Seeking and finding those market jewels
Ray Allegrezza, Editor-in-chief -- Furniture Today, April 14, 2003
Prior to each High Point market, we put together something we call our Market Overview — essentially our predictions for market.
We base our predictions in part on a host of factors the hardworking people in Furniture's/Today's research department pull together, things like housing starts, consumer confidence levels, the unemployment rate, what's going on with imports and much more.
We also poll retailers and manufacturers to get a sense of their market plans.
Based on all of the above, we reported that while market attendance would be down and retail sales would remain sluggish, there would be plenty of sharply priced new product to encourage retailers to stop, shop and buy.
Based on what I saw and heard at market, our report essentially hit the target.
I had more than one retailer tell me that if he or she came away with one jewel, then walking millions of square feet of market was worth it. (By the way, the working definition here of a jewel is a product the buyer may have stumbled upon.)
As the editor of the leading industry paper, I feel the same way. If I can come away with my own market jewel — and it can be a product, a program or a perception — then the show was a success.
This market, I hit pay dirt. Despite the economy, the war and retail sales that seem stuck in the mud sans tow truck, I saw much evidence that manufacturers were talking creative measures to grow their businesses. However, of all I saw, perhaps the most out-of-the-box, in-the-bag approach was at the AICO showroom.
I was in the midst of a walkthrough with President Michael Amini, who was explaining how AICO had really picked up efforts to accessorize the showroom in a way a retailer could replicate.
As we walked past some new bedroom offerings, my eye noted a small card sitting on top of a lovely duvet. Turns out that Michael quietly has entered the top-of-the-bed market with a line of upscale products that coordinate perfectly with the new bedrooms.
Many of the designs for the pillows, shams and duvets were inspired by Michael, who also does the design for many of the items you see in his showroom.
This may not seem very surprising. However, if you know Michael, you know he was trained as an electrical engineer. My hat is off to any engineer who also can design furniture and top-of-the-bed items.
But wait. It gets better. In the corner of this particular bedroom grouping stood a tailor's mannequin, replete with lovely blazer, slacks, tie and shirt. Do you even need to guess who designed that outfit?
Michael just smiled. "Fashion design is another one of my loves," he said. "You know how good you look when you are perfectly attired. Well, why don't we do that in the rooms of our homes?"
I couldn't agree more. Why not, indeed?
