Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
May 31,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on June 1, 2010
Two men have been charged in a weekend burglary at Massey's Furniture Barn in Watertown, N.Y., NewsJunkie.com reported Sunday.
Alexander N. Donchevich, 20, and Michael J. Parker, 22, face felony counts of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree grand larceny after they allegedly tried to steal three 42-inch Samsung televisions worth $2,100 during a break-in at Massey's Furniture Barn early Sunday morning.
Parker also was charged with first-degree promoting prison contraband, a felony, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.
May 31,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on June 1, 2010
Last week marked the launch of The Forest Legality Alliance, a global public-private initiative to support private sector efforts and policies to reduce trade in illegally harvested wood.
The Alliance is open to businesses, industry associations, financial institutions and civil society organizations with a stake in legal forest product supply chains.
Joining the World Resources Institute, the Environmental Investigations Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Alliance are the American Forest & Paper Association, the Hardwood Federation, furniture retailer Ikea, the International Wood Products Association, New Page Corporation, the Retail Industry Leaders' Association, office furniture and supply retailer Staples Inc., and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
"Some companies are not aware of the need to ask questions about the wood they are buying or the consequences of letting illegal wood enter their supply chains," said Craig Hanson, director of WRI's People and Ecosystems Program. "The Alliance seeks to build confidence that imported wood and paper products are legal. Done right, trade supports environmental protection and the Alliance recognizes the role trade plays in protecting our worlds great forests."
Responsible forest management delivers renewable raw material for a wide range of products, such as timber and paper. It also provides livelihood for millions of people and contributes to preserving biodiversity.
In many regions, however, illegal logging is having unsustainable impacts. Much of the illegal logging taking place is directly connected to land conversion activities, for instance, when forests are cleared to make room for agriculture and ranching activities. This illegal logging contributes to deforestation, biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions, deprives nations of much needed public revenue, and can lead to social conflict and human rights violations.
Any illegal wood from these activities that makes its way into international trade creates an unlevel playing field for the private sector, allowing a few bad actors to put companies with legal operations at an unfair disadvantage. It also affects poor, rural residents in developing countries who rely on forests for food, fuel, and other benefits.
In response, major wood importing regions are enacting policies to reduce demand for illegal wood. In 2008, the U.S. government amended the Lacey Act to prohibit trade within the United States of products made from illegally harvested wood. With this amendment, the United States became the first country to ban imports of illegal wood and related products.
The European Union is in the final stages of approving a "due diligence" regulation to curb illegal timber entering the European market, and Australia is also considering legislation to prohibit trade in illegal wood.
The Alliance will ensure that importers and supply chains know and understand the emerging new trade policies. It will develop new online resources that help companies assess the risk of encountering illegal wood, conduct due care, and complete import declarations; and work with suppliers to document best practices and unforeseen challenges associated with purchasing legal wood and complying with import regulations. The Alliance also will focus on the capacity for legal trade in the sector as a whole, rather than on the performance of individual companies, and complement existing initiatives that certify legality and sustainability.
For more information, visit the Forest Legality Alliance Web site.
May 31,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedroom on June 1, 2010
Bedroom furniture manufacturer Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co., announced on Tuesday that it will invest $1 million in a four-phase expansion of its headquarters plant in Galax, Va.
"The largest and most expensive phase of the expansion is a new 16,000-square-foot building that will be attached to our shipping facility," said President and CEO Wyatt Bassett during an announcement in front of more than 500 workers from the company's day shift. "This building will be used to store bed rails and mirrors and for the staging of shipments from our shipping facility."
Vaughan-Bassett broke ground on the project in May and expects to complete the building by December of this year. Clark Brothers Company Stuart, Va., is the construction firm hired to complete the new building.
The other three phases of this expansion are: relocation of the two bed Lines from the machine room to the pack room, which was completed in May; reorganization of machinery within the machine room, utilizing the 8,000 square feet opened up by moving the bed lines (to be completed in July); and relocation of two administrative offices and a bathroom to open up a fork lift aisle to move parts from the machine room to the new bed lines (completed in May).
Bassett said this latest expansion is needed because of the success of Vaughan-Bassett's new $3 million Weinig Rough End System, which was installed in July of 2009 as part of a major addition to the Galax furniture factory.
"We have been able to cut significantly more lumber and we are generating many more parts with our new system," he said. "This growth has led to 60 new jobs in our Galax factory since spring of 2009. We need the additional space to create room for the jobs we intend to add in coming months and years."
He added that Vaughan-Bassett reopened a portion of its Elkin furniture plant in September of 2009 and now employs more than 50 people in its Elkin facilities.
Doug Bassett, executive vice president and COO, told the gathering that Congressman Rick Boucher was instrumental in making Vaughan-Bassett's expansion possible.
"Rick Boucher is the American furniture workers best friend in Washington," he said. "He stood with us when we fought illegal dumping by China, and he helped pass an accelerated depreciation provision that helped make our new Rough End possible. Congressman Rick Boucher has had our back in Washington and he deserves to be on this stage today and to be a part of our announcing our latest growth plans."
Founded in 1919, Vaughan-Bassett had 2009 sales of more than $85 million and employs more than 700 workers in its factories in Galax, Va., and Elkin, N.C. The company says it produces more than 97 percent of all its products.
May 31,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on June 1, 2010
In our ongoing effort to inform, as well as entertain, our readership, this week's Hump Day Video pokes fun at furniture retail advertising.
It's shared with a huge dose of humor and here's to a bright Wednesday selling what we're sure is beautiful furniture throughout the industry.
Enjoy!
May 27,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Special Events on May 28, 2010
Newport Beach, Calif.-based
von Hemert Interiors is marking its 90th anniversary with a grand reopening and re-design of its landmark store in Laguna Beach, Calif.
The von Hemert store specializes in interior design, imported Italian furnishings and is well known as the one stop for unique pieces, such as one-of-a kind Italian pieces, original art and designer collections. Product offerings also include contemporary and modern styles as well. The newly remodeled Laguna Beach location will feature prized pieces and have more of a boutique feel than the retailer's other two stores.
"The re-model and re-opening of the Laguna Beach store is dear to my heart and a very sentimental moment for our family," said Carrie von Hemert, vice president and co-owner of the company. "This is where it started when my great grandmother opened our first store up in Los Angeles 90 years ago. My great grandmother, grandfather, parents and now my siblings and I have worked for the company and expanded it to what it is now. The Laguna store is the crown jewel of our three stores and that is why we decided to do a very special rejuvenation at this location. We have a loyal customer base who still come in with stories of our grandparents delivering their furniture in the back of their station wagon. This is not only going to be a delight for our customers but a tribute to our family."
"Our pride in our pieces come from our long line of knowledge and travel to Europe for many years where our offerings are hand selected by the family," said Barry von Hemert, chairman and co-owner. "We pay special attention to inlays, finishes, sizings and no detail is too small or unnoticed. I believe the attention to specialties of our pieces is what brings our loyal customers back and their next generation coming back for years and years."
Exceptional attention has been paid and no richness has been left out of the redesign. Barry, Sue, Mickey, Carrie and Kelly von Hemert collaborated with Laguna Beach architect Robert McGraw. Over the course of the three-year project the von Hemerts wanted an architecture that would reflect many of the andalusian style homes in the Shady Canyon and Newport Coastal areas.
von Hemert Interiors was started in 1920. The company has been family owned and operated for more than four generations. There are three locationsLaguna Beach, Costa Mesa, Calif., and Torrance, Calif. Known for their specialty imported Italian, and Old World furnishings, customized pieces are also available and are hand selected from Italy by the family.