Folio 21 debuts with 23 bedrooms at High Point Market
Much of line available in February 2012
Tom Russell -- Furniture Today, October 21, 2011
HIGH POINT — Folio 21, new case goods resource set to show at this week's High Point Market, is looking to have much of its line available for shipping in February.
The company will offer 23 bedrooms in its 11,000-square-foot showroom in the International Home Furnishings Center, W-647.
Five-piece sets will be offered in a variety of contemporary and transitional styles. Most are targeted to retail from $1,699 to $1,999, but some go as high as $2,499. Groups are made with high quality veneers including American cherry, American oak and prima vera, the company says.
Folio 21 is led by former CR International and Powell executives Bill Benton and Sean Slack and James Martin Jr., a former sales rep with Broyhill. Benton is president and CEO, Slack is senior vice president of merchandising and product development and Martin is vice president of major accounts.
The company made its debut appearance here at the Sept. 12-13 Premarket, where it reported strong dealer response to 13 new bedrooms.
Company officials said they're sourcing the line from a big, established furniture plant in Vietnam, but declined to identify it.
Based on commitments and early orders, nine of the groups shown at Premarket are in production and will be available for container-direct shipping from a warehouse in Vietnam in February.
"We saw a lot of dealers and had a lot of dealers refer other dealers to see us," Slack said. "For us to come out of Premarket and justify cutting nine out of 13 groups is very good."
He said he and Benton visited retailers around the country in January and February to determine needs in the marketplace. They found there was an opportunity to offer better designs, finishes, materials and construction elements for groups in the $1,699 to $2,499 price range.
The company developed renderings and ran the designs past groups of consumers, sales reps and retailers. After getting feedback, Slack said, the company chose to launch short five-piece sets that offer optional footboard storage on most beds plus some accent items such as bed benches and tall dressers with hidden jewelry storage.
Sample production began in Vietnam in early summer. Folio 21 worked with Akzo to develop 20 finishes, including three multi-step painted finishes and a number of wood finishes with 12 to 16 steps.
The finish quality impressed representatives of Furniture First, a Harrisburg, Pa.-based buying group that represents more than 180 retailers. Officials also liked the styles, quality and price points.
"The first impression is that it is a big wow," said Bill Hartman, Furniture First president. "They are coming in as a big value for these price points. From the looks and the pricing, it is a home run."
However, he said, since the line is container direct only, questions remain about availability and mixability of the line.
"The good news is that they are working with an established factory with great management," Hartman said. "They have a lot going for them. We await eagerly and hopefully that it turns out wonderfully."
Slack said the first nine groups that are in production will be available for shipping in February. The rest of those to be cut, will be in stock by May, he said. A goal is to ship the entire line on mixed containers.
Folio 21 also announced that Connie Post, a retail design strategist and the wife of Benton, has designed the company's High Point showroom. The space showcases the company logo in five-foot chrome-finished letters on the entry wall, and a big number 21 also adorns a stained concrete floor.
Post said she selected a variety of colors and design elements to emphasize the urban-loft feel of the brand.
"We chose to repurpose all of the existing floors, paneling treatments, back-lit windows and French doors, updating them with paints in fresh, new fashion colors," Post said. "We used monochromatic color schemes on the walls with the floors painted a deeper and richer shade of the same color, and decorative accessories in the same color story to emphasize the product in a fresh new way. This strategy allows the product to speak for itself."
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Folio 21 debuts with 23 bedrooms
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