Archive for August 9th, 2007
By HOLLI DEAL BRAGG
hbragg@statesboroherald.com
912-489-9414
Two men spotted loading up furniture from a university-area apartment Monday weren’t moving out - they were stealing the furniture, police said.
Statesboro Police John Allen Smith, Advanced Patrol Officer Sebastian Colquitt and Det. Ken Scott responded to a call about a burglary at Cambridge at Southern Apartments around 11:45 p.m. Monday, said Capt. L. C. Williams. They found two men “loading furniture from the apartment into the back of a truck that was backed up to the breezeway of the building.”
Witnesses confronted the men, and when someone called police, one of the suspects fled. The other was detained, and when Scott began investigating, he identified the suspect as Stephen Lee Webb, 21, who lives in another apartment at the complex, Williams said.
Webb was arrested on burglary charges, but the other suspect, whom police know only by the name “Anthony,” is still at large, he said.
”Anyone with further information on ‘Anthony,’ a white male with blond hair and a slender build, approximately 5′6″ to 5′8″ in height … is encouraged to call Det. Scott at the Statesboro Police Department,” he said. “All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.” The department number is 764-9911.
Webb was taken to the Bulloch County Jail, where he was held Wednesday evening without bond, according to jail records.
August 9th, 2007
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c65103) has announced the addition of Major Appliances and Kitchen Furniture Market in Japan to their offering.
After a decline during the 1997-2003 period, the market for household appliances is recovering since 2004 and probably will reach again the 1997 level (22 million units) between 2006 and 2007.
This market research report studies the major appliances and kitchen furniture market in Japan. International trade is broken down by product (Refrigerators and freezers, Microwaves, Ranges/hobs and ovens, Clothes washers and driers, Dishwashers, Hoods).
ADVERTISEMENT
Profiles of the main Japanese appliances manufacturers include: Matsushita Electric Industrial - Panasonic, Hitachi, Sanyo Electric, Sharp Corporation, Daikin Industries, Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba.
The chapter on distribution of major appliances outlines the main distribution channels and provides short profiles of the leading distribution chains
The second (and somewhat smaller) part is dedicated to the kitchen furniture market in Japan. Production and consumption are given in value and quantity for 2002 and 2006
A short company profile of the top 5 players present in the Japanese kitchen furniture market is included, for the companies Sunwave, Cleanup, JS Group (Tostem, Inax), Takara Standard, Matsushita Denko (Matsushita Electrical).
In the last chapter one finds a few notes on the kitchen furniture distribution, a list of trade fairs and magazines and a qualitative description of the typical Japanese kitchen.
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c65103.
August 9th, 2007
By MARY BETH BRECKENRIDGE
Akron Beacon Journal
Maybe it’s time to give your outdoor furniture a midsummer cleaning.
Gloster Furniture, an outdoor furnishings company, recommends avoiding harsh chemicals that can harm the finish, just as you would with indoor furniture. Gloster offers these tips for cleaning and protecting furniture:
Teak: Use the mildest cleaner possible, because strong cleaners can alter natural teak oils and remove the soft grain. A nontoxic teak protector with a water-based formula can protect against stains. To keep the wood from splitting because of sudden, extreme changes in temperature and humidity, store teak in winter in an area such as a garden shed or garage rather than a heated room.
Woven: Use a nontoxic water-based cleaner and follow label instructions carefully. Don’t use a foaming cleaner, which can leave dirt-attracting residue in gaps in the weave. You can spray woven furniture with a garden hose but not a pressure washer, which could damage it.
Metal: Many stainless steel, aluminum and wrought-iron frames can be cleaned with water and mild soap, if they’re certified rust-resistant or rust-free. If not, use paste wax to protect the furniture from corroding or rusting. If brown spots appear on stainless steel, use a mildly abrasive plastic cleaning pad to gently rub the surface of the steel in the direction of the brushed finish. Covering metal furniture when it’s not in use or storing it indoors will protect it from sun and weather.
August 9th, 2007
CAMDEN, SC (WIS) - The rash of patio furniture theft may be coming to an end.
Officers of the Camden Police Department have arrested Michael Eugene Caison, 33, of Columbia. He has been charged with two counts of grand larceny, in connection with July 9th and July 18th robberies at La Fiesta in Camden.
Caison was arrested Tuesday afternoon. He was questioned after a lieutenant with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department located a stolen trailer out of Camden. Officers say the investigation led to Caison, who then confessed to stealing the furniture and selling it.
Chief Floyd says Caison has confessed that he is responsible for two thefts of patio furniture in Columbia as well. A spokesperson with the Columbia police says they’ll be charging Caison with two counts of grand larceny in connection with thefts at Al Amir and Za’s.
Posted by Chantelle Janelle
August 9th, 2007
Big retailers will preview product set for introduction at Oct. 1-7 market
HIGH POINT — The High Point Market Authority today identified 16 companies that will participate in premarket, set for Aug. 20-21.
The informal event brings big retailers to High Point to preview new product planned for the fall market here, which takes place Oct. 1-7.
