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January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
Retail design veteran Martin Roberts, founder of New York City-based GRID2, has opened a virtual office at MRobertsDesign.com, providing retail design and creative services to the home furnishings industry. GRID2 has closed its office.
Roberts opened GRID2 in 1991, employing an award-winning staff of brand strategists, retail planners, art directors, graphics and Web designers. The firm was last located in the Union Square area of Manhattan. With partners Aka Ma and Betty Chow, GRID2 serviced multiple retail channels, including fashion apparel, drug and convenience stores, and insurance services. High-profile clients included Barnes & Noble, Borders, Cartier and TUMI.
Roberts, who has specialized in the home furnishings segment and completed retail, showroom and branding projects with industry leaders such as Havertys, Thomasville, American Leather and Weekends Only, will apply his expertise in this latest venture with a virtual staff of former GRID2 employees.
"The home industries have always been a focus in my work and reflect a true interest of mine, along with many years of experience," said Roberts, who began his career with British based Conran Shop and whose own furniture designs are sold nationwide and through niche retailer Design Within Reach. "With many of our staff already working from alternate locations, the decision to work virtually makes sense for the times."
Offline, a 1,300 square foot office featuring multiple work stations can accommodate on-site collaboration with staff.
Roberts' current projects include a second retail location for Discovery Furniture, headquartered in Topeka, Kan., featuring a 35,000-square-foot three-store format. Designs for two mixed-use retail concepts on the island of Barbados are underway, a result of Roberts' work with the lifestyle retailer Dwellings, also located there. Additionally, a two-level, 75,000-square-foot warehouse-style furniture store in Denver, Col., will require renovation of a former Home Depot Home Expo, the building's former occupant. The new WOW! store will feature a do-it-yourself resource center for consumers and is expected to compete with a neighboring Ikea store when it opens later this year.
For additional information, on MRobertsDesign.com, click
here.
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
A former Burlington Industries mill in Mooresville, N.C., is the future home of Wow Home Furnishings, a retail/wholesale center for furniture and accessories, the Statesville Record & Landmark reported Wednesday.
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 Wow location should open in May.
"It's a beautiful building," Concord Global President George Bulat said in the report. "We have two other mill buildings like this (in Fort Lawn and Jefferson, Ga.) that we have turned into home accessories stores. We like old buildings and we like improving them."
Wow Home Furnishings opened its first location in Fort Lawn, S.C., in 2008. The store sells furniture, wall decor, accent furniture, picture frames, framed art, lighting, mirrors and rugs.
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
Contemporary retailer Design Within Reach (DWRI) will match up to $25,000 in donations to UNICEF's Haiti Earthquake Fund for a collective total donation of $50,000.
The devastating quake hit Haiti Tuesday.
People wanting to participate should visit the DWR
Web site where they will be directed to a link to make a donation.
In coordination with all other UN agencies present on the ground, UNICEF will provide supplies to allow access to adequate sanitation, safe water and basic health care. UNICEF is also preparing materials and staff so that children, vulnerable during natural catastrophes, are protected. UNICEF materials and advisors will assist so that children are able to continue learning and studying, and be provided safe recreation areas while their caretakers turn to rebuilding their lives.
"While our company's name is Design Within Reach, today we are proud to provide help within reach to the people of Haiti," said John Edelman, CEO of Design Within Reach. "I am equally proud of the support of our customers and employees in joining me in providing assistance. Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Haiti."
UNICEF is on the ground in more than 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
Design Within Reach was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in San Francisco. The retailer sells contemporary home furnishings and accessories through it Web site, catalog and design studios throughout the U.S. and Canada.
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc., Washington, D.C., has released a new standard that reinforces its role in supporting and promoting sustainable forest management as one of the world's leading third-party forest certification programs.
Among other things, the new SFI 2010-2014 Standard, the result of an extensive 18-month public review, includes revisions that:
* Improve conservation of biodiversity in North America and offshore, and address emerging issues such as climate change and bioenergy.
* Strengthen unique SFI fiber-sourcing requirements, which broaden the practice of sustainable forestry in North America and avoid unwanted offshore sources.
* Complement SFI activities aimed at avoiding controversial or illegal offshore fiber sources, and embrace Lacey Act amendments to prevent illegal logging.
* Expand requirements for logger training and support for trained loggers and certified logger programs. Since 1995, more than 117,000 loggers have received training through SFI-supported programs.
"The new standard was enriched by the views and expertise of many people, and offers a solid foundation as we build new partnerships and look for more ways to promote sustainable forest practices," said Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of the non-profit SFI Inc.
The review process included two public comment periods and seven regional workshops, and was monitored by the External Review Panel, an independent team of external experts who offer diverse perspectives and expertise to the SFI program.
"The review was truly a model of open, transparent, and responsible consideration of public input, scientific and economic factors, and conflicting demands," said panel chair Michael Goergen, executive vice-president of the Society of American Foresters. "The SFI program has grown and evolved over time, largely due to its willingness to work with individuals and groups who share its dedication to responsible forest management in North America."
The SFI 2010-2014 Standard supports a comprehensive, independent certification program that works with environmental, social and industry partners to promote responsible forest management in North America and responsible fiber sourcing worldwide. More than 180 million acres are certified to the SFI forest management standard in North America, which SFI said makes it the largest single standard in the world. SFI chain-of-custody certification tells buyers the percentage of certified fiber in a specific product. SFI fiber-sourcing requirements promote responsible forest management on all suppliers' lands.
"SFI certification benefits our forests, our communities and our business," said Guy Gleysteen, senior vice president of production at Time Inc. "The standard was already one of the leading forest certification standards in the world, and the revisions reaffirm this leadership."
For more information on SFI's new standard, click
here.
January 13,
2010 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on January 14, 2010
Armen Living, Los Angeles, has doubled its Las Vegas Market showroom space in World Market Center to almost 6,000 square feet to accommodate last years largest-ever product introduction.
"Twice as large as Armen Livings previous participation, our state-of-the-art showroom at B-162 will be the perfect stage to display our complete collection, which features over 100 SKUs, said Kevin Kevonian, Armen Living's CEO. Las Vegas Market runs Feb. 1-5.
During 2009, Armen Living changed its name from Armen Art Furniture, repositioned the company and its products with the theme "Furniture for Contemporary Lifestyles," and launched a new
Web site to preview its collection online.
The expanded collection features new designs in five product categories including dining furniture and occasional dining collections, upholstered and leather sofas and sectionals, chairs and club chairs, ottomans and benches, and barstools. The pieces reflect a range of styles, incorporating retro, modern and Asian influences.