This is a personal one. Twenty years ago I took over a German import business that traces back to just after WWII, with exclusive supplier relationships across the old country. I spent two decades bringing it onto the web, building the stores, the wholesale dealer base, and the customer list. It was always a passion project alongside my tech career.

I'm 69 now, and it's time to hand it to someone who wants to run it day to day.

I'm selling it as an asset sale: the brand and trademarks, five sales channels (flagship store, Amazon, Etsy, Faire, plus a retail site), ~12,000 customer and wholesale accounts, hard-to-replace German suppliers, and $100K+ of authentic inventory. Gross revenue runs $200K

I'll be straight. It was never run for profit, so you're buying assets and an established product line, priced accordingly.

• Bidding Deadline: August 31, 2025
• NDA required before additional details are shared
• All offers must be made in writing

Executive Summary:

This is an opportunity to purchase a turnkey operating business with a defined product line, customer base, and distribution strategy. The assets of the business make this a compelling offer at this price range:

Four fully built, operating ecom stores, with reviews and history
Dealer network that generates 60% of our revenues
100K+ in landed and secured inventory
Customer list of 10K with active social media channels
Physical operations for production & shipping
Virual IT, Marketing and Social Media Management

Reason for Sale:
The business owner built the company from the ground up over a period of 20 years. The owner is now 68, ready to retire and focus on family and grandkids.

Growth Opportunity:
The business platform can be leveraged for new products and new markets. The following is the 5x growth strategy for the business. 1) Leverage the existing platform history and stores to expand the offering into new product categories. 2) Grow the product catalog with Amazon, Shopify, and other wholesale marketplaces. 3) Launch on Tiktok and other emerging marketplaces. 4) Move to an FBA model with Amazon

The History:

The history of Martin Meyer Imports (later known as Meyer Imports) is a classic mid-century story of an immigrant artisan bridging European craft traditions with American hobbyists.

The company's journey spans from its roots in Chicago and Elmwood Park, Illinois, to its modern presence as a premier national supplier.

Post-WWII: The Chicago Roots

The company was founded by Martin Meyers, a German immigrant who moved to the United States following World War II. Recognizing that American hobbyists and crafters lacked access to high-quality European craft goods, he started a small-scale import business out of Chicago in the 1950s.
He traveled back to Europe to forge personal relationships with small, family-run multi-generational workshops, primarily in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic.

The Elmwood Park, IL Era

As the business expanded, operations moved out of the city center to the suburban Chicago area of Elmwood Park, Illinois (and surrounding areas like River Forest and Niles).
The Specialty Focus: Under the banner of Martin Meyer Imports, the company established itself as the exclusive North American distributor for highly niche products.

Signature Goods: They became famous for importing authentic German glass glitter (made from real crushed glass, heavily silver-plated to prevent tarnish), natural mica flakes, angel hair (Lametta), and Weltminiaturen (exquisite, highly detailed plastic and pewter miniatures used in model building, holiday displays, and architecture).

Because Martin Meyer secured exclusive rights to these traditional European manufacturing pipelines, the Elmwood Park location became the primary pipeline for high-end boutique craft shops across the entire United States.