Furniture vendors impressed with turnout at ABC
Expo, traditional furniture markets attract different customers, exhibitors say
-- Kids Today, 9/12/2007 10:14:00 AM
By Jeff Linville
The ABC Kids Expo offered thousands of products from more than 900 vendors and furniture represents just one of many categories on display at last week's ABC Expo in Las Vegas. Manufacturers, however, were pleased with the setting.
Only five weeks ago, the World Market Center hosted its summer furniture market. Exhibitors, however, said the close time frame didn’t bother them because the shows attract two very different customers.
The Las Vegas Market welcomed many medium to large retailers who buy goods by the container, but in return expect certain compensations like protected distribution over wide areas.
This was Young America’s third time at ABC, and the company was impressed by the retailers who come in. Kevin Bowman, vice president of sales, said he has found people to be very pleasant, excited about their industry and eager to shop.
Stanley Furniture doesn’t show at the WMC, so this is Young America’s West Coast market, Bowman said. The High Point showroom has 61,000 square feet, but the 1,600-square-foot space at the Las Vegas Convention Center stayed consistently busy, he said.
While many companies showed cribs, the furniture manufacturers didn't stop there. The collections included all the pieces needed to fill out the baby’s room and help parents transition the room for older kids.
Creations began last year as the infant/youth division of Home Meridian, which also owns Pulaski Furniture and SLF. While the company was expecting to grow quickly, “business has exploded,” said President Michael Schaffer.
The Summers Eve crib in black has been a hot seller, but Schaffer said he has been surprised with the success of its step-up Santa Barbara. The group has extra touches like the bed and armoire having book-matched cherry veneers. The crib retails for $699, while the armoire is $1,199 to $1,399.
Pulaski also has been having strong success at ABC and over the whole year with its Build-A-Bear line. The first collection debuted at the October 2006 High Point Market, with the second line, Li-Bear-ty, at the March market.
The first collection was so popular that Pulaski had to delay cuttings of the second group while it caught up on production, said Page Wilson, vice president of sales. With the furniture industry being a little soft this year, Wilson said he didn’t want to keep anyone waiting if they are having success.
Munire was named a top value in cribs for the third straight year by Baby Bargains. The company produced youth furniture in Indonesia for 18 years before developing its own line three years ago. It didn’t take long for people to take notice.
There are several manufacturers that have attractive, functional cribs, said Robert Omansky, Munire’s national sales director. However, some of the convertible cribs lose something in the translation, he believes. The pretty cribs aren’t that interesting as daybeds or twin beds, he said.
Instead, Munire engineers the goods backwards so they look great as a bed first, then get turned into a crib. The Savoy bed has a leather headboard that still works as a crib and retails between $599 and $649. A sleigh bed features burl inlays and pencil molding in the same price range. The whole convertible crib line is between $399 and $699.
Some cribs are very static, said Jeff Newberry, of Bassett Furniture’s Bassettbaby division. The new beds and case pieces have a lot of movement such as layered moldings and curved drawer fronts.
“We’re furniture makers, and it shows,” said Lex Bendall, Bassett vice president of the juvenile division.
Mark Katzman, president of Opus Designs, said he doesn’t feel like he is competing with the crib makers, but rather complements them. In case goods, a bed tends to have a lower margin because that’s the piece that sells the whole suite, said Katzman. Then, the manufacturers and retailers make more money on the dressers, night stands and student desks.
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