Time is right for floor clocks
Producers chiming in with fresh styles
By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, February 24, 2003
High Point — Traditional grandfather clocks still sell, but new styles and finishes are driving the clock category today.
Classic silhouettes and finishes will always remain, but clock manufacturers say consumers want the same variety of looks they see in case goods, including contemporary, Mission and British Colonial.
One top producer, Howard Miller, no longer uses the term "grandfather" clock. Phil Miller, chairman and chief executive officer, said clocks no longer look like grandpa's antiques in what has become a "very fashion-forward market."
Products selling well for Howard Miller incorporate such styles as Arts & Crafts, lodge and modern. Rather than simply using wood and stained finishes, the company offers hand-painted designs, silver or gold tipping, cast stone, wrought metal and finishes ranging from distressed to platinum.
"The new styles have expanded the market dramatically, and they have appeal to the younger consumers," said Miller. "The net result is that floor clocks have been one of our fastest-growing categories over the last year."
Along with styles to attract younger consumes, the high-end producer has priced some of the clocks more reasonably.
"Our largest-selling piece is at a retail price point of $1,795, but we are doing strong retail price points that are as low as $699," he said, and sales also are brisk at $799 to $999.
Nontraditional styles are taking over the middle price points for Ridgeway, the 43-year-old clock manufacturer.
"We have a very broad collection," said Paul Hoffman, Ridgeway general manager. "Because we are a major player, we not only carry the traditional designs that people grew up with, (but also) speak to the more eclectic designs in today's market."
Five years ago, traditional looks made up about 85% of clock sales, Hoffman said. Now it has dropped to about 70%, and he expects the nontraditional styles will continue to slowly gain ground as younger consumers seek something fresh.
Traditional looks still dominate sales at the lower end of Ridgeway's line, at $1,000 retail or less, and at the upper end, above $3,000, Hoffman said. But between $1,200 and $2,000, consumers want transitional, contemporary and other designs.
Ridgeway, a subsidiary of Pulaski Furniture since 1985, is planning a tie-in with the parent company's furniture line inspired by the TV program "The Antiques Road Show," the most-watched program on PBS with about 9 million viewers. Pulaski will have case goods and occasional furniture and Ridgeway is developing six to eight floor clocks.
On the show, people bring their antiques to experts for appraisal. Ridgeway and Pulaski will build pieces based on those antiques and use hangtags that tell their stories.
The biggest clockmaker in Canada, 112-year-old Hentschel Clock, is looking to boost its presence in the United States. President Daniel Kesselring said the company has been showing in High Point for five years and plans to court U.S. dealers more actively with new products this April.
About six months ago, Hentschel introduced six floor clocks designed by Steve Hodges Associates of Lexington, N.C. The clocks are made of solid quarter-sawn oak, mahogany and maple in British Colonial, Arts & Crafts, Louis Philippe and lifestyle designs. Kesselring said the line complements today's popular designs and have quality construction that can be passed down for generations.
Introductions planned for the April High Point market include a limited-edition piece celebrating Steinway's 50 years of piano manufacturing. Only 150 clocks will be made with a retail price of about $18,000, Kesselring said, and some retailers already have called to reserve one.
The Steinway Anniversary clock will be part of the Artist Gallery line, where price points typically range from $5,900 to $7,000. The medium-priced Hentschel Clock line usually ranges from $2,200 to $5,200, while the more-promotional Forest Hill line ranges from $1,600 to $2,400.
Sligh Furniture knows about signature clocks through its partnership with Bob Timberlake.
A clock added to the collection in October is 342 Greene, an Arts & Crafts design in hardwood solids and veneers with Timberlake's signature Riverwood Cherry finish.
A popular new piece is the 997 Shelbourne, with casual styling and a warm, distressed Harvest finish. The wood is jemilina, a type of mahogany, said Bob Engels, Sligh's manager of special markets. It has hand-carved details, raised moldings and retail price of $2,999.
Another hot clock is 331 Jerome, with a contemporary case in maple with a black or espresso finish and the pendulum, weights and dial in a brushed silver finish. It retails for $1,899.
Engels said Sligh clocks start at $1,299, and the top-of-the-line Charles R. Sligh Collection has clocks retailing between $8,000 and $10,000.
Another company making its way into the narrow field is Carolina Clock & Curio, part of Chinese importer Briton Furniture, headquartered in High Point. President Danny Hardwick most recently was sales manager for Shenandoah Clocks and Curios and earlier was part of Ridgeway for years.
Carolina Clock & Curio is a little more than a year old. Owner Jenni Wu said a 1 million-square-foot factory in China is specializing in clocks and collectors cabinets, and a 400,000-square-foot case goods plant will be completed in about six months.
Hardwick expects the Carolina Clock & Curio line to have $4 million to $5 million in sales this year, with the Briton bedroom line reaching $3 million to $4 million. He said the company would stick with traditional designs for now as it tries to build its customer base.
