From Around the World

July 19, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on July 2012

The O€™Mara household is filled with readers. Readers of all levels, mind you, but truly avid readers. It€™s not unusual for several novels to be devoured in a week by the older readers, and the younger two are constantly dragging books here, yonder and everywhere.

The youngest of our clan€”the newly annointed 6 year old€”is also a geography fan. Evan digs maps and globes, and the way that each gives him a view of the world with its varied topography€”the oceans, the continents and how the world fits together in one neat ball. (This one is a neatness fanatic; a skill the other four of us are still trying to obtain.)
He can name the continents and the oceans, along with several larger countries. These days he€™s focused on the continent of Asia. He knows I have industry friends who live in Vietnam, as well as many others that travel to Asia for work. He€™s heard stories of my trips to China, and he loves our local Asian-fusion restaurant. A classmate€™s family is from China, and she speaks Mandarin just as easily as she does English. The kid is hooked.
Couple his fascination with the Asian continent with his reading ability, and Evan can pretty much tell you where every item that comes into our house is made. Toys, clothing, electronics, decorative items, rugs, lamps ... and the list could go on and on. The guy reads everything, and his little face lights up with fascination when he gets to announce €œLook! This was made in China.€
It€™s almost as if he€™s been transported to a magical, mysterious land when he finds that label sporting those three little words. Some of his awe comes from the intrigue and knowledge that Asia is on the other side of the globe from his neighborhood. It€™s a foreign land to him, and the 12-hour time change is unfathomable for such a youngster.
One recent day Evan was €œhelping€ sort laundry when he pulled out a couple of pairs of jeans. For whatever reason, he opted to read the tag. Out of the blue I hear his excited little voice and see a huge grin spread across his chubby face. €œMommy, mommy, mommy ... these pants are made in America!€
He€™d landed on an old pair of Lucky Brand jeans, and indeed, this particular pair was made in the good ol€™ US of A. Granted, it was an old pair, but still a pair with many more years of wear.

That little exchange had me thinking. In his mind, and most consumers that pay attention to country of origin labels, a Made-in-America tag is quite an unusual item to see on consumer products these days. Imported goods have become the cornerstone of products sold in the U.S., including home furnishings.

While we€™re seeing a movement with several manufacturers drifting back to domestic production in one form or another, American production of furniture isn€™t likely to take over in our industry.

Instead, suppliers are keeping their eyes open to new and varied frontiers for source countries. Where the next hot spot is remains to be seen, and it very well could be that folks opt to cherry pick among a variety of countries€”including the U.S.­€”as production companies. Only time will tell.

Inside this issue, you€™ll find our comprehensive overview on the global market and what it means for the furniture industry.
Sit back and enjoy the read. I€™m sure you€™ll learn something new.