Curios, clocks target similar consumer with unique approaches

Updated styles make clock sales tick, creative function adds sizzle to curios

By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, July 27, 2003

High Point — Collector cabinet and clock makers often target a similar consumer demographic, but these days they are doing it through different approaches.

Clocks are attracting shoppers through updated styles and mixed media, while curios are drawing interest with functionality, like sliding glass doors and touch lighting. Price is more of a concern for curios, as promotional goods don't offer favorable margins and high-end products aren't selling as well in this economy.

Collecting a market

About 35% of Americans (more than 70 million people) collect something, whether it be baseball cards, Beanie Babies or ceramic dolls, according to Pam Danziger, founder and president of Unity Marketing.

Many people have gotten into collecting in the last few years thanks to exposure to collectibles on TV shows such as "The Antiques Roadshow" and through online auction sites like eBay. Not including these auctions, the collectibles industry sold $6.5 million at retail in 2001, Danziger estimated.

According to Furniture/Today's 2003 Consumer Buying Trends Survey, more than 2.7 million U.S. households planned to buy a collector's cabinet this year, spending $1.5 billion. One-fifth of shoppers planned to spend between $100 and $199; another two-fifths have budgeted between $200 and $399. Parents comprise half of the shoppers.

The consumer interested in collector's cabinets typically owns his or her own home and has a moderate to upper income, said Phil Miller, chairman and chief executive officer of Howard Miller. These are often the same customers who buy Howard Miller clocks as well. In fact, some of the company's most-successful introductions have been combination curio/clocks, said Miller.

Pulaski Furniture also sees a similarity in the two categories' consumers. In addition to the Pulaski curio line, the company owns Ridgeway Clocks.

A big trend in clocks is fashion-forward design, which sells well to younger consumers. Miller said that while the classical look is doing well in collector's cabinets, his company has seen growing interest in more modern clock designs.

Stan Reinisch, chief executive officer of curio specialist Philip Reinisch, said his company targets consumers 45 and older. Danziger said the most active collectors are in the age range from 45–54.

However, Ridgeway is developing clocks that sell well in the 25–49 range, according to Page Wilson, Pulaski's vice president of sales.

Wilson said Pulaski has been running many curio specials over the last few months, deals that retailers have been passing on to consumers to drive sales. "You can't allow it to be seasonal. You have to force it to be a year-long category."

Wilson said Ridgeway also has been pushing its clocks hard this summer as its best sales are between September and January.

Price trends

At Leick Furniture, the hot curio price points this year have been $999 and $1,099. Buhler Furniture, Canada's largest curio maker, introduced 17 new designs at the April High Point market priced between $699 and $999.

Orleans Furniture will show off prototypes of a new promotional curio line at the Tupelo Furniture Market in a couple of weeks. Many of Orleans' collector's cabinets run between $499 and $799 retail. But the company will hit $199 with these new models, which combine the popular sliding-door function with a frame of paper-wrapped veneer over MDF. Sliding doors are very popular, but have been priced too high for many consumers, said Tom Klinkert, vice president of sales and marketing.

Even Philip Reinisch, normally at medium-to-upper price points, is targeting more affordable prices. The company is developing a line of cabinets with sculptured glass. They resemble existing pieces in the line, but instead of retailing for $2,000 to $3,500, these will run $400 to $700.

The top-selling price points for Pulaski's collector's cabinets are $699, $799 and $899, said Wilson. Promotional curios aren't as important now because margins aren't as good, he said. And yet "anything over $1,000 is a tough sell. With clocks, now, you can go well past that."

The medium range for Ridgeway clocks is between $1,200 and $2,000, with the upper end above $3,000. Howard Miller's best-selling piece has been at $1,795, according to Miller, with its top clocks above $10,000.

Another top clock producer, Sligh, starts its goods at $899, with its signature Charles R. Sligh collection featuring goods between $9,000 and $12,000.

