Nichols & Stone to make Williamsburg line
By Brian Carroll -- Furniture Today, April 13, 2003
Williamsburg, Va. — Colonial Williamsburg and furniture maker Nichols & Stone have signed a licensing agreement to design, market and distribute a casual, solid-wood furniture collection for the Williamsburg Pure Simple Today brand.
The introduction at the High Point market in October will include about 25 pieces of mid- to upper-middle-priced bedroom, dining room and occasional furniture. Upholstery will be added in spring 2004, with Nichols & Stone partnering with an upholstery producer.
"Nichols & Stone is the ideal partner to execute the Williamsburg Pure Simple Today furniture collection," said Kris Fischer, director of licensing for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. "They have a longstanding tradition of high-quality, hand-crafted manufacturing, as well as tremendous relationships with furniture retailers throughout the country."
In 1999, Lane rolled out a Williamsburg-licensed Pure Simple Today collection of 100 pieces. That licensing arrangement will be phased out, with Lane continuing to catalog and sell best-selling pieces. No official end date has been set for the license.
Lane has made changes in the past 18 months in its manufacturing and marketing strategies, including switching to all-import wood production. Such moves are positive for Lane but "differ from the strategic direction we have identified for the Williamsburg Pure Simple Today Brand," said Beth Moore, director of marketing for Williamsburg Products.
Nichols & Stone produces nearly its entire line in the United States.
"We strive to distinguish ourselves from offshore product, and we try hard not to confuse our customers," said Tuck Nichols, president of Nichols & Stone.
Cherry will be a primary species in the new collection, and it will feature painted finishes, a Nichols & Stone specialty. Ultimately there should be some 50 SKUs.
Williamsburg also has a licensing agreement with L.&J.G. Stickley for its high-end, more traditionally styled Williamsburg Reserve Collection, which will not be affected by the new line at Nichols & Stone.
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