HIGH POINT — Grandfather clocks are moving into the occasional furniture arena as companies add storage space to new designs.
Floor clocks can take on a curio look with glass or wooden shelves behind a door. Some offer hidden storage.
The idea isn't new, but interest in such wrinkles was strong at the October market.
A good niche
Ridgeway Clocks, a division of Pulaski Furniture, has been offering "clock curios" for some 13 years, said Paul Hoffman, Ridgeway's general manager. It has been a good niche for Ridgeway, he said, and the company has fared well this year.
All of Ridgeway's domestically made clocks are lit, said Hoffman, even those at promotional price points. The company has nine traditional, mechanical clock curios made domestically, plus 13 clocks with quartz movement and storage space underneath, mostly imports. Omitting the pendulum allows more space for storage. All the imports have hand-painted solid doors with hidden storage.
Ridgeway hits retail price points from $600 to $2,500, Hoffman said, and most are ready to ship. But demand has been so strong recently that plants are working hard to keep up, he said.
"We've done well with curio clocks with visible display," said Page Wilson, Pulaski's vice president of sales. "Hand-painted clocks with cabinet-type storage have sold very well for us."
Wilson said Pulaski was surprised by the success of its line and Ridgeway's products at the fall market.
Howard Miller's curio styles also have performed well. A piece called Eternity was added to the line before the October market, featuring three glass shelves with cutouts to allow for the cable-driven Kieninger movement. Overhead lighting illuminates collectibles and the brass pendulum. The company found success with a similar style at the April market, and Eternity drew a lot of traffic in October, said Larry Elliot, Eastern division manager.
Hooker joined the category at the October market with a hand-painted grandfather clock in a popular collection. "Seven Seas is all about occasional furniture, and this clock is an occasional piece," said Kim Shaver, Hooker director of communications. "We see this as new business for us," noting retailers bought existing Hooker products and added the clock.
The Seven Seas clock and other models new this fall feature glass and adjustable wood shelves. One has an hourglass shape, while another has a traditional look with an arch crown pediment and raised-panel door.
Hooker is looking to hit lower price points between $699 to $799. "We wanted to bring the hand-painted European look and feel into a functional piece of furniture at a great value," said Shaver. The clocks will hit retail floors in early March.
Steady storage market
Storage clocks are popular at Hentschel Clock, the largest grandfather clock maker in Canada. Its Camelot curio clock comes in solid ash or cherry with a gently arched bonnet top and footed base. It has six glass shelves and a two-piece mirror with twin overhead lights, and retails around $3,000.
"It's often a special-order item," said George Messer, vice president of sales. "It doesn't outsell our top models, but it has a steady market."
He said Camelot is wider than other clocks because of its angled sides. The three glass shelves on each side are triangular, with the pendulum swinging in the middle.
Hentschel has introduced a value-priced line called Forest Hills that retails in the $800 to $900 range. The models use a quartz chiming movement, with glass shelves behind a glass door.
| This curio clock from Hooker shows how a Quartz movement frees up space where the pendulum normally would swing. The piece features a carved pediment, glass door and glass shelves with overhead lighting, and more storage underneath. |
| The newest addition to Howard Miller's Camden Passage collection is Emerille. The carved pediment and base has an Antique Sienna finish, and the hand-painted images on the front were inspired by European frescoes. |
