Atlanta draws buyers
Order-writing believed more brisk
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 20, 2010
 Blackbriar Mountain Originals of Denver’s line includes these sled-shaped cocktail tables, which retail from $1,200 to $1,300. These and other pieces in the line are made with combinations of elm, hickory and oak solids. |
 A new accent chest from Sterling Inds. features rose-shaped pulls along with sides and drawer fronts with a striped pattern set against a white background. Painted leaves complement the pulls. |
ATLANTA — Vendors at the Jan. 6-13 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market offered a diverse mix of product that presented buyers with fresh colors, natural materials and custom size and finish options.
These and other new and existing products gave retailers plenty of reason to buy as they look to replenish depleted inventories.
Most vendors said they were pleased with order-writing activity here. Their customers included designers and furniture retailers from around the country.
The show continued to offer a variety of accent and occasional furniture from vendors such as Palecek, Sterling Inds, AA Importing and Bailey Street, all specialists in the category. For case goods and upholstery buyers, there was also plenty of dining and bedroom as well as sofas and sectionals from sources such as Four Hands, Century, Halo Styles and Zentique.
An estimated 230 furniture companies were represented at the show. Most had their own showrooms, while other upper-medium-priced to high-end brands such as Bernhardt, Hooker, Hekman, Lexington, Stanley, Theodore Alexander and Wesley Allen occupied spaces managed by firms such as Charles Ray & Associates and Phil Sweet & Associates.
Four Hands was in a 7,100-square foot space in Building One of the AmericasMart complex.
It had 1,500 more square feet than at the previous market, which allowed it to showcase at least 60 items in its sustainable case goods line, called bina after designer Thomas Bina, as well as a number of frames in its Boulevard upholstery line.
Four Hands President Matt Briggs said Atlanta offers a good venue to show the lines to buyers who haven't already seen them in other markets such as High Point.
"We tend not to introduce completely new lines here, just line extensions," he said, noting that the Atlanta show is becoming a strong regional market for the company.
To see more photos, click here.
Halo Styles occupied about 3,000 square feet in Building One in its main showroom, which featured a number of sleek transitional and contemporary designs on bookshelves, and occasional and dining tables. These featured mixed-media elements such as stainless steel and reclaimed hardwoods on various.
It also occupied a separate 2,400-square-foot space on the same floor. This was largely devoted to more traditional footprints with English and French design influences offered by sister company G&J Styles, also branded under the Halo Styles moniker.
Company officials said the two genres appeal to different audiences, but that more and more designers are tending to mix both styles.
Toccoa, Ga.-based manufacturer Eddy West touted its 60 custom color and four wood finishes available on products ranging from small accent tables to dining tables, entertainment centers and display cabinets. The domestic producer also can customize the scale of its pieces to fit living spaces, a feature that is popular with designers and their clients.
American Heritage Furniture, another wood producer based in Toccoa, showed a line of solid pine products including dining tables, cupboards and display cabinets. Many of these highlighted its multiple painted finish options. Owner Marshall Jordan said his company usually launches a half dozen new pieces and six to eight new finishes at the Atlanta show.
"This has always been our best show," he said. "We sell from the big stores to mom and pops. It makes up a big part of our business."
Jordan also said his company can tailor the size of its pieces to designer and customer needs. For instance, a new media center it had on display is built to hold a 48-inch TV but can be customized to fit a larger screen.
Accent furniture importer Sterling Inds. also had a strong color story. Its lineup included 25 new accent furniture pieces, including many in eye-catching hues such as lime green and bright orange. Others included stripes or floral patterns set against a white or black background.
Michiko Penny, a merchandise manager with Chicago-based Walter E. Smithe Furniture, said she usually attends the show once a year and was there for two days this time.
"My primary goal was to shop accessories to freshen up the stores with new, exciting product," she said, noting that she was drawn particularly to colors at the show.
"With a brand new year and optimism in the air, I shopped for items that were not the same old things," she said. "I kept an open mind to find product that was creative and fresh. I found that vendors either stepped out and came out with new twists on design or they played it safe and came out with the same old stuff. Needless to say, my eye went for the innovative."
To see more photos, click here.
-
Atlanta draws buyers
Jan 18, 2010
Featured Company
-
FurnitureCore.com
FurnitureCore.com is a dynamic web application aimed at the furniture industry. Retailers and manufacturers alike will find our deep reserve of tools to be exactly what their furniture business needs.www.furniturecore.com... more
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
