Optimism blooms at Atlanta market
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, January 18, 2004
ATLANTA — If the ebullience in AmericasMart showrooms is any indication, 2004 should be a good year for the home furnishings stores and designers who shop this market.
Certainly, the eclectic group of furniture and home furnishings exhibitors at the January market were plenty pleased to start the year on a positive note. Most of the exhibitors are importers offering the unusual and colorful looks often found in small design-oriented stores.
"It's been a great show," said Renee Maria Fanjon, principal in Padma's Plantation, specializing in contemporary furniture in tropical materials such as wicker and rattan. "The indications are very strong. Everybody seemed to finish 2003 on a good note and they came here looking forward to a really good year."
While the major furniture factories haven't had Atlanta showrooms for most of 10 years, AmericasMart has succeeded in attracting a tier of creative furniture exhibitors who specialize in distinctive designs. The market, which has been spruced up throughout its three buildings over the past several years, has several dozen interior furniture exhibitors and at least that many casual furniture specialists.
The style palette runs from gilt traditional — appropriate for Atlanta-area homes — to more contemporary and transitional looks in a blend of materials and hues. A number of showrooms also featured contemporized rustic designs, often with painted finishes.
Many of the exhibitors also show in High Point; in Atlanta, they said, they get to spend more time with dealers, who don't seem as overwhelmed by the enormity of the venue. Buyers includes designers, carriage-trade retailers, a smattering of Top 100 furniture stores, department stores and small retailers.
"Atlanta was really on the forefront of recognizing the market potential of accessories and accent pieces," said John Scott, president of Sterling Inds. "As a result, we see a range of buyers, everybody from the largest chains to the small shops."
Sterling, which imports a broad lineup of home furnishings including accent furniture, has just expanded its Atlanta showroom to 10,000 square feet.
High Point is "still king for furniture" but Atlanta's mix of exhibitors appeals to stores looking for eye-catching designs and blends of materials, said Joann Antonelli, chief executive officer of Eminence Style. "This show is key for the specialty shops that need to differentiate themselves with looks that their customers aren't as likely to find in every major furniture store."
Michael Ricks, chief financial officer of Furniture Classics, offering solid-wood accent reproduction furniture, said the show is "mainly regional for us" and reflected improving business.
"We have been getting some good furniture traffic, and business has been strong since High Point," he added. "We see the business growing and the economy improving. Knock on wood, everything ought to be peachy-keen in six months."
AmericasMart executives said the market did well.
"Our gift and home furnishings market was by every measure an off-the-charts winner," said Mike Turnbull, senior vice president for marketing. "Home furnishings is a huge factor in this success, with an expanded mix of furniture and home accents bringing furniture stores and designers to market in increasing numbers."
Just before the market, AmericasMart announced it plans a 2 million-square-foot expansion that will be dedicated to home furnishings. Work on the $200 million project, which will increase exhibition space by more than 30%, is expected to start early next year and be completed in 2007.
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