brands in Amazon’s store.
Initially when Shanahan started selling in the Amazon store, listings were rudimentary, she said. “They didn’t tell any of our story,” said Shanahan. “In the last couple of years, I have noticed a real effort on Amazon’s part to help third-party sellers show that they are a brand themselves.”
It’s a seller-centric approach that Shanahan said she sees happening across the board.
“We’re not just a number with Amazon,” she said. “Amazon does have a vested interest in our business.”
Initially when Shanahan started selling in the Amazon store, listings were rudimentary, she said. “They didn’t tell any of our story,” said Shanahan. “In the last couple of years, I have noticed a real effort on Amazon’s part to help third-party sellers show that they are a brand themselves.”
It’s a seller-centric approach that Shanahan said she sees happening across the board.
“We’re not just a number with Amazon,” she said. “Amazon does have a vested interest in our business.”
Every dog has its day
Owings, MD
Brutus Bone Broth
Sisters Kim Hehir and Sue Delegan knew they had something special in their family’s traditional bone broth recipe, which had nursed Delegan’s rescue dog Brutus back to health.
Together, they launched Brutus Bone Broth in 2018, selling in the Amazon store as well in two supermarket chains. The broth was an immediate success, hitting number-one in its category almost immediately.
With the credibility it offered Brutus Bone Broth’s products, Amazon paved the way for the company’s brick-and-mortar success in the years that followed.
Together, they launched Brutus Bone Broth in 2018, selling in the Amazon store as well in two supermarket chains. The broth was an immediate success, hitting number-one in its category almost immediately.
With the credibility it offered Brutus Bone Broth’s products, Amazon paved the way for the company’s brick-and-mortar success in the years that followed.
Perfectly sliced: DC-based garnish company expands with Amazon
Capital Heights, MD
Blue Henry
Adrienne Walker didn’t want to spend the next 15 or 20 years of her life working on presentation slides and spreadsheets. So she left her job with the FDA and took a leap of faith to launch BlueHenry, a thriving business that sells a premium collection of dried fruit garnishes and rimming salts and sugars.
“There is a challenge every day when you’ve got a small business. You need cheerleaders. And Amazon has created a wonderful environment for small business, giving us all the tools we need to succeed,” she said.
With support from Amazon, BlueHenry is now up to 15 employees and is expanding their facilities from 2,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet.
“There is a challenge every day when you’ve got a small business. You need cheerleaders. And Amazon has created a wonderful environment for small business, giving us all the tools we need to succeed,” she said.
With support from Amazon, BlueHenry is now up to 15 employees and is expanding their facilities from 2,000 square feet to 10,000 square feet.
Amazon grant opens door to retail storefront for Smelly Kids Co.
Prince Frederick, MD
Smelly Kids
Take a family of four kids, a baker and a natural-born entrepreneur, and you’ve got the Smelly Kids Company. Parents Andrea and Franklin Thomas—who met back when they were working as chefs—were inspired by their own kids to make natural bath and body products.
The family originally started with three products. Today their collection includes close to 25 products, from lip balm to foaming soap.
With the help of an Amazon grant and the assistance of Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator program, the Thomases aren’t just expanding their ecommerce business—they’ve also been able to move operations from their home to a brick-and-mortar shop.
The family originally started with three products. Today their collection includes close to 25 products, from lip balm to foaming soap.
With the help of an Amazon grant and the assistance of Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator program, the Thomases aren’t just expanding their ecommerce business—they’ve also been able to move operations from their home to a brick-and-mortar shop.