Showtime gets new attitude
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, June 15, 2009
HIGH POINT — Although attendance still was lagging, decorative fabric and leather sellers said upholstery makers came to Showtime last week with a different attitude than they had at the last show here in December.
The mood, while still extremely cautious, was described as more upbeat and positive about what lies ahead for the economy.
Business at both upholstery factories and fabric mills has stabilized, several executives said, some reporting that they've seen increases in the last several weeks — even if it has been in small increments.
“Business is still tough,” said Luc Callens, representing Belgium's Algemene, one of five global mills showing under the High Five umbrella with coordinated packages.
“There's a lot of interest in the new collections,” he said. “Customers are selling off their inventory. At the moment, warehouses are empty and they have to start again. And they're starting to see bottom (as far as the recession). People have the confidence to do new things. It's better than it was six months ago.”
Scott George, vice president of Cone Jacquards, said he was “seeing positive signs” in the residential segment, with business picking up in April. The mill has been running three shifts, five days per week, and expects to run at that pace through the second week in July.
“Every day we open the factory and turn on the lights is a day we're closer to getting out of this (recession),” George said.
Walter Rothchild, president of David Rothschild Co., said he was “very enthusiastic about the market” and equally happy with a growing move on the part of manufacturers to buy American products.
“I hear all this (talk) and I see a little of this in orders,” he said. “Some people have even started to merchandise this way” as a means to support American businesses during a time of recession.
David Rothschild has returned to five-day schedules after a period of working four-day weeks, and the company aimed to keep that momentum building at Showtime by bringing out a round of fresh product.
“We came out with a pretty big line. I thought it might be a good time to be aggressive,” Rothschild said.
At the Robert Allen Group, officials were pleased with the reception to their product introductions.
“But buyers are still being conservative,” said Don Greene, operating vice president, piece goods sales-manufacturing. Everyone has come to the reality that business is tough.”
As far as the possibility that the economy may be bottoming out, “I think we're bouncing around on the bottom. But I see life out there,” he noted.
Culp was busy during Showtime, said Liam Waters, senior vice president of marketing, design and sales.
He attributed the uptick to a page 1 story and an ad in the June 1 issue of Furniture/Today reporting that the U.S. Copyright Office had granted Culp copyrights to three previously unprotected microfiber patterns.
“It was amazing,” Waters said. “Once people read that story and saw our ad, we had an avalanche of inquiries from both customers and retailers who wanted to do the right thing.”
The ruling, which gives Culp protection on three successful microfiber patterns — Palomino, Stampede and Wrangler — is viewed by the company as a landmark decision.
“This is a big deal in the upholstery arena, especially since we believe some 20 million yards of these patterns have been knocked off,” Waters said.
“The fact that we had so many people in here during Showtime asking about this convinces me that people are taking this copyright issue seriously, which ultimately is in the best interest of the industry.”
While walk-in traffic at Showtime was off for many, particularly in the temporary spaces, several mills had appointment books that were slammed.
Among those was Valdese, which de-emphasized its typical fabric swatch presentations for four rooms organized by style theme. Each room contained a story board showing the design trends that influenced the collection, along with fabric samples. Each room was staffed by a designer and a salesperson.
Valdese's sister company, Circa 1801, made similar presentations in rooms set up by color.
And Valdese also set aside two rooms for those customers preferring traditional fabric board presentations.
“In today's market, it's time for a change,” said Laura Levinson, senior vice president of product development and marketing, saying the intent of the change was to create “new energy.”
She said that business “is still a struggle. I think it will continue to be tough although we expect a stronger last half of the year.”
As for Showtime, “Everyone seems to be in a good frame of mind. It's not the doom and gloom of last time.”
Editor in Chief Ray Allegrezza contributed to this story.
