Shop Buyer

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is hiring a Buyer 

Are you an experienced retail buyer, skilled at fostering vendor relationships, excited about inspiring meaningful connections among people and nature in one of the most beautiful settings in Maine, and committed to supporting the Gardens' Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility goals?  

This is a Year-round, Full-time, benefit eligible position.  

$60,000 – 65,000 salaried, exempt 

The Gardenshop Buyer looks for opportunities to articulate messages from our horticultural, educational, and plant science initiatives through retail product and merchandising. They source new goods and form relationships with local and global makers, assisting in the design and production of custom product. They manage the financial resources of the shop skillfully, using sales metrics to keep the right products flowing through the shop at the correct rate. This effort results in a retail experience that enriches a guest's visit while generating meaningful financial support for the Gardens and our community.     

This position has an administrative schedule of 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. Additional time may be needed outside these hours, sometimes for sales floor coverage, and especially during Gardens Aglow, which requires additional flexibility.   

Primary Functions:

• Identify opportunities to advance the work of the Gardens while being mindful of our values and mission through retail merchandising and partnerships with local makers and other stakeholders.  
• Curate a collection of merchandise that is profitable, supports educational messages from our programming, and speaks directly to the experience of being at the Gardens.  
• Provide a key point of contact for local and global makers; assist in developing and producing custom product and facilitating opening orders from small businesses.  
• Ensure the sustainability of Gardenshop's work by establishing and maintaining a system of documented standard operating principles and procedures that are scalable and repeatable.  
• Demonstrate excellent financial stewardship, maximizing profits and minimizing costs, utilizing an open-to-buy system, tracking metrics via a POS system, seeking the best terms and margins with vendors, reacting swiftly to upward or downward trends, remaining agile in an ever-changing landscape.  
• Participate in Gardens-wide initiatives including Gardens Aglow assignments. 

Physical Requirements:

Despite having a strong administrative component requiring time at a desk, this can be an active job as some handling of merchandise is necessary and every team member helps on the sales floor when needed-sometimes up to eight hours of standing, walking, kneeling, squatting, bending, and reaching up. This job requires standard visual acuity and the ability to operate a PC with or without accommodation.   

Application review will begin January 8, 2026.

• Three years or equivalent work history in a retail environment with experience of both the mechanics and philosophy of retail buying.  
• Sourcing experience or proven related abilities necessary, including skills in collaboration and negotiation.  
• Some product design or production management work preferred; coursework or experience bringing an idea to market is helpful.  
• The ability to learn new technology and a working knowledge of the MS Office Suite, particularly Word and Excel.  
• Commitment to working across the organization to support the integration of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility principles into the Gardens' internal operations and its relationships with visitors and guests. 

Salary : $60,000 - $65,000