AA Importing

What AA Importing does

AA Importing, Inc. (AAI) is a privately held wholesale buying group founded in 1966 in Mentor, Ohio, by Austin Amery. It is the first direct-import buying group for floral wholesalers in the United States. AAI enables its member wholesalers across the U.S. and Canada to import directly from Asian factories by consolidating orders to meet factory minimum purchasing requirements that no single member could meet alone. Products are sourced from factories in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines, and are delivered directly to members' doors within 4-6 months. The company operates with 1-10 employees and a 7,500 sq. ft. showroom.

AAI's product portfolio spans everyday floral hardgoods (containers, glass vases, home decor, stones/shells/acrylic ice, pins and wire, candles and candleholders, casket saddles, liners, pin frogs, tools, buckets, straws/watertubes/cardettes, wedding/party supplies), seasonal Christmas merchandise (berries, vinyl, ornaments, novelties, floral, containers), Fall decorations, and Spring merchandise (bushes and bouquets, stems, holidays, greens/grasses/berries), plus a continuously refreshed New Arrivals catalog. The buying team travels to Asia for 10-12 weeks annually, and biannual shows are held in the Mentor showroom each January (for Christmas/Fall/Halloween) and June (for Valentine's/Easter/Mother's Day/home decor), with additional public sample sales in April and October.

AAI's go-to-market is channel-partner-driven and member-only. The company generates revenue through fees tied to consolidated order transactions rather than direct product resale. Its 45 member wholesale outlets span the U.S. and Canada, including Kennicott Brothers (15 locations), Baisch & Skinner (7), San Diego Florist Supplies (6), Florists Supply Ltd. (5), Mt. Eden Floral (2), Berkeley Florist Supply, GM Floral, and Jacobson Floral Supply. Members are actively engaged in setting AAI's direction under a cooperative governance model. The company has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, no AI/technology stack of note, and no recent M&A activity; it is led day-to-day by President Eric Amery.

Name

AA Importing

Legal name

AA Importing, Inc.

Website

https://aaimporting.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AA Importing is a member-owned wholesale buying group founded in 1966 that consolidates orders from 45 U.S. and Canadian floral wholesalers to enable direct importing from Asian factories, sourcing seasonal and everyday floral hardgoods, Christmas, and home decor merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mentor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wholesale buying group fees: AAI enables wholesale floral members to import directly from Asian factories by consolidating member orders to meet factory minimum purchasing requirements. Members operate 45 wholesale outlets across the U.S. and Canada. The additional margins afforded to wholesalers, combined with exclusive trading areas, generate value for members. AAI members are actively engaged in setting the direction and focus of AAI.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AA Importing is a wholesale buying group that consolidates orders from its member wholesale floral distributors to import everyday floral supplies, seasonal decorations, and home decor directly from factories in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines. Members place orders through AAI, which meets factory minimum purchasing requirements on their behalf, with products shipped directly to members' warehouses typically within 4-6 months. The company also operates a 7,500 sq. ft. showroom in Mentor, Ohio, hosting twice-yearly buying shows in January and June.

Product overview

AA Importing is a wholesale buying group for floral wholesalers, established in 1966 as the first direct import buying group for floral wholesalers in the United States. The company operates a 7,500 sq. ft. showroom in Mentor, Ohio, and sources products from factories in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines. Their product portfolio consists of everyday floral supplies (Containers, Glass, Home Decor, Stones/Shells/Acrylic Ice, Pins & Wire, Candles & Candleholders, Casket Saddles & Foam Trays, Liners, Pin Frogs, Tools, Buckets, Straws/Watertubes/Cardettes, Wedding/Party), seasonal Christmas products (Berries, Vinyl, Ornaments, Novelties, Floral, Containers), Fall decorations, and Spring merchandise (Bushes & Bouquets, Stems, Holidays, Greens/Grasses & Berries). They also maintain a New Arrivals section featuring Home Decor, Light Metal Containers, Dark Metal Containers, Easter items, Pictures & Plates, and Wooden Trays. The company serves 45 wholesale outlets across the U.S. and Canada through member distributors, with buying trips to Asia 2-3 times per year and showroom shows in January and June.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Containers (Everyday)
• Glass Vases and Vessels
• Home Decor (Everyday)
• Stones, Shells, & Acrylic Ice
• Pins & Wire
• Candles & Candleholders
• Casket Saddles & Foam Trays
• Liners
• Pin Frogs
• Tools
• Buckets
• Straws, Watertubes, & Cardettes
• Wedding/Party
• Christmas Berries
• Christmas Vinyl
• Christmas Ornaments
• Christmas Novelties
• Christmas Floral
• Christmas Containers
• Fall Seasonal Decor
• Bushes & Bouquets (Spring)
• Stems (Spring)
• Holidays (Spring)
• Greens, Grasses, & Berries (Spring)
• New Arrivals Home Decor
• Light Metal Containers (New Arrivals)
• Dark Metal Containers (New Arrivals)
• Easter (New Arrivals)
• Pictures & Plates (New Arrivals)

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Society of American Florists (SAF)minorOthersIndustry trade association representing all segments of the U.S. floral industry with 15,000 members including retailers, growers, wholesalers, importers, manufacturers, and suppliers. AAI links to SAF on their industry links page.
• American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD)minorOthersNon-profit organization committed to establishing and maintaining higher standards in professional floral design with over 1,200 members worldwide. AAI links to AIFD on their industry links page.
• Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA)minorOthersBusiness organization providing networking and business opportunities to wholesale distributors and floral suppliers with over 840 member organizations. AAI links to WF&FSA on their industry links page.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kennicott Brothers Co. One of the largest U.S. wholesale floral distributors with 15 locations and an AAI member. Comparable as both a customer of AAI and a direct peer in the wholesale floral distribution market.
• DV Flora: Wholesale floral distributor operating across the U.S. with a wide assortment of fresh flowers, foliages, and floral supplies. Comparable to AAI's member wholesalers as a vertically focused floral distribution competitor.
• Florabundance: Wholesale floral distributor sourcing globally (including from overseas farms) and serving florists, event designers, and DIY customers. Closely comparable to AAI's member distributors in global sourcing model and product breadth.
• Pennock Company: Multi-location wholesale floral distributor serving florists across multiple U.S. states. Comparable to AAI's member wholesalers in product range and B2B floral supply model.
• Mayesh Wholesale Florist: Major U.S. wholesale floral distributor serving florists and event designers nationwide with cut flowers, hard goods, and seasonal decor. Directly comparable to AAI's member wholesalers in product mix and customer base.
• Baisch & Skinner: Wholesale floral distributor operating seven locations across IL, KS, and MO and a long-standing AAI member. Comparable as a multi-outlet floral wholesaler operating within AAI's distribution network.
• Mt. Eden Floral Company: California-based wholesale floral distributor and AAI member serving florists with fresh flowers and floral supplies. Comparable to AAI's member wholesalers in product mix and B2B floral supply model.
• San Diego Florist Supplies: Wholesale floral supply distributor operating six locations across CA and NV and an AAI member. Comparable as a multi-outlet floral wholesaler within AAI's distribution network.
• Florists Supply Ltd. Canadian wholesale floral distributor operating five locations across AB, BC, MB, and SK and an AAI member. Comparable to AAI's member wholesalers as a multi-outlet floral distribution peer in the North American market.

Broad incumbents

• Smithers-Oasis: Global manufacturer of floral foam (Oasis), postharvest products, and floral design supplies sold through wholesale channels. Comparable to AAI's hard-goods categories (liners, foams, tools) but as a manufacturer rather than buying group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aa-importing-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 AA Importing