What if you could pay your acupuncture clinic rent with retail sales?

For a long time, I didn’t give much thought to selling retail products in my acupuncture clinic.

Not because I’m against it — but because I felt like I didn’t really know what I was doing. I wasn’t sure what to stock, I wasn’t sure if anyone would actually be interested, and I definitely didn’t want patients to feel pressured to buy anything.

Honestly, I was worried I’d spend money, do it wrong, and end up stuck with a bunch of products I had no use for… and no way to get my money back.

But last year, I decided to try something new.

And to my surprise, it turned into one of the easiest ways I’ve added extra revenue to my clinic — without adding more appointments or burning out me and my team.

Last year my acupuncture clinic brought in just over $4,000 in retail sales — without any “selling” or turning our front desk into a gift shop.

Here’s what I did, what worked, and why I think more acupuncture clinics should consider adding retail (even if you’re not a “salesy” person… I totally get that).

How I Got the Idea to Try Retail in the First Place

I was introduced to Faire Wholesale by two fellow acupuncturists — Tori and Marla, the founders of TOMA Skincare.

You may recall I’ve interviewed them a few times on the Acupuncture Marketing School podcast about their massively successful acupuncture clinics and their clean skincare brand, TOMA.

They casually mentioned something in one of those podcast episodes that completely stopped me in my tracks:

They said they could pay their clinic rent with their retail income.

And I remember thinking…

Now THAT is something I’m interested in.

As acupuncturists, we usually think that the way to make more money is to treat more patients. So hearing that retail sales could potentially cover a major monthly expense felt like a breath of fresh air.

I knew immediately that this was something I wanted to experiment with.

And while I didn’t hit that milestone this year, I can easily see that happening within the next year or two.

In that episode, Tori and Marla mentioned that they use Faire.com to purchase most of their retail products, so I started doing some research.

And Faire felt like a no-brainer place to start because the risk was so low.

Their terms for new buyers are incredibly fair (refund policy, payment terms, etc. — more on this below), and it felt like a safe way to dip my toe into wholesale without making a huge investment upfront.

Because as I mentioned earlier, I’ve always been worried about buying a bunch of stuff and then getting it wrong — choosing products patients don’t actually want. So I wanted to avoid that at all costs while I learned what worked and what didn’t.

Why I Like Selling Retail Products in Our Acupuncture Clinic

At first, my goal was simple: I wanted to see if I could ever make enough retail income to cover our rent.

So yes — initially, it was about adding revenue to the clinic without seeing more patients.

I wanted to increase the average checkout total per visit.

But once we got started, I realized there are quite a few reasons I actually love selling retail at our office.

1. Sell what you already recommend, and make it easy for patients to follow through

If you regularly recommend something that requires a purchase — like journaling for anxiety patients — it makes sense to actually offer journals and nice pens in your office.

When you make it easy for patients to follow through, they’re more likely to do it… and they often get better results.

Plus, you take one more task off their mental list (“buy a journal”) because you’ve provided it right there.

2. Offer unique, giftable items that match your clinic atmosphere and values

I wanted our retail shelves to feel intentional — just like our brand and just like our reception area — not like a random collection of stuff you could find on Amazon.

With Faire, you can filter for products based on your values and priorities, like:

• Minority-owned businesses

• Women-owned businesses

• Eco-friendly brands

• Products not sold on Amazon

• Made in the USA

• Handmade

That made it easier to stock items that actually feel good to sell and aligned with our brand.

3. Make your clinic feel more complete and polished

I was surprised by this, but retail adds a “boutique wellness clinic” feel that elevates our reception area.

Even small things like notebooks, nice pens, thoughtful gifts, or a few beautiful self-care items can make your office feel more special and memorable.

4. Boost revenue without adding more appointments

Yes, there is a little hands-on time involved (unboxing, pricing, arranging things on shelves), but it’s minimal. And once that’s done, you’re set for a while until you place another order.

And if you’re someone who enjoys a little creative organizing (like me), it can actually be a fun brain break during a busy clinic day.

5. Encourage patients to shop local

This one is huge.

Many of our patients genuinely want to support local businesses — and if you carry products made by small makers and artists, it becomes an easy way for them to do that.

And I can’t stress this enough: patients will love supporting YOU in this new way.

6. Create easy social media content

Retail also gives you a really good reason to post online more often.

You can literally snap a quick video of one product each week and post it on your Instagram Story. It draws attention to your account, drives interest in your location, makes people curious about what you do, and gets you out there in a new way — in front of new people.

Retail is smart marketing, and it has made a bigger difference for us than I expected.

The $4,000 Number (and Why It Matters)

In 2025, our clinic made $4,043.93 total in retail sales.

(This includes sales tax.)

But here’s what really matters:

This retail income was additional revenue on top of treatments.

It primarily came from patients purchasing during checkout.

It didn’t add a lot of work on top of what we are already doing.

And it didn’t require me or my associate acupuncturists to “sell” anything.

We simply let people browse while they’re waiting for their appointment, and then they can add something to their total while they’re checking out.

I don’t ask my associate acupuncturists to use any sales pitch like, “Do you need to buy any gifts today?” — no thanks. We just let it happen naturally.

It was simply an add-on revenue stream that happened while patients were already coming in.

Here’s a surprising breakdown:

On average, this added about $3 per patient visit.

That might not sound like much… until you realize how quickly it adds up over time.

If you see hundreds (or thousands) of patient visits per year, even a small amount of retail income per visit becomes meaningful.

