September 5,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Executive Changes on September 6, 2011
JoAnn Miller-Marshall has been named executive vice president of AMC Tradeshows. AMC Inc. is parent company of AmericasMart Atlanta.
The move brings all AmericasMart home, gift and apparel and LIGHTFAIR International sales under her direction. The change additionally supports the growing link between gift, home and apparel, as evidenced in the new alignment of AmericasMarts fall home, gift, gourmet and apparel markets, with apparel running Oct. 1317 and home/gift/gourmet, staged Oct. 1416.
During Miller's 19-year AMC tenure, AmericasMart temporaries have grown under her leadership, notably through the addition of signature categories and collections and the expansion of a large and growing exhibitor base now occupying all exhibit halls across the AmericasMart campus.
"JoAnn has grown our tradeshow business nationally and globallynot only in sheer numbers of exhibitors and booths but in an equally important long list of innovations, including new categories, new programs and new ways of serving our customers," said Jeffrey L. Portman Sr., president and chief operating officer of AmericasMart Atlanta and AMC. "This advancement affirms her incredible gifts and talents and signals continuing growth for our tradeshows business."
September 5,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Aggregated Content in Legal on September 6, 2011
from http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5160981322&f=10761
Three people whose fingers were snipped off or injured by Martha Stewart patio chairs have won settlements against her company and Kmart, which sold the furniture, their attorney said Thursday.Des Moines attorney Guy Cook declined to say how much the
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September 5,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on September 6, 2011
Interior designer, author and makeover television personality
Libby Langdon has created a new, educational seminar series for the
High Point Market. The series, themed Lunch With Libby, is aimed at buyers and designers.
According to Langdon, who has teamed with
Braxton Culler to introduce her first licensed furniture collection this fall, the three-part seminar series focuses on the business of the business.
At a time when everyone is looking for ways to improve their bottom lines, I believe its incredibly important to share what I have learned in an effort to help others move forward," Langdon said. "For that reason, each of the three presentations is built around the strategies and tools that I have found successful in dealing with the common design dilemmas I encounter everyday working on projects with clients and consumers.
The first presentation takes place at the Braxton Culler showroom located at 310 South Elm Street (between Green Drive & Russell Avenue) Sunday, Oct. 23, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Sponsored by
Home Furnishings Business and entitled How We Really Live/What We Really Want: Insights from the Front Lines of Makeover Television, the presentation is a provocative, behind-the-scenes look at how consumers across America really live and insights into the best ways to appeal to the mass market consumer today.
Working in makeover television on shows like HGTVs Small Space, Big Style, The Rachael Ray Show, and NBCs Open House, has given me the opportunity to go in real peoples homes all across America, Langdon said. Seeing their design dilemmas first-hand, and sharing their hopes, dreams and fears, has inspired and informed my own designs, and convinced me that, as an industry, we can do a better job of connecting the dots for consumers.
Lunch will be served compliments of Braxton Culler and reservations are appreciated.
E-mail to reserve a seat. On Monday, Oct. 24, from noon-1:30 p.m., Langdon takes the stage Ballroom B, on the 11th floor of IHFC Green for Getting Published: Raising Awareness of Your Design Projects and Products, to share her insiders tips on how to become your own best PR person and grow your business profile.
In this informative and engaging presentation, Langdon, whos work regularly appears in the pages of the industrys best-known publications, as well as on a variety of leading broadcast outlets, shares her best tactics for reaching out to magazines, photographing projects and products, as well as targeting the ideal audience and demographic. Sponsored by the IHFC and the IFDA Carolinas Chapter, advance registration is recommended. $20 includes lunch and benefits the IFDA.
E-mail to register. Finally, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., Langdon concludes the series in the Braxton Culler showroom with Rise of the Interior Designer: What Furniture Retailers Can Learn.
At a time when many furniture stores are hungry for traffic, interior designers find themselves in high demand," Langdon said. "I believe there are reasons that consumers are turning to interior designers in increasing numbers, and that retailers can benefit from developing closer relationships with the design community.
Complimentary lunch will be served courtesy of Braxton Culler. Again, seating is limited and reservations are appreciated.
E-mail to reserve a spot.
September 5,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in on September 6, 2011
The International Casual Furnishings Association will hold its 2011 Annual Membership Meeting at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14, during the International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market in Chicago.
The meeting will be held in the conference center on the second floor of the Merchandise Mart. The agenda includes election of 2011 officers and directors, an update on ICFA activities, a public relations report and leadership update. An open forum will also be incorporated in the agenda for the ICFA membership to share ideas and input on the Associations future direction and activities.
A continental breakfast will be available in advance of the meeting, beginning at 7 a.m.
ICFA members and their guests also are invited to stop by the ICFA Member Lounge during the Sept. 12-15 market. The lounge is located in the Club Room, located on the southwest corner of the Merchandise Marts eighth floor. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept.12, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 13-14. On the closing day of the market, Thursday, Sept. 15, the lounge will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The ICFA Member Lounge will offer light refreshments as well as the opportunity to network with other members. Tickets to the Apollo Awards celebration will be for sale in the lounge, as well as DVDs of the Associations new sales training certificate program.
Prospective members are invited to visit the lounge to learn more about the benefits of membership in ICFA, which is open to manufacturers, retailers, sales representatives, designers and suppliers.
September 5,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on September 6, 2011
New York House magazine has presented an Innovative Green Design Award to Kincaid Furniture for its Homecoming collection.
Hudson, N.C.-based Kincaid, which produces solid wood case goods and custom upholstery, was singled out for its efforts to give consumers specific and substantiated data on the sourcing and production of its Homecoming furniture products. The independent panel of judges made up of experts in sustainable and eco-conscious home building, decor and furnishings products gave Kincaid with the IGDA Award for transparency in labeling.
In announcing the award, New York House reported, "As more 'sustainable' products come to the market, educating the consumer is crucial, the judges pointed out, because certain marketers are simply slapping a green label on their products rather than truly reducing their carbon footprints. The judges scrutinized each product for 'green washing' and other marketing gimmicks. As a counterpoint to this, the panel singled out one manufacturer, Kincaid Furniture, for its transparency in labeling. Kincaid's Eco3Home environmental footprint label describes all that went into the products manufacturing; its water, electricity, materials use, and waste created." One judge, Doug Mazeffa, research director for Greenopia, stated, "I wish every product in the world had that label."
Select furnishings in Kincaids Homecoming collection are the first in the furniture industry to be registered under the Eco3Home program, a multi-tiered initiative developed by the American Home Furnishings Alliance to help manufacturers communicate a product's safety, health and environmental attributes to consumers.
The program is backed by a series of educational materials including hangtags, in-store brochures, signage and a consumer Web site, www.eco3home.com, where shoppers can research the attributes of a particular piece of furniture in detail, review the environmental record of the manufacturer, and learn what participating companies are doing to safeguard consumer health and safety and improve environmental stewardship. Companies seeking Eco3Home product registration must complete AHFAs EFEC environmental management program and its Sustainable By Design program, which extends sustainable business practices to global operations including sourcing of raw materials and supply chain management before beginning the product design-specific environmental, safety and health inventories needed as part of the Eco3Home evaluation process.
Kincaid used Homecoming to help pilot the Eco3Home program and also set the path for virtually all future Kincaid collections. The company intends to make the Eco3Home evaluation and registration a part of each new collection it produces.