What Darice does

Darice is a privately held wholesale distributor and manufacturer serving the craft, hobby, party, and educational-supplies industry. Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Strongsville, Ohio (with additional operations referenced in Hammonton, New Jersey), the company operates a 251-500 employee organization that distributes a broad catalog of physical consumer goods across seven product categories: Arts & Crafts (beads, jewelry-making supplies, DIY décor, scrapbooking), School Essentials, Fun & Games (including the Playmags magnetic building-tile sub-brand), Outdoors (bubble products, sidewalk chalk, water toys), Party Decor, Hobbies (karaoke machines, digital cameras), and Household Items (cash boxes, storage, organizers). Its technology stack is a standard Wix-hosted e-commerce storefront supplemented by third-party marketplace listings on Faire.com, with no disclosed proprietary platform, API, or AI/ML capabilities.

The company operates a pure wholesale-and-distribution revenue model, selling physical goods at unit prices ranging from $1.99 to $59.99, with most party-favor SKUs standardized at $10.00 and bulk quantities available for B2B buyers. Pricing is unit-based with no subscription or recurring contract structure disclosed, and the revenue stream is classified as product/hardware sales. Darice's go-to-market is B2B-wholesale-first, with direct website ordering for business buyers and secondary reach through consumer-direct and educational-institution channels; marketing is concentrated on organic social (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) plus the company storefront.

Customer segmentation is horizontal: the primary segment is independent wholesale retailers (craft stores, party supply stores, toy stores, general merchandise resellers), with secondary segments in educational institutions and end consumers reached through those retailers. No named anchor customers, no disclosed top-customer concentration, and no investor or ownership structure information are available in the source data, and the company operates exclusively within the United States. Strategic activity disclosed is limited to channel diversification (Faire.com), sub-brand development (Playmags), and catalog breadth expansion across adjacent consumer-goods categories.

Name

Darice

Legal name

Darice Inc.

Website

https://darice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Darice is a privately held, 70-year-old U.S. wholesale distributor and manufacturer of craft supplies, toys, party favors, school essentials, and household items, selling in bulk to independent retailers through its own website and the Faire.com marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Strongsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sale of physical consumer goods including craft supplies, toys, party favors, household items, and school essentials. Products sold in bulk quantities to wholesale customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Darice is a wholesale distributor and manufacturer of arts, crafts, hobby, toy, school, party, and household products, supplying retailers and resellers through its own e-commerce site and third-party wholesale marketplaces. Its core assortment spans DIY craft materials, beads, fabrics, seasonal décor, outdoor and games products, and proprietary brands such as Playmags magnetic building tiles.

Product overview

Darice operates as a wholesale craft and hobby products distributor offering a diverse portfolio across seven main product categories: Arts & Crafts (beads, jewelry-making supplies, DIY home décor, scrapbooking), School Essentials (craft sticks, sheet protectors, folders, planners), Fun & Games (board games, puzzles, Playmags magnetic building toys, card games), Outdoors (bubble toys, bubble solutions, bubble machines, sidewalk chalk, water toys), Party Decor (novelties and party supplies), Hobbies (karaoke machines, digital cameras, instant cameras, toys), and Household Items (cash boxes, safes, battery organizers, plastic storage jars). The company sells primarily to wholesale buyers through their website and direct sales channel. Products are typically sold in multi-packs at wholesale price points ranging from under $5 to approximately $60.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Playmags: Magnetic building tile sets for children including Square Set, Jumbo Cubies, Safari Set, Funtiles, and Motorized Car Set

Products and services

• Arts & Crafts Supplies

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Oriental Trading: Wholesale and direct supplier of party supplies, novelties, toys, and craft items to businesses, schools, and consumers. Highly comparable to Darice's party decor, outdoor, and bulk-value product categories via multi-channel B2B and B2C distribution.
• CreateForLess: Online-focused discount craft supply retailer selling to small businesses, schools, and consumers. Overlaps with Darice's arts & crafts, school essentials, and direct-consumer sales via a comparable web/wholesale distribution model.
• FloraCraft: Manufacturer and distributor of craft and floral foam products sold through wholesale and retail channels across North America. Comparable to Darice's wholesale-plus-manufacturer model with overlapping craft and hobby retail customers.
• Walnut Hollow: Manufacturer and wholesale supplier of wood craft surfaces, painting accessories, and creative DIY kits sold through craft and hobby retailers. Directly comparable to Darice in craft wholesale distribution serving the same independent and chain retailer base.
• ConsumerCrafts: Online wholesale craft supply distributor serving small retailers and resellers. Direct competitor to Darice in bulk craft distribution, overlapping in beads, general arts and crafts, and hobby categories with a similar B2B website model.
• Fairfield Processing: Manufacturer and supplier of batting, stuffing, felt, and fiber-based craft materials distributed to retail and craft brands. Comparable to Darice in craft raw-materials manufacturing and wholesale distribution, particularly in sewing/needlework and home décor categories.
• Plaid Enterprises (PLAID Crafts): Manufacturer and wholesale distributor of craft paints, finishes, and DIY project supplies to retailers. Closely comparable to Darice's craft distribution + manufacturing hybrid with strong category overlap in DIY and hobby arts materials.

Broad incumbents

• Hobby Lobby: Large US chain retailer of crafts, hobbies, home décor, and party supplies. Overlaps Darice across most categories at the retail shelf level and competes for end-consumer spend that ultimately flows back through wholesale supply dynamics.
• JOANN: Major US specialty fabric and craft retailer serving both consumers and small businesses. Competitor in craft and sewing categories; Darice may supply JOANN's assortment, and JOANN's restructuring events have direct read-through to wholesale craft category demand.
• Michaels Companies: The largest US specialty retailer of arts, crafts, framing, and hobby supplies. While Darice is a wholesale supplier and Michaels is a national retailer, their category overlap is high; Michaels is also a customer/buyer of Darice's wholesale supply assortment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/darice-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/wix
• Facebookfacebook.com/Darice.Crafts
• TikToktiktok.com/@wix
• Xx.com/Darice_Crafts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Darice