Goss thrives on change
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 29, 2003
Asheboro, N.C. — These days "you almost have to wear two hats" if you're in merchandising, said Cindy Goss, director of merchandising for upholstery and case goods giant Klaussner Furniture Inds.
"I think you have to be aware as to what's coming in from China as much as you pay attention to the mills in this country now," said Goss, noting that imports "have changed the face of case goods in this country and (are) doing it right now in fabric."
Goss keeps up with the Asian connection through people the company has employed in the region, where it has cut-and-sew operations. U.S. mills also are a source of information.
"The funny thing is, many of the old die-hard mills have a Chinese line and a regular line," she said.
Change, whether good or bad, is what makes Goss's worklife interesting. "I love the furniture industry," she said. "I think it's very exciting."
Goss has seen the industry from both sides — retail and manufacturing. She spent the first six years of her career with Reliable Stores and Levitz, developing sleep shops for the latter when it was the nation's No. 1 retailer.
Next up was a eight-year stint at upholstery maker Brookwood, and from there to Klaussner, where's she been for nine years.
"I think fashion, women's ready-to-wear, is where a lot of the color trends are coming from," she said. "Think about the spa colors. Chocolate is very big in ready-to-wear and it's very big in upholstery right now.
"If you think about leather, think about how they're stitching coats; think about different colors of thread."
Accessories often provide a clue to where furniture design is going, she added.
"They're probably ahead of us. You can pick up inspiration from a ton of things."
The end result of her work is what keeps her job exciting, she said.
"Of course, we always like the products that hit really big and sell across the country. But I think it's going into market and bringing the whole picture together.
"We are a part of a case goods company and I think that in furnishing a room, you almost have to do it like you would a room in your house."
