Furniture News
March 4th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Habersham, based in Toccoa Georgia, has completely renovated and redesigned it’s Market Square 142 showroom at the High Point market. The new showroom design will allow them to better showcase the companies hand styled line and their growing capabilities in the furniture, bath, dressing room, kitchen and cabinetry arenas.
Barbara Garrison with Dalton and Associates, Inc. in High Point designed the new showroom that includes highlights such as a New York loft environment at the entry. In this area, contemporary art will be combined with other modern eclectic accessories will be merchandised together with Habersham furniture, upholstery and cabinetry products.
The next area has the look and feel of an open air Paris antique market and will be filled with antiques, accessories and architectural elements. The area will also feature a wide selection of Habersham’s grand scale and accent pieces in a selection of hand styled and decorated pieces.
There will also be a special design center that will offer lots of tables and workspace for reps, designers, dealers and clients to have meetings and discuss design projects. Besides all the other additions, there will be two new kitchen displays and a master bath area.
By slone
March 2nd, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
The American Society of Furniture Designers recently announced that it is now accepting submissions for their 2010 competition of the Pinnacle Design Achievement Awards. The awards are the equivalent of the Academy Awards in the home furnishings industry honoring excellence in design.
Finalists and winners of the Pinnacle Awards are recognized across the industry for their innovative and stylish designs. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2010 and will include the new addition of the Green Leaf Award which will honor not only design, but sustainable design as well.
This years panel of judges will include Gary Evans from Furniture Today, Sheila Long O’Mara Home Furnishings Business and Chuck Portaro with Furnitureland South. Details of Pinnacle categories, eligibility, entry requirements and other information is available for download at www.asfd.com.
By slone
February 28th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
A former La-Z-Boy showroom will soon be transformed into a Godwin’s Furniture and Mattress store. The showroom located on Linden Road in Flint, Michigan will be the seventh store for the company. The 24,000 square foot location is expected to open late next month and will include a La-Z-Boy Comfort Studio that will be around 6,000 square feet.
The new store will be the Saginaw, Michigan based companies second store to open in just four months. Godwin’s operates two stores located in Saginaw and has stores in Midland, Owosso, Lindwood and Mount Pleasant as well. Godwin president stated that even though business conditions are poor, the new location was a good opportunity.
By slone
February 27th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
The legislators in Mississippi are reconsidering a bill that will provide much needed tax breaks in the furniture industry. It’s a second try for a proposal like the one that was earlier vetoed by Governor Haley Barbour at the surprise of the furniture industry.
The new bill includes some major differences that might make it more appealing to Governor Barbour. The new legislation that has already been passed by the Ways and Means committee will provide employers with a $2,000 tax break for all new hires and cut and sew jobs.
The earlier bill would have given that tax break to all cut and sew employees and would have cot an estimated $11 million. If passed the new bill will also require employees to work 35 hours weekly in order to qualify for the break.
By slone
February 26th, 2010 at 11:06pm
Under Furniture News
Eight new exhibitors have signed to create permanent showrooms in InterHall at the International Home Furnishings Center. The new showrooms have added a big boost to the existing ones making a total of 12 permanent showrooms for the center.
Officials stated that the growing number of additions reflects how popular the 64,000 square foot space is. The space is seen as an area within the International Home Furnishings Center that gives new companies that have cutting edge products a good presence at the High Point market.
The newly signed exhibitors include Barclay Butera Home, Furniture Your Way, Kingsley-Bate and GrassRoots Imports. The existing exhibitors were Bobo Intriguing Objects, Noir Trading, Julian Chichester and Sunpan Modern Home.
By slone
February 19th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Intercon, a solid wood home furnishings source is launching a new division called Heritage Brands. The division was created last year and aimed toward a lower to medium price point. The collection includes solid wood bedroom furniture, entertainment collects and casual dining pieces.
Heritage Brands will be launching three bedroom sets in a program that is called Solid Classics. Shaker Simplicity features the Shaker styling and two Louis Phillipe sets will include hand carving. All of the pieces are made from solid birch.
There will also be eight new casual dining sets that include chinas, servers and bar stools. A Mission style group that has a sideboard is also included in the new collections. Heritage Brands is also offering consumers a custom dining program that is built in the U.S. which is two collections, one made from solid American hickory and the other made from American cherry.
By slone
February 17th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
Steelcase Inc. recently laid off 65 employees at the company’s Gaines Township wood plant. And, another 85 jobs are in jeopardy if the volume of orders don’t improve. The reduction in orders at the company has created layoffs that have only left 335 employees working at the plant.
Aside from the 65 layoffs, there was another 35 employees that received a 30 day extension of their Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter. And, 50 more employees received their WARN notice that gave them a 60 day range.
According to the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, the demand for office furniture led to an an estimated 30.2 percent drop in production last year. The forecast for 2010 continues to be sluggish with an estimated 4.6 percent drop in production.
By slone
February 15th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
I.O. Metro, a youthful retailer is opening it’s second store in the Memphis, Tennessee area and has plans to make more expansions later in the year. The company now has 16 stores and will be opening two more in the Kansas City market during the second quarter. The company also has plans to enter the Atlanta, Georgia market during the third quarter with 3 stores.
The Rogers, Arkansas based company is opening a 15,000 square foot showroom in collierville at the Avenue at Carriage Crossing. The mid-priced retailer has stores located in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. And, is listed in Furnniture/Today’s Beyond the Top 100 report.
By slone
February 13th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
With the economic climate starting to improve and two new distribution centers already open, Rooms To Go has announced plans to open 16 new stores. These new stores represent the biggest push in growth the company has seen in the past three years.
The company has scheduled the stores to open over the next 18 months. While 16 new stores will open, the company’s store count will only go up by around a dozen stores. The remaining stores are going to be replacement stores which will convert some of the oldest and smallest stores in to updated formats.
Around half of the company’s net growth will be in Texas, which will include two new markets that have yet been identified. Florida will be getting 3 of the new stores and others will be located in Georgia and Alabama. Estimated sales for the Top 100 company came in at around $1.35 billion in 2009. That amount dropped about 11 percent from the prior year.
By slone
February 11th, 2010 at 07:00am
Under Furniture News
As part of the Pinnacle Awards for the design of home furnishings, the American Society of Furniture Designers will be bestowing a Green Leaf award this year. The award will be presented to the best sustainable furnishings design from this years list of entries. And, it will be awarded to a single winner that will be chosen from three finalists.
Entries for the award can be in any of the 15 product categories that are recognized in the Pinnacle competition. All of the entries will be reviewed by the panel of Pinnacle judges and may also be reviewed by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.
The Pinnacle Awards were created by the ASFD in 1995 as a way to honor and promote design quality and encourage some recognition for furniture designers. Entry information for the new Green Leaf award will be posted on the asfd.com website later this year.
By slone
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