Sullivans USA

What Sullivans USA does

Sullivans USA, Inc. is an Illinois-incorporated wholesale manufacturer of sewing and quilting notions, founded in 1992 and headquartered at 4341 Middaugh Avenue, Downers Grove, Illinois. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian parent M.T. Sullivan & Co. (Brisbane, established 1972), which employs roughly 700 people globally across operations in Australia, New Zealand, Holland, Germany, China, and the United States, and which claims up to 70% of Australian retail notions business.

Sullivans USA's product catalog spans hobby tables, embroidery floss, specialty yarns, sewing and ball-tip needles, cutting mats and rulers, aerosols and adhesives (including its "Original" quilt basting spray made in the USA), and accessories under sub-brands Sassy Notions and The Cutting EDGE. The company holds a registered trademark on the Easy Guide Ball-Tip Needle and proprietary RelaxTwist manufacturing technology for double-mercerized cotton floss. Recent product launches in 2023 added the Deluxe Cutting Table and Pro-Stitch Sewing Table to the hobby-table line.

The business model is wholesale-only B2B: products are sold exclusively to verified wholesale accounts with resale certificates via a gated login portal (sullivansusa.net), toll-free sales (800-862-8586), and through national wholesale distributors (Notions Marketing, Checker Distributors) and major fabric retail chains (JoAnn Fabrics), with secondary visibility on Amazon, Walmart.com, and MyNotions.com. The company supplies proprietary products to major sewing-machine OEMs and runs private-label programs for large distributors. There are no direct consumer sales, no public pricing, and no public revenue disclosure. The company reports 11-50 employees in the US.

Name

Sullivans USA

Legal name

Sullivans USA, Inc.

Website

https://sullivansusa.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sullivans USA, founded in 1992 and based in Downers Grove, Illinois, is a wholesale-only manufacturer of sewing and quilting notions — including hobby tables, embroidery floss, needles, specialty yarns, cutting tools, and adhesives — selling exclusively to independent retail stores, national notions distributors, sewing-machine OEMs, and major fabric chains such as JoAnn Fabrics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sewing and Quilting Notions

NAICS

Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers (4243)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Notions & Sewing Accessories Retail (Thread, Needles, Zippers, Buttons) (CRALADAG)

Keywords

• Sewing notions wholesale
• Quilting supplies manufacturing
• Embroidery floss products
• Hobby craft tables
• Craft tools distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Hobby Tables: Manufacture and wholesale distribution of hobby/craft tables including folding sewing tables, adjustable height tables, quilting tables, and ironing centers. Sold exclusively to wholesale accounts at discounted bulk rates.
2. Sewing Notions - Thread & Floss: Sale of embroidery thread, six-strand floss, metallic floss, pearl cotton, and machine embroidery thread. Premium products made with RelaxTwist technology.
3. Sewing Accessories - Needles & Pins: Hand needles, machine needles, ball-tip needles, quilting pins, glass head pins, and specialty needles for various crafting applications.
4. Specialty Yarns: Various specialty yarns including Adora, Comfy, Elicia Ruffle, Fiore, La Vita Twin Track, Luce, and Nooodles cotton t-shirt yarn.
5. Aerosols & Adhesives: Quilt basting spray (QBS 'The Original'), fabric stabilizer, adhesive sprays, and silicone spray products. QBS proudly made in USA.
6. Private Label Programs: Custom private label programs for large volume distributors, supplying sewing notions under distributor brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sullivans USA is a full-line wholesale manufacturer of sewing and quilting supplies, founded in 1992. The company produces and distributes hobby tables, embroidery floss, specialty threads, hand and machine needles, cutting mats, rulers, specialty yarns, and aerosols/adhesives to independent retail stores, national notions distributors, and sewing machine OEMs. All sales are wholesale-only through registered accounts with valid resale certificates, with private label programs available for large volume distributors.

Product overview

Sullivans USA is a full-line manufacturer of innovative sewing and quilting supplies since 1992, operating as a wholesale-only supplier to independent retail stores and national distributors. The product portfolio centers on hobby tables (including Home Hobby Table, Adjustable Home Hobby Table, Portable Sewing Table, Folding Sewing Table, Quilter's Design Table, Quilt & Sew Add-A-Table, Sew and Go Table, Ironing Center, Pro-Stitch Sewing Table, Deluxe Cutting Table, and Adjustable Add-A-Table), complemented by cutting accessories (Cutting Mats, The Cutting EDGE Rulers, BetterBoard), embroidery products (Six-Strand Embroidery Floss, Easy Guide Ball-Tip Needles), Sassy Notions tools (rotary cutters, pin holders, seam rippers), Specialty Yarns, Aerosols & Adhesives (including Quilt Basting Spray), and general sewing notions. The company provides private label programs for distributors and supplies major fabric chains and sewing machine manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sassy Notions: A brand of specialty notions including rotary cutters, magnetic pin holders, multi-mark pencils, seam rippers, tape measures, and totes.
• The Cutting EDGE

Products and services

• Hobby Tables product line

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• M.T. Sullivan & Co.coreOthers · 1 January 1972Parent company established in 1972 in Brisbane, Australia. Manufacturer of sewing notions and home decor products controlling up to 70% of retail notions business. 700 employees worldwide. Global headquarters for Sullivans USA, Sullivans Enterprise Ltd. NZ, with additional locations in New Zealand, Holland, Germany, China, and United States.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Notions Marketing: National wholesale distributor of sewing notions. Functions as a primary customer/distribution partner for Sullivans rather than a competitor, representing a key channel relationship.
• Checker Distributors: Wholesale distributor serving independent sewing and quilting retailers. Acts as a major Sullivans distribution partner; comparable business model around notions wholesaling.

Direct peers

• Coats & Clark: Global thread and sewing notions manufacturer (Coats, Clark, Dual Duty). Direct peer to Sullivans in the wholesale thread/floss/needle categories, serving the same independent retail and distributor channel.
• Dritz (Prym Group): Leading US sewing notions brand owned by Prym Group, offering pins, needles, marking tools, and sewing aids. Closely overlaps Sullivans' notions, pin, and accessory assortment for independent retailers and distributors.
• Clover Needlecraft: Japanese-origin manufacturer of specialty sewing, quilting, and needlework tools. Comparable to Sullivans' higher-end hobby tools (knitting needles, specialty scissors, marking tools) distributed through the same craft retail channel.
• Olfa: Manufacturer of rotary cutters and cutting mats sold through sewing/craft wholesalers. Directly competes with Sullivans' Cutting EDGE rulers and Home Hobby Table Cutting Mat lines for the same craft retail customers.
• Madeira USA: Manufacturer of embroidery thread, floss, and specialty yarns. Direct competitor to Sullivans' RelaxTwist six-strand floss and specialty thread lines in the wholesale notions channel.
• We R Memory Keepers: Designer and manufacturer of paper crafting, quilting, and DIY tools. Comparable to Sullivans' specialty crafting tools category, serving the same independent retail and wholesale notions distributor channels.
• Simplicity Creative Group: Pattern and sewing notion brand. Comparable to Sullivans in supplying independent fabric/craft retailers with sewing supplies, including notions and accessories.

Broad incumbents

• Fiskars: Large consumer and craft cutting tools brand with craft scissors, rotary cutters, and cutting mats. Overlaps Sullivans' cutting tool assortment but operates at much broader scale across multiple categories beyond sewing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SullivansUSA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SullivansUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SullivansUSA
• Instagraminstagram.com/sullivansusa
• Pinterestpinterest.com/sullivansusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sullivans-usa-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Sullivans USA