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Familiar faces in new showrooms this market

By Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, April 6, 2008

High Point — Changes of venues have caused many High Point Market exhibitors to scramble to be ready for opening day today.

Dozens of companies are either new to market or have changed locations since the October show. Among those on the march: Pulaski and Davis International changed buildings, SLF shifted further south in 220 Elm, and Ligo Products dropped six floors. Legacy Classic and Broyhill, meanwhile, have put money into showroom renovations.

Davis International has moved multiple times over the past few years as owner Lynn Davis has used the manufacturer to draw traffic to new Center Point buildings that have opened on Centennial and Russell streets. Davis owns the showroom complex.

This market, Davis International has moved across the street to Space 70 of Center Point on Centennial. Taking its old place in Center Point on Russell is American Dream Rooms, the marketing arm for a fledgling case goods company out of Shanghai headed by industry veterans Joe Elmore and Bob O'Neill.

Pulaski let its lease run out in the International Home Furnishings Center so it could move next to its sister company SLF, which slid over to make room in 220 Elm. Pulaski has nearly 50,000 square feet on two levels. H. Kelly, vice president of product development, said retailers will step into the accent/occasional display if entering from the courtyard side and will see case goods collections if stepping off the escalators on Level 1.

SLF takes over the showroom once housed by Avenue Six. It will share office space in the Pulaski area as well as a cantina where buyers can get cappuccino, lunch and ice cream.

Kelly said he likes the bright, open feeling of the high ceilings and lighting. He also said that with Pulaski and SLF both under the umbrella of parent company Home Meridian, there's a synchronicity in the showing side by side.

Ligo Products, meanwhile, has moved downstairs in the National Furniture Mart from its old seventh floor space to a ground floor location it hopes will draw more traffic — the former PeopLoungers space across the lobby from Powell Co. Not only is the lobby entrance near the main elevators, but the space has a second entrance accessible from the Commerce Avenue sidewalk, noted Dan Angus, senior vice president of sales and marketing.

PeopLoungers had renovated the space only a year ago, so little work was necessary except for cosmetic changes, Angus said. The former tenant had used portable walls to section off some vignettes, and Ligo moved some of them to open up space.

Some guests at premarket here in early March remarked on how much bigger the new space appeared, but it's really only about 10% larger at 19,500 square feet, according to Angus.

Legacy Classic also visually opened up its showroom in Plaza Suites by removing about two-thirds of the walls, according to President Lee Boone. The remaining walls have glass windows installed near the top to let light spill through and make the space a little brighter.

At the same time, Boone said the company rearranged the collections into four distinct lifestyles: opulent, classic, urban and casual. He thinks the new layout displays the groups better and helps centralize product for the buyer who is only looking to fill a certain style niche.

The showroom isn't so cluttered, either, he said, because some older groups were pulled off the floor. That doesn't mean they are discontinued, he said, but there are only so many times a retailer needs to see the same group.

Broyhill will unveil the first phase of a renovation of its sixth-floor showroom in the International Home Furnishing Center's Commerce wing. The manufacturer hadn't planned to make the project so expansive, but more and more suggestions and ideas kept the process growing. Early plans were to update the entrance and the café, but now the company plans to perform work in three phases, according to Kristin Hawkins, media and public relations manager.

For this show, expect to see a new bistro area and additional floor space opened up for fabric and leather upholstery. The second phase, to be done by October, will focus on cosmetic updates such as changing the vignettes and lighting to better present the product.

The final step, to be completed in a year, will cover the lobby renovation as well as the creation of a dealer lounge, meeting room, conference rooms and an interactive media room, Hawkins said.

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