Manufacturers give July market high marks

By Lisa Casinger -- Kids Today, 9/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Exhibitors at the Las Vegas furniture market in July braved the sweltering heat to bring some new designs, colors and options to juvenile and youth retailers.

Youth suppliers in general were pleased with the market, although some in the temporary spaces in the Las Vegas Convention Center said signage and a designated kids area would go a long way in drawing traffic.

Vibrant colors were found on everything from bedding and furniture to kid-sized furniture and beanbags. California Kids debuted several collections ranging from Orbit, a young boys set featuring stellar icons on a deep blue background, to Twister, a polka dot set in hot hues of orange, pink and green for tweens.

Broyhill brought its Broyhill Kids collections to Vegas and announced it's adding an accessory program to the mix.

"We've had a lot of success here with our youth collections," said Mike McCollum, senior vice president merchandising, bedroom and dining room for Broyhill. "We're looking to expand our program with themed accessories like kid-sized furniture, lamps and wall décor."

The company had a few accessories at the market but expects to have a more developed roll out during the October International Home Furnishings Market in High Point.

The success of its Bedroom in a Box program prompted Powell to add another group, Laredo, to the mix, and Powell's executive vice president of merchandising and marketing, Sean Slack, said the manufacturer had a busy market.

"Retailers are responding to well this program," Slack said. "It's a great value, doesn't take much floor space to display and everything ships in one box."

California-based Hiatt Furniture offered stylish kid- and toddler-size chairs in sophisticated animal print fabrics, leathers and microfiber. The company also is working with Crypton fabrics and some of its kid-sized chairs will appear on "Oprah" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Khoury Kids debuted several new beds in its first permanent Vegas Kids showroom. The company previously had shown with other vendors but expanding into its own space allowed it to show much more product.

Several companies made their Las Vegas debut in July, including Levels of Discovery, which took a permanent showroom in Vegas Kids in the World Market Center and Color & Life, which showed in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Jeff Hutsell, owner of Levels of Discovery, was excited about the show and the new customers he'd see.

"The Las Vegas market lived up to our best expectations of our first show," Hutsell said. "Vegas Kids is a wonderful display with great fellow vendors and the orders written and contact made were beyond our expectations. We are happy we are there."

Color & Life is a San Diego-based company that debuted modern bedroom furniture for tweens and teens. Neva Kaye started the company with a retail store and the exclusive distribution rights to the European line and now is offering it wholesale. The furniture is available in lots of colors and has innovative storage options and space-saving features. Color & Life furniture is eco-friendly and has passed environment tests and certifications not only for its non-toxic paint but also its unique, honeycomb weave boards.

Opus Designs, whose line has grown to 13 groups with about 25 SKUs in each, showed in the LVCC but will move into the Pavilions for the January 2007 market and into a permanent showroom in Building C in mid-2008.

Marc Katzman, president of Opus Designs, said retailers have been impressed not only with the designs and styles but also with the value and shipping.

"We've been busy here, it's a good market for us," Katzman said.

Atlantic Furniture enjoyed a lot of foot traffic in its space, but Mark Valone, president of Atlantic, said better signage and maps would have made it much easier for his customers to find his booth. The company had success with its extra long bunks and beds and hopes to roll out its crib line at ABC this month.

The iBeanbag, from Reffini, features speakers and hookups compatible with MP3s, laptops and gaming systems. The chairs, which can be linked together, are available in eight colors in nylon or five colors in ultrasuede and retail for $199-$249; matching foot stools are $49.

Bunks & More is Khoury Kids' debut line of import bunks that complement its other case pieces. Though Khoury Kids' full line is available in more than 12 finishes, the Bunks & More collection is only offered in white or warm cocoa and retails for about $699.

A geometric, retro print graces the cloud chair and ottoman from Fun Furnishings, while these floor pillows come in black, trendy stripes or pink.

The Loft, a complete bedroom system, debuts from Color & Life. This patented line is eco-friendly and fits in a 9′ × 9′ space. It retails for about $2,800 and is available in 12 colors like the blue shown here.

Kid- and toddler-size chairs take a step up in style with Hiatt Furniture's offerings in wild animal prints, leather or microfiber, $199–$399.

Swazi is a new six-piece crib set from Kids Line featuring giraffes, elephants and zebras in earth tones of browns, greens and yellows.

Heyne Chair's ice cream set features a chair, $50, and table $80–100, with single and double dipped cones in fun colors.

Comfort Research's indoor/outdoor rocker, $90, is available in hot hues of pink, green, orange or blue.

Raymond Oak's boat style twin bed, $700, has a removable toy chest (complete with safety latch) at the "bow" and an under-the-bed storage or trundle sold separately.

California Kids' Chloe Two bedding features rows of turquoise blossoms with lamé feathering and a luscious organza, $559.

Creative Images has returned its Serenity collection to the product mix after a more than five-year hiatus. The wispy watercolor looks are available in a variety of framing treatments for ultimate customization.

Broyhill Kids added accessories to its youth line, like this kid-size table and chair set, $250.

Laredo, from Powell, has a rustic pine finish and the deep bottom drawers on the six-drawer chest fit the nightstand for shipping. The twin group retails for about $699.

The Avalon desk, chair and hutch, $399, from KidKraft is made from birch wood and is available in white or honey finishes.