Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
June 24,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Community/Charitable Support on June 25, 2010
Aspenhome, Phoenix, and Lexington Home Brands, Thomasville, N.C., both contributed to worthy causes in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn., respectively, on the Thursday Al Roker's "Lend a Hand" charitable campaign on NBC's Today Show.
For the ninth consecutive year, Today Show's Roker is traveling across the country for his "Lend a Hand" goodwill road trips, which help small charities that work towards improving conditions in their communities.
In Memphis, aspenhome donated $20,000 worth of furniture to the New Ballet Ensemble and School, which brings a diverse population of students together by providing a professional standard of training, regardless of their ability to pay. The renovated ballet studio needed office furniture to continue to operate, and aspenhome donated not only office furniture but furniture for the lobby and conference room as well from the vendor's Destination Collection.
"We were impressed with the New Ballet School philosophy and are pleased to support Al Rokers Lend a Hand campaign to aid organizations that have a positive impact in local communities," said aspenhome CEO Bill Colegrove, who said the World Market Center Las Vegas team brought this need to aspenhome's attention.
Here's a link to the New Ballet School segment of "Lend a Hand".
In Nashville, Lexington Home Brands donated $75,000 in home furnishings to the rebuilding efforts of the charity Hands On Nashville. Nashville residents are still working to recover from devastating flooding during the first week in May. The Cumberland River crested at a 70-year high--12 feet above flood stage--resulting in the loss of lives, and more than $1.5 billion in property damage. Since flooding in this area is a rarity, few residents carried flood insurance, so the disaster represented a life-changing event for many families. The homes surrounding the site of Thursday's Today Show remote were under five feet of water during the flooding.
"The team at World Market Center Las Vegas brought this need to our attention," said Robert Stamper, senior vice president of marketing for Lexington Home Brands. "We feel extremely fortunate to be in a position to partner with Al Roker, the Today Show, and the Hands On Nashville organization to assist in the rebuilding process for those families affected. This local charity has been highly effective in fostering volunteerism and channeling resources to address an urgent and significant need."
Since the May 2 flood, Hands On Nashville has coordinated the response of over 16,000 volunteers at over 925 project sites around the city. Home furnishings donated by Lexington Home Brands will be brought into a central distribution facility managed by Hands On Nashville, and then allocated to families based on need and individual circumstances.
To view the video, go to TODAYShow.com and type in keywood "Lend A Hand."
June 24,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 25, 2010
Work stopped for a couple of days on renovations of a former Burlington textile mill for furniture retailing after a welding sparks started a smoldering fire, DavidsonNews.net reported Thursday.
A stop-work order was expected to be lifted Thursday so work could continue at the mill, which is being renovated to hold a Wow Home Furnishings outlet.
Concord Global Trading, which owns two other Wow Home Furnishings locations in Fort Lawn, S.C., and Jefferson, Ga., purchased the 38-acre Mooresville site, which has 755,000 square feet of indoor space. The new Mooresville location had been scheduled to open in May.
June 23,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on June 24, 2010
Home Furnishings Business is accepting product photography for consideration in our August issue, which will be distributed at
the Las Vegas Market.
As part of our market coverage, we'll feature photographs of productsFREE of chargebeing shown at the market.
To take advantage of this opportunity, you should send quality images of products you'll be showcasing. We'll cull through the mountains of information and select images to include in the pages of our special High Point issue.
We can work with color slides, transparencies or prints. You may also send images on a CD in JPEG format with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher. At that resolution, the image must be at least 6" x 8". If you send images smaller than this, we may not be able to feature your product.
Along with the pictures, please be sure to include the following information about the product being shown:
Company name
Contact name and number
Showroom location
Web site address
We need this information in hand no later than Tuesday, July 6. Use FedEx or another express delivery service to ensure prompt delivery and tracking or feel free to
e-mail Sheila Long O'Mara.
If mailing, send images to: Sheila Long O'Mara at 5 Springsdans Lane Columbia, S.C. 29229.
