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April 17,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on April 18, 2010
The American Society of Furniture Designers has elected four new directors to its board.
Jodie Davis, David Designs; Buz Davis, American Furniture Design; Troy Hollis, Hollis Designs; and Catherine Smoak, Jigsaw Solutions have each been named to the board for 2010-2011.
The organization's executive committee is Steve Hodges, president; Jack Lewis, chairman; Dudley Moore Jr., vice president elect; Charles Monaco, vice president; Katie Hatch, vice president; Arto Szabo, treasurer; and Christine Evans, executive director. Dwayne Welch from Hickory Springs serves as the board's corporate membership representative.
Continuing term directors for the group are: John Conrad; Abigail Eaton; Jena Hall; Gabriella Huseman; Carl Muller; Jason Phillips; Fred Schubert; and Gary Vander Wood.
April 17,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on April 18, 2010
Hickory Chair and Pearson Co. will relocate from their long-standing High Point Market showrooms on the eighth floor in the International Home Furnishings Center to Hamilton Properties located in the Hamilton Wrenn Design District.
Hickory Chair will take over the entire first floor of the 330 N. Hamilton, and sister company Pearson Co. will relocate to 200 N. Hamilton, Suite 105. Both showrooms will be open for the fall High Point Market in October.
"We are extremely pleased with the opportunity to present our products in the Hamilton Wrenn District," said Jay Reardon, president of Hickory Chair. "The new location will provide us with new branding opportunities as we are located on the main level of 330 North Hamilton. This will make us visible to the tens of thousands of visitors who frequent High Point each market."
Both companies, divisions of Furniture Brands International, cater to higher-end retailers.
"We are very excited to be relocating from IHFC to the Hamilton Wrenn District where we feel that our customers spend the majority of their time at market," said Mike Heath, president of Pearson. "Our new location will not only be more convenient for our buyers, but it will also allow us to do new and innovative things with our showroom."
"The leadership, vision and artistic talent that Hickory Chair brings, not only to our building but to the Hamilton Wrenn Design District, will only strengthen the success of our properties and the district," said Lisa Shankle, general manager for Showplace and Hamilton Properties. "Pearson has been known for over 70 years as a producer of fine, custom-ordered upholstery. We are extremely happy that they are moving to our 200 North Hamilton property in time for the October 2010 market. They are a wonderful addition to the other high-end, designer inspired companies that are the foundation of Hamilton Properties."
Each company is planning a grand opening celebration for the fall market.
April 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 16, 2010
The U.S. Department of Commerce has named the 2011 High Point Market a designated U.S. Commercial Service International Buyer Program (IBP) event.
This is the fourth time the High Point Market has been honored with the IBP designation.
Brian D. Casey, president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority, said the IBP program is designed to connect U.S. companies with foreign customers, and to raise global awareness of a designated event.
"The High Point Market is among more than 40 U.S. trade events representing major industry business sectors that have been selected for the IBP by the U.S. department of Commerce for calendar year 2011," he said. "It is the only home furnishings trade event to receive the designation and recognizes the importance of our Market to the home furnishings industry here in the U.S. and the role that we play in the expansion of exports. The IBP designation also underscores the global nature of our Market and its influence on the world economy."
"We are pleased to be partnering again with High Point Market in 2011 to increase exports in this industry that support economic growth and jobs for Americans," says Blanche Ziv, IBP director. "Supporting President Obama's National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports within the next five years and create 2 million new jobs, the International Buyer Program aims to increase attendance of foreign buyers to High Point and other U.S. trade shows accepted into the IBP."
Matchmaking activities between delegates, foreign buyers and exhibitors will be led by Department of Commerce personnel throughout Market week.
Last Spring, the U.S. Commercial Service helped in the recruitment of delegations from Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Ukraine, Kenya, Honduras and Canada.
"This Market, we are welcoming major delegations led by Commercial Service representatives from Saudi Arabia, Columbia and Canada, as well as delegates from the Ukraine and Jordan," Casey said. "These special delegations are in addition to the international buying organizations traveling to High Point this week from Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Asia and the Pacific Rim countries, Africa, India and the Middle East."
"International promotion of the High Point Market has been augmented by our international trade publication initiative, through which we invite journalists from all over the world to High Point to cover the Market each season," he added. "This week we are hosting editors from Dubai, Brazil, Columbia. In prior Markets we have hosted editors from Australia, Canada, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Italy, India, Mexico and Russia, and this has resulted in very positive editorial coverage in publications around the world. These articles are proving to be much more cost-effective in garnering attention from readers in these regions than simply booking advertisements."
April 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 16, 2010
In an effort to promote sleep education among consumers, Serta has partnered with the National Sleep Foundation.
As part of this program, Serta's Perfect Sleeper will be redesigned with input from the NSF and will become the official mattress of the National Sleep Foundation. Additionally, the new Perfect Sleeper mattresses will come with an NSF educational "Guide to Sleeping Well" booklet designed to help consumers get the most out of their sleep each and every night.
"More than 40 percent of Americans report problems sleeping every night or almost every night," said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. "One factor that most people overlook when it comes to improving their sleep is the importance of the mattress. We recognized a tremendous opportunity to bridge this gap which led us to our partnership with Serta."
The NSF went through a lengthy request for proposal process to determine with which bedding supplier to partner. The Foundation was looking for an established partner to collaborate on a new sleep education program that would be paired with a quality mattress to be enhanced with input from the NSF.
Together, the NSF and Serta will work to shed light on how mattresses contribute to good sleep. As part of the partnership, Serta will distribute about 750,000 educational materials each year to help customers improve their sleep for life. The NSF's guide will be an instruction manual for a sleepy population, covering the basics of healthy sleep, ways to improve sleep, disordered sleep and when to seek help for sleep problems.
"Serta is excited to work with the National Sleep Foundation to advance people's understanding of mattresses as a key element of good sleep and overall wellness," said Bob Sherman, Serta president. "This program unites our joint expertise in sleep research, education and product design to help people optimize their sleep experience and promote healthy sleep."
The new Perfect Sleeper mattress line is being designed for enhanced comfort and support with input from the National Sleep Foundation. The Foundation has commissioned independent testing to ensure the new mattresses meet its standards.
"This is a natural pairing of two leaders," Cloud said. "The National Sleep Foundation is the nation's voice for sleep health and safety, and Serta and its Perfect Sleeper line have an exceptional reputation for comfort and quality. The National Sleep Foundation is proud to call the new Serta Perfect Sleeper line its 'Official Mattress.'"
New Serta Perfect Sleeper mattresses carrying the "Official Mattress of the National Sleep Foundation" designation will start rolling out this year and will be available nationally through all Serta retailers by 2011.
The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving sleep health and safety through education, public awareness and advocacy. It is known for its annual Sleep in America poll. The Foundation is a charitable, educational and scientific not-for-profit organization located in Washington, D.C., and its membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine, professionals in the health, medical and science fields, individuals, patients, families affected by drowsy driving and more than 900 healthcare facilities throughout North America. Visit the organization's Web site for more information.
April 15,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on April 16, 2010
Bob's Discount Furniture will open a store in a former bowling alley in Glendale N.Y., this November,
the New York Daily News reported Thursday."Our plan is to take it, rehab it, make it very attractive for the neighborhood," Eric Montague, Bob's spokesman, said in the report of the former Woodhaven Lanes. The company's lease will run at least 10 years.
Barbara Stuchinski of the Forest Hills Community and Civic Association praised the retailer's plans.
"It's wonderful, it's perfect and there isn't any furniture store around," she said in the report. "It definitely is an improvement. It just finishes off that whole strip on Metropolitan Avenue."