October 13,
2008 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 2008
The Interhall at High Point’s International Home Furnishings Center has added 19 new exhibitors for next week’s High Point Market.
Interhall’s mix of 60 exhibitors in almost all furniture and accessory categories focuses on innovative companies offering products at medium-high to high-end price points.
New Interhall exhibitors include:
• ARIN International, IH500: sophisticated rustic dining, bedroom and living room furniture made from 100 percent reclaimed materials.
• Barbara Cosgrove Lamps, IH507: transitional, classic and “traditional with a twist” styles, specializing in nouveau-traditional lamps.
• Brazil Baroque, IH307: established in the United States by Rio de Janerio-born architect and designer Andrea Fonseca, features handcrafted furniture and accessories.
• DB Sources Inc, IH311: 6-year-old company offering upscale accessories handmade from natural and exotic materials indigenous to Southeast Asia.
• Design Workshop, IH102: industrial and contemporary styles in home furnishings and store fixtures.
• Diana Font Artworks, IH114: bench-crafted functional artwork from renewable materials.
• Eloquence, IH401: 6-year-old company offering ragged, timeworn antique pieces in a boutique reproduction line.
• Gloster, IH206: high-end exterior furnishings in a variety of materials including teak, stainless steel, woven man-made wicker, aluminum and sling in collections of deep seating.
• Halo Styles, IH212: case goods, leather upholstery, accessories and eclectic lifestyle furnishings in traditional and transitional styles.
• Intarsio LLC, IH203: Italian for “inlay,” Intarsio offers a line of classic Northern Italian furniture handcrafted from precious woods by master artisans.
• Luna Bella, IH110: retrospective handmade furniture, lighting, clocks and home accessories incorporating hand-blown glass and hand-forged steel.
• Notre Monde, IH502: three main product lines include Urban Glamour, with mirror and silver-leaf finishes; Bistro, inspired by a Parisian bistro; and Modern Loft, which incorporates printed images on clean, simple pieces.
• Nuvello, by Antiqua Furniture, IH505: a bold, contemporary new line of furniture from a source of custom, bench-made furniture and architectural wood products.
• Old Java, IH407: furniture that expresses a design focus on family heirlooms in reclaimed old teak to combine with other natural, non-toxic materials.
• Regina-Andrew Design, IH301: artful blends of antique and modern influences, with added highlights of coastal and countryside styles with a focus on good environmental stewardship.
• TerraSur Inc., IH601. TerraSur is a new company based in Seattle with manufacturing in the northern Argentina pampas. The company offers a complete line of handcrafted middle- to high-end furniture for the home.
• Tomasini Fine Linens, IH611: Tomasini line includes traditional, contemporary, transitional and custom designs in bed linens, covers, pillows, dust ruffles, panels, tabletop and cut yardage.
• White Fine Furnishings, IH201: line includes a 35-piece collection of bench-made, hand-painted accent furnishings; each piece available in 14 colors, with finish and trim options.
• Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design, IH202: sophisticated, glamorous and fashion forward collection of furniture, wallpapers and accessories inspired from old Hollywood history, the lush and wild California landscape, and the “high-style” inherent in Los Angeles.
Three new permanent exhibitors will be taking space on the first floor of IHFC, in perimeter spaces of InterHall:
• African Market’s Trophy Room, IH400: quality African décor, including real zebra rugs, cow hides, impala, springbok, kudu, wildebeest, gemsbok, warthog, lion rugs and trophy mounts.
• Bobo Intriguing Objects, D107: Belgian-inspired home furnishings made in Europe using organic, reclaimed and repurposed materials.
• Village Square Home Interiors, D119: beautiful and functional handcrafted, high quality furniture inspired by unique antique pieces.
InterHall will again feature four Showcases that provide buyers a taste of what awaits in these IHFC exhibitors’ much larger showrooms elsewhere in the complex:
• Incanto Group, IH607: featuring the Giovanni Sforza Home Luxury Collection. • Kincaid Furniture Co., IH106: the Laura Ashley Collection.
• Stanley Furniture Co., IH305: market debut of the Coastal Living Collection.
• Vaughan-Bassett, IH404: Two new collections from Alexander Julian.
