December 10,
2009 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 11, 2009
Tracy McClaren has joined Phoenix-based case goods, occasional and leather upholstery vendor aspenhome as vice president of human resources.
McClaren will direct and oversee all human resource related activities both domestically and in Asia. Her primary responsibilities are in the strategic areas of executive coaching and overall performance talent management where she will ensure that aspenhome is fully prepared to meet the business challenges and opportunities of the future.
Previously, McClaren worked with The Edmunds Group, GMAC and Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, N.C. She holds a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University and has completed the Society for Human Resources Management and American Society for Training and Development certificates.
"We are very fortunate to have someone with Tracy's experience join us as vice president of human resources," said Bill Colegrove, general manager and CEO of aspenhome. "Over the past 20 years she has worked at senior executive levels in a wide range of industries and organizations which will further enable us to continue being a leader in the furniture industry, not just in terms of product, but also in terms of people."
December 10,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 11, 2009
Retail sales rose 1.3 percent in November, marking the third increase in the past four months, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.
That's the good news. The bad news is that furniture sales dropped for the month. Apparel sales also declined.
Furniture-store sales dropped 0.7 percent, while sales at clothing stores fell 0.7 percent, the largest decline since June. Miscellaneous store sales dropped 1.8 percent.
Excluding the 1.6 percent rise in car sales, sales rose 1.2 percent, the fastest since January.
It was the strongest sales report since August when retail sales jumped 2.4 percent.
Sales at electronics stores rose 2.8 percent, the biggest increase since January. Sales at building-materials stores increased 1.5 percent, the largest rise since April 2008.
Sales at nonstore retailers like catalogs and online stores, increased 1.2 percent. Sales at general merchandise stores rose 0.8 percent.
Unlike last year, when the economic downturn caught everyone off-guard, retailers were able to plan ahead this holiday season with an eagle eye on low inventory and aggressive discounts, said Rosalind Wells, chief economist with the National Retail Federation. Retailers are encouraged to see momentum building in sales as they prepare for the final ten days before Christmas. Although November sales were encouraging, companies know that the holiday season is far from over and expect this year to come down to its usual photo finish.
December 9,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 10, 2009
Environment Inc., Los Angeles, announced Wednesday that designer Jean-Marie Massaud has joined the eco-friendly furniture vendor as creative director.
Massaud will design signature pieces and play an integral role in the future development of the brand.
Beyond his creative talent and design aesthetic, Environment CEO Davide Berruto tapped Massaud based on a shared vision of sustainability as an investment in better life surroundings, merging social responsibility and awareness with elegant functionality and easy-living.
"I share Massaud's belief that the role of a designer is not to design objects but to propose life-enhancing strategies," Berruto said. "This principle will make our partnership truly synchronistic and help take the Environment brand beyond home design to help develop more conscientious living on a much larger scale."
"Sustainability is an investment in quality, competence and timelessness for better life surroundings," Massaud said. "I am thrilled to be working with a brand that has built its name on just such a philosophy."
Massaud's first designs for Environment will launch in Spring 2010 and will be available at all Environment showrooms.
Designer and founder of Studio Massaud, Massaud has worked in design fields ranging from furniture to industrial product and equipment, to architecture and brand development. He has collaborated with various brands such as B&B Italia, Axor Hansgrohe, Dior, Poltrona Frau, Lancôme and Renault.
December 9,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 10, 2009
Components manufacturer Hickory Springs, Hickory, N.C., has named six "eco-oblivious" individuals as finalists to face off in the Hickory Springs "EarthCare Challenge." Finalists now advance on a 45-day sustainable lifestyle makeover for a chance to win their own collection of earth-friendly home furnishings.
The contest chronicles real, live challenges facing the contestants as they abandon their old ways and adopt an eco-friendly upgrade to their home and lifestyle. Taking place entirely on the Internet on social networking communities Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and EarthCareInside.com, The EarthCare Challenge highlights Hickory Springs' line of EarthCare Inside components for upholstered furniture.
The finalists, which were announced on Facebook, are:
* Ray Bariso, a business manager from Warren, N.J., who is considering cutting-edge products to make his home more energy efficient, such as solar panels and geothermal heating.
* My Bui, from Highland, Cali., a kinesiology major at California State University, who wants to lead by example by teaching her friends and family about the benefits of going green.
* Idona Cabrinha, a mother of two from Los Osos, Cali., who wants to take her love of gardening to a whole new level by growing her own food.
* Laura Dillon, a hairstylist from San Bernardino, Cali., who realizes she consumes more than her fair share of water and energy and wants to learn eco-friendly habits to help cut down on her cost of living.
* A performer from Clifton, N.J., who goes by "Justina," who pays little attention to the food she eats but wants to change that for the better, keeping the environment in mind.
* San Francisco resident Jackie Walker, a recent graduate from Cal Poly Pomona, who wants to practice eco-friendly habits to benefit her health.
"From a 23-year-old aspiring singer who doesn't recycle to a father of two looking to lower the impact of his 3,000-square-foot home, each one of our contestants can share a valuable lesson about what it means to be earth-conscious," said Hickory Springs Executive Vice President Dwayne Welch. "Just as we're showing with our EarthCare Inside components for the countrys leading furniture makers, positive change is possible--from the inside out."
Experts who specialize in the areas of green lifestyle, diet and eco-friendly home guide the contestants. Those include Cindy Ojczyk, LEED AP, owner of Simply Green Design, a residential design firm leading the interior design field in sustainability, and co-owner of Verified Green, a green building consulting and training firm; Michael Anschel, a nationally recognized expert on green remodeling, owner of Otogawa-Anschel Design-Build, a national award-winning firm known for the ability to produce high end design that is sustainable, and co-founder of Verified Green; and Amy Todisco, a green lifestyle writer, life coach and owner of GreenLivingNow.com, a green products ecommerce site.
Social media sites document their progress through daily tweets, photos, videos and other activities, as the public is invited to participate by voting for their favorite contestant and becoming a fan of designated online sites for a chance to win special discounts and prizes for themselves.
In January, Hickory Springs will award the grand prize to the contestant who has made the most dramatic makeover, taking home the title of green champion and a personal collection of EarthCare Inside home furnishings with a retail value of $5,000.
For more information on The Hickory Springs EarthCare Challenge, visit
earthcareinside.com and click on "Take the Challenge."
December 9,
2009 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on December 10, 2009
A Mississippi Ashley Furniture HomeStore licensee has teamed with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on for an episode being shot in Hattiesburg, WTOK-TV reported Tuesday.
Owners Beau and Adam Pennebaker have Ashley stores Meridian and Hattiesburg. They are donating furniture and accessories to a home makeover for the family of National Guardsman Sherman Heathcock, who is deployed in Iraq.
Store employees were on site Wednesday for the delivery of the furniture.