Coaster draws good response to youth
By Jane Kitchen -- Furniture Today, April 13, 2003
High Point — Coaster made a big push into youth at market with the debut of its Coaster Kids line, which was displayed in a remodeled, 9,500-square-foot, two-story kids space next to the company's main showroom on South Wrenn Street.
This marked the establishment of an entire kids line for Coaster — six imported juvenile bedroom groups that cover styles from metal bunks to Mission to Louis Philippe.
"Overall, people really liked it," said Robert Soussana, project manager for Coaster, who added that based on feedback at market, some minor revisions are being made to a few groups. The blue painted finish on the Rebecca collection, for instance, will be toned down.
Soussana estimated the category will eventually account for 5% to 10% of Coaster's sales.
The imported line includes two girls' groups, two boys' groups and two unisex groups — all will ship in September — and a metal bunk group. In addition, Coaster is targeting tweens and teens with three new platform and metal beds, which Soussana said also received a positive response at market.
Soussana described the pricing structure on the juvenile groups as low to midrange. The majority of the pieces come from Asia, including Shanghai and Quingdau, with others from Mexico and North America.
Almost all the new youth bedroom collections feature nine pieces: either a four-poster or captain's bed, nightstand, desk, chair, seven-drawer chest, mirror, toy chest, TV armoire and bunk.
In the boys' groups, the Jonathan collection has a Mission finish and styling, and the Brandon collection is in a distressed walnut finish.
Girls' collections include Chloe, a casual antique-white painted group with hand-carved rosettes and laurel leaf motifs, and Rebecca, painted in a sponged sky blue.
Chambray, a unisex collection with pull-out drawer-front panels in either blue or black, and a Louis Philippe group round out the Coaster Kids collections.
Soussana said the Louis Philippe and the Chloe collections were the most popular among buyers at market, but that the Rebecca collection was particularly strong for the Hispanic market.
The new showroom space won't always be kids. Coaster, which owns the building, will use the space for whatever major new push it's making at market.
Soussana expects Coaster to launch two or three youth collections each market. "It's like feeding an elephant," he said. "You have to keep it fresh — keep it new."
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