Of mighty mouses, mega markets and me
Joan Gunin, Leather editor -- Furniture Today, June 28, 2004
I've just returned from a visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. It was my second visit there in 30 years. Wow! The whole place is so faux it's unreal. This trip, I could better appreciate all that Walt has wrought.
You have to give Walt Disney Corp. heaps of credit for masquerading a vacation resort as a wildly successful branding device. Even such attractions as Disney-MGM Studios are really nothing more than in-house advertisements for their own movies. Mucho money in Mickey's till.
Images of the mighty mouse and his cohorts dot the kingdom. The critters are everywhere, from bedspreads to buses, soaps to salt water taffy. No gift shop, kiosk or hotel room is unadorned.
Frankly, after a few days we found the "magic" of Mickey overload a bit tiresome. Only half in jest, I began referring to the big-eared Disney deity as The Rat.
Sure, some folks thrive on this rainbow of sights and sounds. We were there mostly for the rides, attractions and themed dinner shows.
The ambience left such a chokehold on me that, the day after I left Disney's domain and found myself wandering the aisles of an iconic American store, things seemed out of place. I finally realized why: nary a Mickey Mouse magnet, muu-muu or mobile in sight.
I did spend a moment or two at Disney ruminating about its furniture licensing potential. I returned to the office to read Staff Writer Jeff Linville's informative overview of licensing and learned that Disney is restarting its entry into furniture. If Walt's characters have been such a success within Disney World, why haven't they gained the same clout outside the kingdom?
Speaking of furniture, I've also been thinking that, as textiles have gone to China and NASCAR has gone to California, furniture's leap to Las Vegas can't be far behind.
Non-industry friends often ask, "Is the furniture market going to Las Vegas?" I assure them High Point isn't going anywhere (some say that may be the problem!). Furniture is as much a fixture in High Point as Mickey Mouse is in Disney World.
As with the Magic Kingdom, there's too much money tied up in downtown High Point to toss the market aside like a pair of dice. But now I'm thinking the dice may be loaded.
As manufacturers seek ways to tighten up, the furniture industry may evolve into one big market per year, much like the mega Consumer Electronics Show held annually in — you guessed it — Las Vegas.
I don't expect this sea change to occur for another decade, but could we really have only 20 markets or so left in High Point? Sure, the Nevada desert seems an unlikely place to sell sofas, but Bugsy Siegel gambled in the face of doubters in his time too.
And the shift to China also intrigues me. If business continues to move offshore at its current pace, within three generations will Asia turn to us for cheap labor?
