San Fran shopping lists
Retailers wonder what they'll find
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2005
San Francisco — Retailers who capped off last year with mostly solid sales gains in November and December are coming to this week's market here with typical shopping lists, but with some concern over what they'll be able to find.
"We'll do what we always have done — look at the California vendors, look for specials, that kind of thing," said R.C Willey's Jeff Child. "We can usually find good deals on the casual oak looks."
Child, president of the 12-store, Salt Lake City-based giant, will be among those shopping a regional market that has been contracting as Las Vegas' World Market Center prepares to debut this summer. Like many, he holds out hope this winter market will be worth the trip, though he is less certain regarding the outlook for San Francisco's summer market in August.
The four-store Furniture Outlet of Hubbard, Ore., is coming to this week's market here to see what's new from key vendors Ashley and Emerald Home Furnishings. The retailer also will pay a visit to other sources such as Martin, a fairly new vendor with Furniture Outlet's Portland—area stores.
Furniture Outlet also is looking to replace a few vendors that it lost or chose to drop last year, including Orman Grubb, the case goods supplier that went out of business last year.
Rick Palo, who is president and co-owner of Furniture Outlet with his wife Trudy, said he's looking for companies that have a service orientation similar to that of Emerald — sources that view their relationship with the retailer as a business partnership and "care about us the way we care about our customers."
At the high-end Design Galleria by Valentine in Sacramento, Calif., owner Bob Ammirato will be looking for more transitional goods, mostly for a new store the company is opening in Roseville, Calif., in March. That store will target a slightly younger consumer — aged 30 to 40 — with tastes that lean away from the mostly traditional offering at the existing store.
While the Concourse Exhibition Center here is closed this market, Ammirato said he's hoping to find some of its former tenants that have moved into temporary space at the main Mart buildings. These smaller vendors with unique product lines are the ones that help his store stand out from the mainstream, he said. If he can still find them in the Mart, "that will satisfy my need," he said.
Ammirato reported strong 2004 business. Design Galleria finished off the year with a 16% sale gain on top of a 30% gain the year before. He has high hopes for this year, too.
"Early indications are we're getting a lot of great design clients, which is basically the meat and potatoes of our business," Ammirato said.
Ammirato remains positive about the future of San Francisco, saying he plans to keep coming, "because there are some products there I don't believe will be shown in Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas will put a bit of a damper on San Francisco, but I'm going to continue to support the San Francisco Mart as long as there's something for me to go to — as long as it doesn't get any smaller."
Taylor Ganz, owner of the 20-store McMahan's in Los Angeles, also will be shopping here this market.
"Frankly, I don't know quite what to expect as several of our key suppliers aren't even showing this market," said Ganz about the uncertainty surrounding this event.
The Palos of Furniture Outlet have actually tacked on a few extra days to this buying trip to enjoy the city "for one last time," as well as to sit down a little longer with key sources, said Trudy Palo.
"We usually run our butts ragged, so we're going to take another few days so we can be a little more relaxed about our appointments," she said.
Dave Cavitt, president of the six-store Furniture Enterprises of Anchorage, Alaska, has been attending the San Francisco market for 25 years and he's coming this time with a "nostalgic feel."
"I do believe this will be the last one," Cavitt said, noting the potential impact of the looming Las Vegas show.
He added that he thinks most manufacturers will chose to show at one or the other event because it's not economically feasible to do both.
"And I think the one with the best long-term outlook is Las Vegas," he said.
Some leaving San Fran for Vegas
07/14/2002So long, San Fran?
02/05/2005