Hentschel, Canada's largest clock maker, hits prices between $1,600 and $2,400 in its more-promotional line, while midrange clocks are between $2,200 and $5,200. The Artist Gallery line typically ranges from $5,900 to $7,000.

K. Mozer, a clock manufacturer in England, has two distinct lines that cover a wide range of price points. The company hits many medium price points with goods that are machine-cut and spray-polished, but it also has an upper-end line with hand-cut and hand-polished clocks that retail as high as $18,000.

Floor clock action

Sligh carries about 80 floor clock SKUs now, featuring a wide variety of styles and finishes.

"We have two very different-looking clocks that do very well," said Bob Engels, manager of special markets. One is a traditional cherry-finished clock; the other has a very casual finish.

Function has become more important, Engels said. The Style Trends line has several models with shelves; the company also has three different styles of curio/clocks. Many cases have lighting.

Sligh relies on three qualities, Engels said — designs that stand out, quality construction and quality sound. Most companies pay little attention to the sound, he said, but Sligh works with acoustical engineers to get the right tones.

Larry Webb, Pulaski's president and chief executive officer, said that this has been a tough year in the clock business, but Ridgeway Clocks has held its own. He credited the division's position to Paul Hoffman, general manager, who previously had worked for movement manufacturer Hermle.

While Pulaski has just announced that it is stepping up its import program, Hoffman said the clock line is still 85% domestic.

A small company trying to make a name for itself showed in High Point for the first time this spring. New York-based Rochester Clockworks had a temporary space at Showplace, but will move to a location in Market Square for the October market.

Co-owner Mike Kuyt has been making clocks as a hobby for more than 12 years, using an open design that shows off the inner mechanism. With partners Richard Ludwig and Rich Candelora, Kuyt started a manufacturing operation last year.

Curio developments

"Women just fall in love with curios," said Reinisch. "It's a product that really makes them happy. They talk about their curio cabinets in a way that they don't talk about any other piece of furniture."

It's important to understand that the curio buyer's passion is for the collection, said Greg Leick, chief executive officer of Leick Furniture.

"Our bias is for understated designs that use bright lighting and keep the focus on the collection," he said. "Middle to lower price points have the best match with consumers attracted to the collectibles industry, while higher-end cabinets may have more appeal to travelers to collect objects to chronicle their journeys."

Leick said the company has been rethinking some of its designs after observing how consumers use the cabinets.

"Surprisingly, ... collectibles are not 14 inches deep by 20 inches high, although you'd expect as much by looking at the cabinets on the market," he quipped. Some collectors have small items that need more shelves closer together, he noticed.

Easy access to the collection is another consumer concern.

At Howard Miller, Phil Miller said, "We have added new features, including a two-way sliding door that allows collectors to reach every item inside the case with ease."

Sliding doors have been around for years, but the standard mechanism only allows the door to glide left, explained Reinisch.

Two-way sliding doors also are the hot new function for Pulaski, said Wilson, and corner models are gaining steam.

A popular item now is the curio bookcase. The frame resembles a typical bookcase, but the shelves are glass with a wood frame around them, allowing overhead lighting to shine down through the case. All the major manufacturers have models in their lines.

Buhler introduced a line of curios at the Calgary show in late June. It was the first time the company has tried contemporary designs, said John Anderlum, vice president of sales and marketing, and he was pleased by the response. Along with the new designs, Buhler showed off three new finishes: Mascara, black on oak and maple; Espresso on oak and maple; and a light maple finish called Ginger.

Philip Reinisch is selling more products with more-sophisticated finishes, said Reinisch. Hot tones include a stylish black, silver and Portofino.

As for business, Reinisch said, "The rhythm of purchases has not really slowed up." The big chains are being more guarded in purchases, he said, but business overall is comparable to the past couple of years.

On the positive side, Reinisch said the collector's cabinet category hasn't been nearly as impacted by imports as bedroom and occasional. Manufacturers can't stack fragile curios in a container like they can dressers or the glass will break, he said. His company imports some materials and a few finished parts, but all the assembly takes place in the United States.