Timberlake tops Epperson's survey
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, February 17, 2002
GREENSBORO, N.C. — For anyone who wonders why furniture looks the way it does, Jerry Epperson has ranked the most influential case goods and upholstery collections of the past 40 years.
The industry analyst, who has been following the industry for three decades, unveiled his first-ever study of styling at the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn. Marketing Division meeting here.
Two years in the making, the study was based on interviews with dozens of current and retired industry designers, marketing officials and other executives. Epperson said he hopes the information can provide insight into the evolution of furniture style and shed light on which styles might be successful in the future.
"Keep in mind, however, that I'm a financial guy trying to talk about fashion and style," he quipped.
To the surprise of few in the audience, he named Lexington's World of Bob Timberlake as the most influential collection of the past 40 years. The survey showed a broad consensus on this choice.
Epperson said he believes one reason Timberlake has been so successful — and so widely copied — is its wide distribution. Lexington's strategy has kept pricing down and made it affordable to a wider range of consumers, he said.
"Smith Young (Lexington's former chairman) would sell it to anybody who had a retail store … and would pay his bills on time," he joked.
Timberlake, which was introduced in 1990, was also named the top collection of the 1990s. Other significant offerings from that decade included leather upholstery from Natuzzi, Thomasville's Ernest Hemingway collection, Henredon's Ralph Lauren collection and Broyhill's Fontana.
Others among the most influential were Ashley's Millennium in the 1980s, Henredon's Scene One collection in the 1970s and La-Z-Boy's Reclina-Rocker in the 1960s. For others, listed in order with the most influential in each decade at the top, see the table at left.
In other remarks at the meeting, Epperson told AFMA members he's still convinced the furniture business will have a sharp uptick in 2002 — largely because interest rates have remained low and housing sales continue to be strong.
"Furniture could be one of the industries leading us out of the recession, instead of one of the laggards," he said. "People have been extending themselves to lock in these great (mortgage) rates, but they're not buying furniture to go with their houses. We believe there's tremendous untapped demand here."
Epperson said, however, that he's still wary about retail, given the wave of high-profile bankruptcies and liquidations in the past two years.
"Retailers are facing tough times amidst dwindling margins," he said. "I am anxious and concerned about the retail situation."
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Case goods sources focus on what works
Apr 28, 2011 -
Century, Timberlake team up
Jan 7, 2011 -
Bob Timberlake and Century Furniture team up in 2011
Dec 22, 2010 -
Lexington Dropping Bob Timberlake Line
Dec 15, 2010
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