Accessory action strong at Vegas, New York markets
From the Editors of Home Accents Today -- Furniture Today, February 11, 2007
The accessory buyers who flocked to the winter Las Vegas Market shopped mainly for organic, rustic and minimalist-inspired collections. Design trends seen weeks earlier in Atlanta continued in Vegas, with abstract takes on flora and fauna, and lots of wood, metal and stone, energized here and there with a dash of Eastern spice.
Vendors reported little or no impact from a slowing housing market and, with the exception of wintry weather that kept Rocky Mountain consumers home during key holiday weekends, most accessory buyers reported coming off a good 2006, with an especially strong fourth quarter. They were in Las Vegas to buy.
Thatcher Davis, president of Selamat Designs, said it's because when people aren't buying new houses, they're fixing up what they have. "How do you make your old house look new? You get new furniture and you redo some of the interior of the house," he said.
Bill Cain, president of Chelsea House, concurred. "People continue to upgrade what they have, whether new housing struggles some or not," he said.
Meanwhile, brisk buying also characterized the New York International Gift Fair. From his Pier 94 space, Neal Blanchard, sales manager at Abigails, said, "They bought deep and expensive, as well as lower-priced items that show well with the higher-priced ones."
New York market organizer GLM reported a strong opening day on Sunday, Jan. 28, with heavy traffic continuing into Monday.
An attention-grabber was Red Vanilla's smoke-free indoor/outdoor burning fire pit, fueled by potato-based ethanol. Company rep Angel Rivera said the product, called Red Volcano, is proving popular for upscale vacation homes, and for condos and apartments that don't allow traditional fireplace units.
News from around the marketplace
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A federal bankruptcy court in Illinois has overruled all unresolved objections to Enesco's motion for relief, including those filed by an ad hoc committee of Enesco stockholders claiming the foreign businesses of Enesco have substantial value and that the rush to sell based on performance of the domestic division is unwarranted, and would provide nothing for shareholders. On Jan. 22, the court approved bidding rules for the sale of Enesco's assets at an auction set for Feb. 14, and gave interim approval to a $65 million debtor-in-possession financing arrangement with Wells Fargo Foothill.
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A federal court judge has dismissed a lawsuit that accused a former Vintage Verandah product development/sales manager of copying a squatting monkey lamp design, then producing and selling it through Wal-Mart. The judge ruled that designer Cricket Briggs created the Bubba Monkey lamp design while working as an independent contractor, not as a Vintage employee.
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Kirkland's said it planned to open a new satellite office in Nashville, Tenn., to house merchandising and marketing, store operations and real estate teams, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance store support. Logistics and sales support personnel, and legal, accounting and information services, will remain at the company's headquarters and distribution center in Jackson, Tenn.
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