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Tupelo Furniture Market set for Saturday start

Officials hope tough climate will draw buyers

Marc Barnes -- Furniture Today, January 21, 2009

This two-tone sectional with pillow accents is among the introductions that Affordable Furniture Mfg. is planning for the Tupelo market.

TUPELO, Miss. — One bright spot for furniture in today's tough business climate may be promotional items, which will be served up starting Saturday at the Tupelo Furniture Market, just in time for consumers to take their Christmas gift money and tax refunds to furniture stores.

Whether an infusion of new cash, coupled with pent-up demand, will result in actual increased sales is anyone's guess, but production is ramping up in some quarters - and there is, among some executives, the beginning stages of optimism. Promotional merchandise, many are saying, will do well because that's what customers can afford right now.

Registration numbers for Tupelo might reflect that appetite. Market officials said last week that the total was already up from the last show in August, and that they expect many major retailers at the Saturday opening.

Jim Sneed, CEO at upholstery source Affordable Furniture Mfg., said production fell off a cliff in October amid bad economic news. But then, beginning in November, Affordable's orders started climbing. Sneed said the plant is now once again "running wide open with the horn blowing."

"I don't know if everyone has been too thin on inventory levels and they've woken up or not," he said. "We've been inundated with orders. It has really picked up, and we cannot complain."

For Tupelo, Sneed is planning to show some updated covers, along with a specially priced, two-tone fabric group that includes a sofa, love seat and sectional with a cocktail ottoman.

Craig Steinweg, vice president of sales for the eastern region for Perdue Woodworks, said that his company is doing relatively well right now. U.S.-made lines that can demonstrate value have strong appeal with today's budget-conscious consumers, he said.

"I am fortunate that we do one thing and we do one thing right and that is bedroom," said Steinweg.

Perdue is bringing two new bedrooms to Tupelo. Stone Manor, which will retail for about $1,000, features a mix of slate stone and light oak and is designed to tap the growing popularity of mixed media in casual dining.
The other introduction is a sports-themed, traditionally styled youth group with 13 pieces, starting at $99 retail.
Steinweg said that from a business standpoint, Perdue is doing well, using a model of experienced craftsmen and made-to-order goods, delivered in 21 days, using its own trucks.

"We have father-and-son teams on benches making these (products) one at a time, in an area where the cost of raw materials is low because (South Dakota) is where it comes from," said Steinweg.

Tonya Hamil, marketing administrator at Ultimate Accents, said her company is bringing 50 new pieces to Tupelo, at retail price points from $399 to $1,500.

Among them will be a lingerie chest that's shaped like a woman's body, dubbed Bling Marilyn, which features vertical stripes in black and gray. Other introductions include a console table with cottage styling, featuring Queen Anne legs and a scalloped apron on all sides; a black chair accented with silver nailheads; and Contempo, a large, gold-finished end table with an antique mirrored glass top, cabriole legs and bow apron.
Hamil predicted that eye-catching accent pieces will be in demand.

"I definitely think that (consumers) will look for accent pieces," said Hamil. "They will put a little (accent) piece in their home to add to what they have, because the economy is the way it is right now."

Don Spivey, vice president of sales at Rose Hill, said his company will feature two specially priced sofa-love seat combinations retailing for $699 and $599.

In addition, Rose Hill is showcasing 15 new frames, including the Coastal collection of sectionals, sofas, love seats and sleepers in bright colors and traditional styling.

Spivey said that Rose Hill has some advantages in the marketplace, including its ability to offer just-in-time manufacturing to retailers, which effectively cuts inventory costs.

"I am really optimistic," he said. "This market is coming at the right time, being after Christmas. People may have gotten cash for Christmas, and I think retail is going to pick up, and that helps us tremendously."

Keith Jackson, senior vice president of marketing for Jackson Furniture/Catnapper, said that the consumers who are in a position to buy right now are mostly young people, many of whom want comfortable, contemporary furniture that they can enjoy sooner rather than later.

To target this market, Jackson is emphasizing clean lines, vivid colors and comfort in the sofas, loveseats, sectionals and tables it is taking to Tupelo.

"We build to stock and ship quick, which is different from a lot of the upper price-point guys," said Jackson. "If people have to wait, they might not buy in this economy."

Don Hunter, senior vice president of major accounts for Catnapper, said the company will show two new recliners and two new motion groups, one in casual contemporary leather to retail at $899 and a transitional model to retail at $799.

The two recliners will be a chair-and-a-half in velvet and a Pow'r Lounger in leather, both of which will sell for $499 retail.

Harden Mfg. is bringing three to five new domestic groups and two new import groups to Tupelo, said Lee Scott, vice president of sales. The new domestic lines will include a tried-and-true black Louis Philippe bedroom and a white youth group; and some more unusual designs, including a youth group in camouflage. Retails will range from $399 to $799.

The import line will include a transitional cherry group, which will retail for $1,299.

"Everybody is trying to migrate to lower price points," said Scott. "With our domestic Louis Philippe, we've been able to hit the container price points."

And that, Scott said, gives Harden Mfg. an advantage. The retailer receives domestic product quicker than the container, but at a similar price. This enables retailers to better manage inventory and keep costs lower, he said.

Chad Blaha, sales manager for Crown Mark, said he's bringing six new bedrooms, including a Louis Philippe group in black and a traditional group in mango wood with a cinnamon finish. Crown Mark also is featuring two solid-wood bedroom groups from Indonesia in a tobacco finish, sleigh beds with bycast leather treatments, and a larger-scale Louis Philippe model with curved footboards and hidden drawers.

"Bedrooms are where we are seeing a ton of growth right now and that is where we want to capitalize," said Blaha.

At Brooks Furniture, Director of Marketing Chris Brooks said his company will show the Walnut Grove collection, consisting of a medium oak finished table and high-back chair, priced at $1,399 retail for a five-piece set.

"The table includes such features as a catalytic finish, self-storing leaves, buttons on the bottom of the legs to prevent scarring and sealed inner edges to prevent warping," Brooks said.

At Tennessee Enterprises, Sales Manager Glenn Moody said he is offering two new casual dining sets, which will retail at $399 for five pieces and $299 for three pieces. The sets will be in a medium oak finish; the chairs are bowbacks with squared legs, similar to a Windsor style.

"These are a good buy," said Moody. "You can use these as a drawing card to try to drum up some business."
He added that even though business at last year's Tupelo markets was down, those who did attend came ready to buy.

"I feel like if people are there, it will be OK," said Moody. "With business like it is, we have to prepare for it and be ready for it. You have to be, because for the people who are there, it would not be fair to them not to be ready."

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