June 23,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 24, 2010
Home Furnishings buying group MEGA Group USA, Germantown, Tenn., will hold its fall convention August 22-25 at the Downtown Marriott in Louisville, Ky.
Food Network celebrity cook, author and entrepreneur Paula Deen, who recently partnered with MEGA Group USA and mattress major Serta to introduce a new mattress collection exclusive for MEGA Group USA members, will host a reception Tuesday evening, August 24 at 5:30 p.m. Attendees can meet Deen in person and learn more about the inspiration behind the product and what has made this new Paula Deen Home by Serta Mattress Collection successful.
Bob Negen will present the convention's keynote address Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m. Negen, known for his "make it fun, get it done" philosophy, founded Mackinaw Kite Co. in 1981 and grew the company from $17,000 to more than $3 million in annual sales in 20 years.
"We are excited to hold our Fall Convention in the great city of Louisville, Ky.," said Rick Bellows, president of MEGA Group USA. "Louisville is centrally located for the majority of our membership and has so much to offer. We have a lot planned for our members during the convention including hearing from Paula Deen and Bob Negen, product displays, breakout meetings, coaching sessions, a buying show plus so much more."
This is the 27th year MEGA Group USA has hosted a fall convention for its dealer members. Hundreds of dealers in all retail categories including appliance, electronics, furniture, outdoor power and mattress are expected to attend. Trade industry media are invited as well.
"I have attended MEGA Group USA's national conventions for the past several years,"said Max Boren with Smitty's, Cedars Rapids, Iowa. "Not only is it a great learning and educational experience, but it is a lot of fun and provides the perfect opportunity to network and idea share with others in the industry."
MEGA Group USA's business services include group vendor programs, custom advertising and marketing services, consulting, store merchandising, and information technology support aimed at driving floor traffic, improving sales and profits and enhancing operating efficiencies. MEGA Group USA has 1,500 retail members in 2,500 store fronts throughout the United States.
June 23,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Accessories on June 24, 2010
As part of its effort to showcase innovative concepts enhance the profiles of specialty product segment, World Market Center enlisted celebrity designer Christopher Lowell to create an integrated merchandising display for lighting and home accessory retailers for the August Las Vegas Market.
"Illuminated: A Lighting & Accessories Showcase for Success" will be open daily during Market, August 2-6, in Building C-1096.
The installation will provide lighting retailers enlightening new ideas and teach them how to broaden their offerings to consumers while not only enhancing their lighting business but also creating a new home decor business. Attendees will learn how cross-merchandised products can enhance their retail environment, ultimately leading to stronger sales.
A cocktail reception will celebrate the debut of this visual installation on Monday, Aug. 2 at 5 p.m.
"Lighting has become the latest must-have home accessory, and retailers have an opportunity to play up the consumer trend through low-footprint displays of pre-coordinated merchandise that convey that message on impact," Lowell said. "We want to show retailers that they can not only make money retailing these visual aids, but put across to their customers that they can play a more supportive role in their home design process than just supplying the product. This not only elevates consumer confidence, but showcases the retailer as a greater home design authority opening the door to endless line-extension possibilities."
Participating lighting showrooms include:
Adesso
AF Lighting
American de Rosa
Bel Air Lighting
Besa Lighting
Cal Lighting
Crestview Collection
Crystorama
Cyan Design
Dale Tiffany
Elegant Lighting
Elk/Dimond Lighting
GKI/Bethlehem Lighting
Glow Lighting
Hi-Lite Manufacturing
Jesco Lighting
Kalco Lighting
Lamp Works
Lite Source
Lumisource
Mica Lamp Co.
Nora Lighting
Nova
Nuevo
OK Lighting
Pacific Coast Lighting
Paul Sahlin Tiffany
Prima Lighting
Quoizel
Robert Abbey
Stylecraft Home Collection
Sua International
Trend Lighting Group
Uttermost
Vaxcel International