Atlanta gift, rug markets to run concurrently
By Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, October 20, 2008
ATLANTA — AmericasMart, which annually hosts major markets for gifts and area rugs, will run shows for the two categories simultaneously in January and July of 2009.
AmericasMart officials said the changes were made possible by the recent addition of several hundred hotel rooms in downtown Atlanta, as well as a 1.5 million-square-foot expansion of the Mart's Building 2 that will open in January.
“We're excited about putting these markets together,” said Chas Sydney, senior vice president of area rugs and external business development. “It's still the largest display of rugs anywhere in the world.”
Next year, the winter gift and home furnishings market is scheduled for Jan. 6-14, while the rug market will run Jan. 7-12.
Summer gift and home furnishings market dates are July 7-15, while the rug market is July 8-13.
The expansion of Building 2, officially known as Building 2 West, is a 10-story addition that primarily will house gift, home accents and decorative accessories showrooms.
Area rug showrooms will remain on floors three to six of Building 1. The second floor of Building 1 will have temporary exhibits for area rugs and furniture.
Exhibitors of garden items, which had occupied floors 14 and 15 of Building 1, are moving to Building 2 West in order to create additional space for home furnishings exhibits. Floors 14 and 15 are being remodeled and will reopen for next July's markets.
