Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Atlanta Market Grows Seasonal Resources
November 6,
2019 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
The world’s largest permanent showcase of seasonal and faux botanical merchandise expands in January 2020 with two new showroom debuts and five major expansions and relocations set to open for The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, Jan. 14-21, 2020. These gains, together with 11 renewals, represent nearly 80,000 square feet of updates for the Seasonal/Gift category.
“At the Winter market, the seasonal and floral showrooms present an interactive experience for retailers and designers to explore a full range of trends in décor,” said Dave Savula, International Market Centers (IMC) executive vice president, president of Gift and Apparel leasing. “Growth from new, expanded and recommitted brands – in a market which already showcases more permanent exhibitors in more square footage of showrooms than any other market center in the world – ensures that buyers are seeing the full depth and breadth of the category in Atlanta.”
Two new showrooms debuts include Seasonal Abode (seasonal décor and home accents) in 4,000 square feet, and a joint, 1,000-square-foot showroom for Inner Beauty and Bent Brush Art (reverse hand-painted art ornaments and gifts). Three major expansions include Flora Bunda, which doubles to nearly 1,800 square feet; Holiday Bright Lights, which more than doubles to 3,600 square feet; and Raz Imports, which grows to nearly 17,000 square feet.
Additionally, two relocations include Floral Treasure and Santa’s Own. The 11 renewals include top brands AllState Florals, Select Artificals and Ganz Midwest-CBK plus Art Floral Trading, Egyptian Museum, Karen Didion Originals, Natural Star, Old World Christmas, Peter Priess, Unlimited Containers and Valencourt.
In total, the Seasonal/Gift collection features 120 exhibitors in nearly 500,000 square feet of showroom space. The merchandise mix includes a depth and breadth of gift and decorating product for retailers and commercial decorators, interior designers and event planners plus the nation’s largest collection of European holiday and artisan lines. It is augmented by the temporary Seasonal/Gift collection with more than 60 exhibitors.
Beyond exhibits, two sessions address top trends in floral design as part of the market’s educational offerings. Floral designer and event planner Canaan Marshall creates a floral centerpiece from start to finish that’s perfect for the spring season on Tuesday, Jan.14 at 2 p.m. Holly Chapple of Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD demystifies super-lush designs and demonstrates her line of floral mechanics and vases co-developed by Syndicate Sales in “Epic, Attainable Floral Design for All” on Friday, Jan. 17 at noon.
Held semi-annually at AmericasMart Atlanta, the Market attracts retailers and designers from every U.S. state and more than 60 countries. For the Winter 2020 staging of The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market, showrooms are open Tuesday, Jan. 14 – Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020 and temporaries are open Wednesday, Jan. 15 – Sunday, Jan. 19.