Lisa, Keith Covey here from Furniture Basics. First welcome to the fold. I know you have been doing this for awhile, but I thought you might like an outsiders look into the kids biz. I have been doing this kids thing for about 15 years. I started with VT Precision Woodworks, went on to a very successful run with PJ Kids, and then bought PJ Kids and started Furniture Basics with a Chinese partner just last year. I have to say I often laugh at Kids Today and the naive way they look at our business. I love some of the statements I see in print: "ABC is the biggest show of the year" is the one that caught my eye this week. The ABC show is an unfortunate example of retailers taking advantage of manufactures. It was not long ago their was a show called AISS which was assembaled from the lack of attandance shown to the NINFRA, BFP and USA Baby shows. It was great for the manufacture because it assembaled all of these meaningless (apart) groups into something still not meaningful, but easier to manage in terms of dollars. What happened from there was that the groups got greedy and decided it was more important for them to be paid off for requiring attendance of their groups than it was for them to be a meaninful part of the design, and future of their business. These groups walk away from the ABC show with hundereds of thousands of dollars in their pockets from guess who???? The manufactures they are supposed to be supporting. Now in all reality it is the largest show for the kids industry, but not because of the dollars written, but because of the over abundance of vendors. For the last 10 years there has only been about 500 worth while kids stores in the US. There are even less now (maybe 300) Take the amount of vendors and divide by the customers and you can see why most of the wood vendors see this as a total waste of time. Notice that the major youth furniture suppliers are absent as you walk this year. No Coaster, no Lea, no Standard. No, Bedtime, John Boyd, or Tradewinds. How can this show be so major when the highest dollar producing product in these youth stores in strangly missing from the show? The AISS show was crushed baout 5 years ago because a few vendors put $1,000 each into a pool (me included) to start a manufactures show. It worked, but when the reality of running a show came to pass there was Larry Schure hat in hand offering to take over the blossoming ABC Kids Expo. I was never so dissapointed in my vendor firends in my life, and now they get the oppertunity to be taken advantage of every year, by the same folks they show so much support for throughout the year. Strangly, I will be at ABC this year. But not in the convention center. I will be seated firmly in my space at the World Market Center not paying a dime for what traffic we may bring over. My hope as is the hope of a select group of manufactures is that we are able once again to crush this "retailers" show out of existance and again try and pull something together that looks more like a partnership. Just a few thoughts, sorry for the rambling. Come over to the World Market center and say hello. Keith Covey Furniture Basics 609-468-7216

Dear Lisa, With all due respect, Kieth Covey just doesn't get it. AISS was controlled exclusively by retailers, and charged exhibitors twice as much as ABC. The JPMA show was controlled exclusively by manufacturers and charged one and a half times ABC. The retail associations made more on their own shows and AISS than they do now from ABC, as did JPMA. ABC is a genuine partnership between retailers and manufacturers, established and managed for the benefit of both. It has resulted in the most economical and well attended show in our industry. By the way, Kieth is paying about four times the ABC per square foot cost for his permanent World Market Center space. But then, his venue is run by real estate developers. Michael J. Schaffer President Creations

Lisa, I would like to correct somthing I said in my previous rant on your blog. I mis-spoke when I said it was the retailers taking advantage of the manufactures regarding the ABC show. It is not the retailers themselves at all, but the groups that supposedly represent them that I feel are the problem. I must have hit a chord with ABC as Larry Schure called my office asking that I return my badge for the show (I guess I am un-invited). Now I have not attended the ABC show in a selling capacity in quite some time, but it does go to show that ABC and the heads of these groups can not accept anyone questioning what they believe is their inalienable right to keep a strangle hold on the juvenile specialty business. If nothing else I hope this controversy begins a discussion within our industry again about how we can work together to help each other succeed. I would have hoped that someone from ABC would have contacted me if this submission upset them. However, we would rather talk around each other than have frank discussions about the problems facing our industry. In response to Mike Schaffer. You are correct. I do not get ABC. I especially do not get where the proceeds from this show end up? I encourage you to stay at ABC among the gowing number of vendors and shrinking number of retailers. I will sit in my expensive showroom at the World Market Center, and hope that the INDEPENDANT retailers come over to talk with us at Vegas Kids. Not just in hopes of selling them something, but so we can talk about our business' and new ways to work together to help save our industry. Keith Covey Furniture Basics