October 13,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Case Goods on October 2008
Linwood Furniture, Lexington, N.C., has been forced to lay off workers in the face of difficult economic and retail conditions, according to a report Monday in the The Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.).
After laying off 12 temporary production positions two weeks ago, seven full-time employees were laid off last week. The case goods manufacturer now has 113 employees.
Bob Shaak, Linwood’s president and CEO told the paper he has never seen the situation so bad in his 37 years in the furniture industry.
“Based on the unprecedented economic and retail environment in which we are in, it was imperative that we scale our manufacturing to reflect the amount of business we are doing in order to remain competitive,” he said in the report. “Our manufacturing needs to be in line with our sales volume.”
Linwood Furniture rejuvenated the former Lexington Home Brands Plant No. 2 when it started case goods production in 2006.
Shaak remained optimistic, though, noting that Linwood now has 165 accounts and 28 sales representatives.
Linwood will introduce two new collections, Louis Philippe and Charlton House, at next weeks October High Point Market. The company shows at 1690 English Rd.
October 12,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on October 2008
A private pilot walked away from a crash after striking a Mor Furniture delivery truck on a highway while attempting to land at an airport in Fresno, Calif., Saturday night, according to published reports.
According to the
Press Democrat of Santa Rosa, Calif., debris from the accident was strewn for hundreds of feet alongside the crash site. While approaching the runway, the plane’s landing gear collided with the truck’s cargo area, shearing off a large portion of the roof, and the plane struck the ground about 25 feet short of the runway at Sierra Sky Park. There were no injuries.
According to press reports, the unidentified pilot told officials he thought the plane had sufficient altitude when it struck the truck.
Fresno Fire Battalion Chief Chuck Tobias said, “This is the first time I’ve seen an airborne vehicle hit a passing vehicle.”
October 12,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 2008
According to a recent survey, nearly 11 million American homes feature a “Man Cave,” a room with male-centric décor that is used for entertaining or hiding out.
According to the survey commissioned by Bill Me Later, which offers online payment and marketing solutions, nearly half of Man Cave dwellers spend more than 11 hours a week in their space, which are often outfitted with large-screen televisions, surround sound, gaming consoles, sports memorabilia and mini refrigerators. The survey showed that more than 10 percent of respondents reported spending more than $10,000 to furnish their Man Cave with items ranging from televisions to pool tables.
Bill Me Later, Timonium, Md, reported its survey results as it kicked off a seven-week contest that will award $15,000 in prizes to the person who submits the most compelling reasons why he should be awarded the grand prize at
www.iwantmymancave.com . The grand prize, which will be awarded Dec. 2, includes merchandise from several Bill Me Later retail partners, including Dicks Sporting Goods, Lenovo and Tiger Direct.
“The Man Cave is quickly becoming a common room in today’s homes,” said Chris Williams, vice president of marketing, Bill Me Later. “Bill Me Later makes it easier to get everything you need for a Man Cave, from furniture to electronics.”
October 12,
2008 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Delivery on October 2008
Berkline has established stocking centers on the West Coast and the East Coast, the 75-year-old recliner and upholstery maker announced Monday.
“The stocking program meets dealers’ needs by putting our best-selling items in locations that enable us to serve the entire country more quickly,” said Bruce Sinning, Berkline’s vice president of merchandising.
Ontario, Calif., is the West Coast distribution center location, and Berkline’s headquarters in Morristown, Tenn., will serve the eastern half of the United States.
Orders sent directly from China to the West Coast center in Ontario can, at dealers’ preference, be picked up at the site or shipped to their locations. The same option is available for dealers in the east from Berkline’s Morristown manufacturing facility.
“On the West Coast, instead of buying a whole container and getting your order in eight to 10 weeks once it arrives in the U.S., dealers can now receive it in two days to three days,” Sinning said. “This allows smaller dealers to use the program without having to buy whole containers, or dealers can use our stocking center to supplement their container purchases.”
Shipped out of Morristown through the stocking program are: four motion upholstery groups; one home theater collection and two reclining chairs. The Ontario center stocks the following: seven motion upholstery groups, three home theater collections and six reclining chairs.