Our busiest retail months

Our biggest retail months were:

• July (during our cosmetic acupuncture sale)

• December (holiday shopping season)

And interestingly, I assumed our biggest retail sales day would be our Holiday Open House…

…but retail sales were actually consistently high throughout the entire month of December, as people shopped before and after their treatments.

Our best-selling product from Faire (this shocked me)

Our top-selling Faire product was something I did NOT expect:

Magnetic bookmarks (specifically these cat and dog themed ones) by Coastal Creators Connecticut.

They’re adorable, yes — but they’re also:

• Made and designed in the USA

• Only $4 each

• Easy to impulse purchase

• A perfect small gift item

They fly off the shelves.

Why We Chose Faire Wholesale

There are a lot of ways to source retail products, but Faire makes it incredibly easy.

Here’s why we love it:

1. Easy sorting and filtering

Faire makes it simple to browse by category, like:

• bestsellers

• stationery

• jewelry

• candles

• skincare

• wellness products

And as I mentioned earlier, their filters are outstanding. You can filter by:

• “Not sold on Amazon”

• Women-owned

• Minority-owned

• Made in the USA

• Eco-friendly

• Organic

• Handmade

That makes it easy to find brands that feel aligned with your values and your clinic.

2. Boutique brands that actually fit a wellness practice

So many products on Faire feel like they belong in a high-end spa or boutique wellness clinic — which is exactly the vibe we want… but at reasonable price points that our patients can actually afford.

3. Low minimums (and a very low-risk first order)

This is a BIG one.

Faire also has an option where you can return unsold items from your first order with a brand for a refund (more on that here). This makes dipping your toe into retail feel incredibly low-risk.

They also offer something called net 60 payment terms, which means you have the option to buy retail inventory and pay for it 60 days later, without interest. There is no fee.

The idea is that by then, the products will have hopefully paid for themselves (and more than that), so you’re not paying for inventory out of pocket before it has a chance to sell.

That’s huge. It makes experimenting feel safe.

4. Plus a special offer code to make it even more low risk

Use my code AMS10 to save an extra 10% on your first order if you order more than $400.

5. Better margins than random retail sourcing

Faire makes it possible to price items properly and still have a solid margin.

Want to Try Faire?

If you’re curious and want to see how much revenue retail could add at your office in 2026, click here to get started on Faire.

What We Look for When Choosing Products to Sell

Our retail shelves are small because our reception area is small, so I’m picky.

We look for products that are:

• Unique items not sold in nearby local stores

• Irresistible and giftable (especially cat and dog themed items, funny gifts, and coffee-themed products seem to sell well)

• Professional-looking packaging (not something that feels homemade or like your neighbor could make it)

• Mostly under $15 (impulse-friendly price point)

• A wide range of price points, from $3 to $50

• Seasonal and giftable, especially around the holidays

• Low-risk purchases that feel like an easy “yes” for patients

We lean heavily into retail from Thanksgiving through late December, and we feature products more often on Instagram, Facebook, and in our email newsletter during that season.

What Helped Us Sell (Without Feeling Salesy)

Here are my best tips for selling more retail without making any sales pitches in your office:

1. Placement matters

Our reception area is small, and there isn’t space on the front desk for products.

So instead, we set up two bookshelves near the waiting chairs, facing the chairs.

Which means the retail shelves are basically the only thing patients look at while they’re waiting.

No pressure. No “selling.” Just visibility.

2. Simple signage

Thanks to my business mentor Ildi, we created a sign that says something like:

“Need a gift for… your dog walker? babysitter? yoga teacher? your kids’ teachers? a birthday?”

It instantly gets people thinking about upcoming events, occasions, and people they might need a small gift for.

3. Easy checkout

All our retail products are loaded into our Jane inventory, so it’s easy to add an item to a patient’s checkout total when they’re paying for their treatment.

4. Seasonal displays and seasonal reminders

We do small seasonal refreshes, and we remind people about new products and gift ideas around the holidays through our email newsletter.

Nothing aggressive — just gentle visibility.

My Best Advice If You Want to Start Selling Retail

If you’re thinking about adding retail to your acupuncture clinic, here’s my biggest advice:

Start simple.

You don’t need a full boutique display to get results.

Here’s what I recommend:

• Start with 3–5 products

• Think about your patients and what they’d genuinely be interested in (Are they dog people? Cat people? Snarky humor? Elegant and minimal?)

• Return what doesn’t sell in your first order and reorder what sells

• Rearrange your reception area if needed once you get a feel for what gets products in front of people

• Track your best sellers and profit margin for each item

• Adjust as you grow

Retail is not about having more stuff.

It’s about having the right stuff.

Want to Try Faire for Your Own Clinic?

If you want to add retail to your acupuncture clinic in a way that’s low-investment and simple, I think Faire is the way to go.

Here’s my link to try it and you can use code AMS10 to get 10% if your first order is $400 or more.

Final Thoughts

Retail can be an easy and fun way to add income to your clinic.

And there doesn’t have to be a big sales push or script to get people to buy things — just set it out, let them browse, and the products do the rest.

Plus, it can genuinely be a fun treat for your patients. They get to support you, feel good about shopping local, find thoughtful gifts, and discover products they might not come across otherwise.

And even “just a few thousand dollars a year” adds up quickly.

If you want to grow your acupuncture clinic without adding more appointments, retail is one of the most realistic, low-burnout ways to do it.

In my next post, I’ll share links to the exact products from Faire that sell the best in our clinic.