Daily News Archive
Brought to you by Home Furnishings Business
December 27,
2009 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 28, 2009
Smith's Furniture in Louisville, Ky., began a going-out-of-business sale Saturday at its last store, Business First of Louisville reported last week.
Smith's closed three other stores earlier this year.
The retailer, which carried home and office furniture, began in southern Indiana in 1960 and relocated in 2006.
December 27,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 28, 2009
The Connecticut Consumer Protection Commission has filed complaints against two Brooklyn, N.Y., bedding manufacturers, Industrial Mattress LLC and Ellianna Bedding, for alleged violations of the state's Bedding and Upholstered Furniture laws and the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to a report last week from Connecticutplus.com.
The State charges that both companies sold, offered for sale, or distributed bedding products in Connecticut without being sanitized, and without proper law tags. If true, these allegations are grounds for license suspension or revocation, reprimand, civil penalty, or denial of license renewal.
"The regulation of bedding and upholstered furniture has a direct impact on public health and safety and is an issue we take very seriously," Consumer Protection Commissioner Jerry Farrell Jr. said in the report. "The requirements help ensure that products offered for sale in Connecticut are properly produced and sanitized to prevent injury and halt the potential spread of pests and illness."
Ellianna Bedding allegedly sold non-compliant products at Mario's Discount Furniture in New Haven. Industrial Mattress products were sold at Pepe's Furniture in Hartford.
December 27,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 28, 2009
Art Van Furniture, Warren, Mich., provided furniture for two Detroit-area families as part of the Yatooma Foundation's "Extreme Christmas Makeover."
The families received brand new furniture and a years worth of groceries, rent and utilities. The Extreme Christmas Makeover is organized by Yatooma's Foundation For The Kids, whose main mission is to assist children that have lost a parent. Art Van Furniture is matching donations to the foundation up to $25,000.
"The holidays are supposed to be about joy," said Art Van Elslander, chairman and founder of Art Van Furniture. "If I can put a smile on their faces, it warms my heart."
To learn about Art Van's upcoming charitable programs, click
here.
Yatooma's Foundation For The Kids is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing guidance, stability, and financial assistance to families with children who have suddenly lost one or both parents. For more information go to
www.forthekidsfoundation.org.
December 27,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 28, 2009
Porters Furniture Clearance Center in Wauwatosa, Wis., will close in a few months, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week.
The clearance center's parent company, high-end furniture store Porters of Racine, also has an uncertain future, Vice President Micah Waters said in the report.
"It's been challenging for furniture," said Waters, whose family expects to make a decision about what to do with the 152-year-old business after the holidays.
Porters Furniture Clearance Center began an inventory reduction sale this past weekend.
December 27,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Las Vegas on December 28, 2009
The Las Vegas Market has shifted back to summer dates for its second show in 2010. The summer 2010 market is set for August 2-6 at World Market Center.
In addition, the Winter 2011 Las Vegas Market is scheduled for Jan. 24-28, 2011. The moves are designed to drive additional sales opportunities and maximize efficiencies for buyers, sellers.
The new Summer 2010 Las Vegas Market will anchor an integrated mega-market that will be co-located with World Market Center's debut shows Gift + Home and Vegas Kids. Gift + Home and Vegas Kids will feature a dedicated but complementary date pattern of Aug. 4-7, 2010, including a weekend component.
In January 2011, the new market dates will maximize the value of World Market Center's strategic partnership with SURFACES, the floor coverings industry's leading event and InspireDesign, World Market Center's new hospitality design show, to create a winter mega-market. In years beyond 2011, Las Vegas Market plans on holding its Winter Market in a similar time frame of late January and early February based on calendar and strategic considerations.
"Our 'mega-market' approach, combined with the new Summer and Winter Las Vegas Market dates, an innovative new way to add value for our partners and empower businesses to increase their profitability in this new economy," said World Market Center Las Vegas President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Maricich. "This diversified model clearly meets the industry's need to cost-effectively generate new leads and sales by promoting cross-category activity among complementary industry sectors."
Maricich continued, "At a time when all businesses require introspection and must challenge themselves to create more value, we are proud to embark on strategic decisions that, based on input from many of our partners, optimize sales opportunities for their businesses and expand channels of distribution. As a privately held enterprise, World Market Center is truly a unique business platform, able to respond to our customers' needs quickly and decisively. We have always said we would do what is best for our customers and their customers. In this unprecedented environment, we are confident these strategic business decisions will benefit our entire industry."
The new dates and mega-market approach have the unanimous support of World Market Center's Advisory Board. The new market weeks also minimize staffing and travel considerations for exhibitors, retailers and designers whose event schedules will be simplified by the new and consolidated slate of events. The new schedule also reduces potential industry conflicts, allowing businesses to focus all of their attention on maximizing their returns during Las Vegas Market week.
"We are very pleased with the new dates announced for the Las Vegas Market," said Phil Haney, president and CEO of Lexington Home Brands. "We think these dates represent the optimal time for us to introduce new product to our dealers, while allowing them to take advantage of the exceptional hotel and travel values being offered in Las Vegas."
"An early August Las Vegas Market restores the natural rhythm for exhibitors and buyers who attend the winter market in late January," said Larry Woods of Powell Corp. "World Market Center has done a fantastic job of neutralizing the summer heat for our attendees, making it a non-issue. An early August date also allows time for our summer product introductions to reach retailers' floors before the holidays, which is a win-win for retailers and exhibitors."
"The earlier timing allows us to introduce new collections with enough time to be able to produce and ship the product before year end. This improves our sales potential in the current year and ensures the possibility of a reorder in the first quarter of the following year," said Ed Grund of A.R.T. Furniture.
"Everyone associated with Global Views is excited to have the Las Vegas Market dates move to early August," said company CEO David Gebhart. "Most importantly, our customers will be happy to get at least one more full turnover from the inventory they purchase during this earlier show. This move will also allow us to devote our undivided attention to making our showroom in Las Vegas our most exciting showroom around the country. The weekend of selling will also have a huge impact on our customers' reactions to this show. These are good business decisions for our entire industry."