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Vendors aim to clean up in kitchen

Sources expand presence with islands, storage items

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 3, 2002

High Point — Kitchen furniture, a category that flat-pack producers pioneered in the early years of their development, is enjoying a revival.

With sell-through on the rise in several key retail channels, producers have given the category more attention lately. New pieces are certainly several generations advanced from the oak microwave carts that were once a staple, but they still offer an affordable storage solution.

"Kitchen is working, and it's working in multiple channels," said Phil Miller, vice president and general manager for Thomasville's Creative Interiors line. "Certainly, it's working for the catalogers, the military and the discounters. It's a good category."

Creative Interiors and Sauder Woodworking both introduced new kitchen pieces at the October High Point market.

Sauder's rolling kitchen island, part of the new Harbor View collection, showed how far this category has progressed in terms of scale and function. The $299 item includes drawers on two sides, locking casters, large storage areas underneath and a towel rack. A solid, butcher-block top adds functional and aesthetic appeal.

Sauder executives said the concept was a hit, and they expect to add similar islands to other collections.

At Creative Interiors, introductions focused more on traditional storage items, such as a utility stand to retail for $49, a one-door pantry for $69, a two-door pantry for $99 and a buffet-hutch for $149.

"This is primarily an item business, for the consumer who is looking for a piece that will solve storage problems in the kitchen," Miller said.

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