San Fran starts quietly
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2005
San Francisco — San Francisco's winter furniture market, traditionally the busier of this city's two yearly furniture shows, got off to a quiet start last week.
Most exhibitors said opening-day showroom traffic was extremely light, and said most buyers at the show were from California and neighboring states.
"Normally, we would see more 'national' attendance at the winter market," said David Ballard, president of case goods importer Primo Designs. "That was always the attraction. You always booked a lot of business at this market."
Primo is among dozens of exhibitors who say they won't return for the summer market here, which is scheduled to start Aug. 3. Most have signed up for the Las Vegas show, set for July 25–29 at the new World Market Center and two other venues.
Others leaving San Francisco include Broyhill, Lane, Kathy Ireland Home by Standard, Flexsteel, Klaussner and Catnapper.
Not everyone is ready to give up on San Francisco, however. David Beckmann, president of Emerald Home Furnishings, said his company "will be here in some fashion" in the summer.
John McNeill, president of Resource Associates, said he probably will exhibit his line of fold-down wall beds in both San Francisco and Las Vegas.
"I think this show will have a couple of rough years," McNeill said. "But if it continues to be a viable show, I'll be here."
Michael Amini, CEO of AICO, noted that his company had expanded its showroom for the winter market.
"We had the majors come in," he said. "We wrote a lot of business."
AICO will show in Las Vegas and may return to San Francisco, he said — "We'll be where our customers are."
Brian Lange, vice president of sales and marketing at Best Home Furnishings, said he had expected lighter attendance here after talking to his dealers before the show.
"About half said they were going to be here, and half said they were waiting for Vegas," said Lange, whose company also is showing here for the last time.
The San Francisco Mart had several exhibitors who had been in temporary exhibit space at the now-shuttered Concourse Exhibition Center, but some of them weren't happy with the initial results.
"It's not the same atmosphere as the Concourse," said Alfred Gesing, general manager of California-based Orient Express Furniture. "The Concourse had much more flair. It's too utilitarian here."
| Acknowledgements | ||
| Editor-in-chief Ray Allegrezza, Leather Editor Joan Gunin and Case Goods Editor Powell Slaughter contributed to this story. | ||
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