Atlanta market draws fashion-forward crowd
By Tom Edmonds -- Furniture Today, January 23, 2005
Atlanta — Bold, bright colors, especially greens, and eclectic designs distinguished the furniture displays at AmericasMart here during the gift and home furnishings market.
Accent furniture specialists, most of whom also offer full accessory lines, were dressed and ready to dance for the 10-day market, which ended Jan. 20.
And they seemed to have plenty of partners, as designers and buyers for boutiques and smaller furniture stores streamed into the building. Most exhibitors reported brisk traffic and optimistic attitudes coming off a generally strong 2004.
"We were busy, and we were writing (orders)," said Renee Fanjon, president of Padma's Plantation, adding the decision to push back the starting date of the show worked well. "We were definitely more prepared, and our customers were here from the start," Fanjon said.
Allan Palecek, president of Palecek, also was pleased with the volume and the attitudes of buyers. "Our customers did well in 2004," he said. "I didn't talk to anybody who isn't looking forward to a very good year."
This market has evolved into a more fashion-forward event than it was a decade ago, when furniture manufacturers were attracting mostly traditional furniture stores in the Southeast. However, it would be difficult to pigeonhole the latest market's dominant design theme.
"Trends? People are all over the board, and the buyers aren't moving in any single direction," said Michael Daehn of Home Trends, which represents several furniture and accent lines.
The key in Atlanta, said Moe Samieian, president of Moe's Home Collection, is to make a strong style statement in one direction or another. "Because the accessory buyers come here, this market is driven by style and fashion trends," he said. "People came here looking for ideas that will set their stores apart."
While all points on the style spectrum, from gilt traditional to ultra-modern, are covered here, clean, compelling designs that hint of both new and old — not unlike the looks at Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn — were particularly well represented.
The sinuous Cuban Art Deco collection at Selamat Designs, and the turned-knob trim on the Copley dresser at Palu, were just two of the many distinctive designs that managed to straddle style lines.
"The consumer wants to make a statement," said Emma Roubstov, national sales manager at Four Hands. "A lot of our retailers are telling us they've been under-estimating their customer, and that when they do something exciting in their stores, the consumer responds."
Quite a bit of wicker, rattan and other tropical materials were seen here, a function of Atlanta's proximity to the key Florida market.
"There were a lot of Florida stores and designers here, and they were looking for new ideas and good quality," said Palecek.
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Atlanta market draws fashion-forward crowd
Jan 24, 2005
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