Keith, Let me start by saying that as Executive Director of NINFRA I would have no problem with you questioning the beliefs of NINFRA or any other group for that matter. The problem I have is that instead of questioning you are actually accusing and fundamentally there is a difference. To make it worse your accusations are based on non-truths and miss information. If you truly have questions about NINFRA and what our beliefs are I invite you to call me at your convenience. In closing let me say that I am a believer of public forums and venues like blogs where people can express their opinions and beliefs. Unfortunately the down side is sometimes people like Mr. Covey use blogs to spread unfounded accusations and misguided beliefs as truth. I hope people who read this see his comments for what they are and if they have any further question I also invite them to give me a call. Rafael de Castro Executive Director NINFRA 225-927-0719

Timeout… Our industry has too much to lose to continue down this path. Creative Images strongly supports the Juvenile Specialty Industry and we attempt to demonstrate that support through service to our friends and retailers. In our view, service is making a good, reliable product and getting it to our retailers on time and undamaged. And, when things go wrong, taking responsibility and acting promptly to resolve the difficulty. But we also believe that "Service is Selection." The foundation of the Juvenile Specialty industry is selection. That is why we are opening our permanent showroom at 07:00 each morning during the ABC Show… to offer our friends, our retailers, an opportunity to select from our full line of almost 1,000 images. And, we will be showing at the ABC Show in space 3215. We will give out catalogs, fliers, and the password to www.art4kids.com where only you, our retailers, can access the pricelist. We will take orders…We will give a 5% discount for orders placed at the show… We will say "Hi" to those of you too hurried to stop… and we will hang roughly 30 images. Sure, they will be good images, but if you want to see almost everything in our line including the 100 new pictures that we just introduced in the last two months… if you want selection, you must come to the World Market Center. We simply do not have the time, staff or money to show 1,000 pieces in any temporary show. And, if you take the time to come to our World Market Center Showroom, we will double your discount as a way to say "Thank You!" Bottom line: Our permanent, 1,200 square foot Art4Kids Showroom in the World Market Center will be open to serve our customers. We have no agenda other than to offer the best and the broadest selection of art for kids anywhere… as Lisa so aptly put it, it is our "desire to bring something wonderful to our industry." Let's put this behind us and concentrate on selecting the best products that we can find! Coffee is on… See you at 07:00! Ken Phillips

Now that the ABC show is over, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of the retailers who made the effort to come and see Furniture Basics at Vegas Kids in the World Market during the show. As I had hoped, every retail group: BFP, USA Baby, and NINFRA were represented in our showroom, and I thank them for having the courage to stand up and do what is right for your business, and deny those at ABC the ability to try influence your business decisions. For Furniture Basics this show was a huge success, and I thank you for you comments of encouragement and your show of support in terms of orders. I look forward to seeing you next year at Vegas Kids. Keith Covey Furniture Basics

Keith, I’ve been meaning to respond to your recent notes and finally have the time to do so. Over 4,000 buyers representing more than 2,000 retailers attended the 2007 ABC show. This is a 40% increase over last year, and a new attendance record. We were constantly working with customers from 9:00 AM Friday until 4:00 PM Monday. And this was typical, I think, of most exhibitors. Not bad for a show you predicted to have “a shrinking number of retailers”. And this was without the benefit of major exhibitors like Coaster, Tradewins, and Lea. We had to settle for Stanley, Pulaski, Shermag, and about 60 other youth furniture manufacturers. Perhaps we benefited from the overflow from WMC. By the way: -Larry Schur didn’t come to us. We came to him. And we are very proud of having obtained a world class President and Executive Director. - ABC’s finances are an open book. We run one of the least expensive trade shows in any industry. Our contributions to K.I.D.S., The American Red Cross, and other charities are a matter of public record. As is our “Early and Often” campaign to level the playing field for the independent retailer. -Someone from ABC did respond to your original submission, me. Michael J. Schaffer President Creations Director and Founding Chairman All Baby& Child PS: Congratulations on seeing representatives of three of the “meaningless” (your word) retail groups. Maybe with the extra ABC show day next year I’ll be able to come over and visit too.

Keith, I have been a bit busy lately, so I have not had a chance to respond to your ridiculous blog. However, I think that Mr. Schaffer, Mr. de Castro and Mr. Phillips did a good job in setting you and the record straight. Since you decided to use my name specifically in your blog, I'll just provide a couple brief comments: 1. My last name is spelled SCHUR, not Schure. 2. I do not own a hat - never have! I think it's time we all get back to work and do something productive and useful to benefit our industry. Larry Schur, President All Baby & Child, Inc.

Unfortunately there has become little difference between the ABC show and the old JPMA shows for the independent specialty store.

Keith, where can I buy Furniture Basics furniture? I have some of the P.J. Kids pieces in my son's room, and now want a twin bed to match, but I can't find anything online telling me where to buy.

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