The companies on HPMA’s list are:
• American Drew
• Bernhardt Furniture
• Hammary Furniture
• Hooker Furniture
• Kincaid Furniture
• Lea Inds.
• Legacy Classic
• Magnussen Home
• Progressive Furniture/Royal Patina
• Pulaski Furniture
• Riverside Furniture
• SLF (Samuel Lawrence Furniture)
• Stanley Furniture
• Universal Furniture
• Vaughan-Bassett Furniture
• Wynwood Furniture
August 9th, 2007
Gary Evans — Furniture Today,
NASFM cites what it calls areas of agreement, urges moving forward together
WASHINGTON — The National Assn. of State Fire Marshals has endorsed a plan set forth recently at an American Home Furnishings Alliance-sponsored meeting to create a mandatory federal fire-safety standard for upholstered furniture.
The NASFM, which represents senior fire officials nationwide, also said it supports the furniture industry’s backing of a legislative amendment that would allow the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to function for the next six months with two instead of three members. The CPSC needs a chairman, and isn’t expected to get one soon.
John C. Dean, NASFM president, said last week many fire organizations want President Bush to nominate former New York Fire Administrator James Burns as CPSC chairman. Bush has floated the name of Michael Baroody, a top lobbyist for the National Manufacturers Assn., as a possible nominee, but that is being opposed by groups that don’t think he would be an effective advocate for consumers.
In an e-mail to Furniture/Today, the NASFM said the July 25 meeting hosted by the AHFA in Arlington, Va., is a clear message the furniture industry acknowledges the following:
• “The Upholstered Furniture Action Council’s voluntary standard no longer is appropriate. We agree. While some reductions in losses (from upholstery fires) have been achieved, the losses remain at 10 deaths a week.
• “Mandatory, national approaches serve all interests. Again, we agree.
• “Third-party testing is critical to enforcement. We completely agree. By turning to Underwriters Laboratories, the industry has recognized the value of utilizing the resources of a national recognized testing laboratory operating under the rules of the American National Standards Institute.
• “Environmental considerations are important. We are especially pleased to see the industry working with Friends of the Earth. The furniture industry’s support of FOE may lead to greater cooperation on ending illegal forestry practices and addressing important worker safety issues such as those related to the use of TDI in the manufacturing of polyurethane foam.”
NASFM said it is “most appreciative” that leading home furnishings retailers and manufacturers continue to work with it on some short-term safety solutions, especially in the areas of transportation and the safety of stores and warehouses.
In addition, the organization said that, in coming weeks, “we expect that a report on the federal investigation of the Charleston, S.C., Sofa Superstore fire will be released, and we will have a fresh chance to discuss the very poor fire performance of products containing polyurethane foam. As a sign of good faith, AHFA and NASFM worked together to demonstrate our joint commitment to public safety as the news media descended on that tragedy. Those sad moments are a model for how we should move forward together.”
August 9th, 2007
— Furniture Today,
He also repped Bernhardt, Simmons uph., Knob Creek, became turnaround specialist
SAN ANTONIO — Industry veteran Spence Warren, a sales representative and later a founder and president of North Carolina upholstery maker Perfection Furniture, has died here. He was 78.
His began his career in the 1950s as a manufacturer’s rep based in Kansas City, Mo., initially covering Kansas, Nebraska, western Iowa and western Missouri for Bernhardt Furniture and its Flair upholstery division. Later, he repped the living room division of Simmons, and also Knob Creek.
In the mid-’60s, Warren and the Sigmon brothers launched Perfection, which had factories in Claremont and Hickory, N.C. Warren sold his interest in the mid-’70s, but returned to the company in the mid-’80s. Perfection, now defunct, subsequently was sold to a German investor.
Warren served as a director of the National Assn. of Furniture Manufacturers, a predecessor of the American Home Furnishings Alliance.
He later became a turnaround management specialist, working with such companies as Franklin Furniture of Columbiana, Ohio, and Pontiac Furniture of Pontiac, Ill.
Warren subsequently was named president of Seth Thomas Clocks. Later, he became a business school administrator at Georgetown University in Washington and Rice University in Houston.
Survivors include his wife, Jane; sons, Robert R. Warren and Bryan C. Warren; and two grandchildren. Robert Warren has been a rep for Simmons, Hickorycraft, LeatherCraft and Stanley.
Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 404 N. Alamo, San Antonio, Texas 78205, or to the American Cancer Society.
August 9th, 2007
– Furniture Today,
DOC application pertains to its three upholstery plants in Mississippi
BELDEN, Miss. — Lane Home Furnishings is asking the federal government to create Foreign Trade Zones for its three upholstery plants in the Tupelo area so it can receive certain fabrics duty free for use in cut-and-sewn kits and finished goods.
The factories employ 3,300 workers and produce up to 1.3 million sofas, chairs and recliners a year. The plants, which also make the cut-and-sew kits, are in what is called Foreign Trade Zone 158 in the Vicksburg-Jackson region.
Lane’s application requests that the company be able to obtain foreign-made microdenier suede fabrics duty free. It plans to ship finished goods both domestically and to export markets.
Duties on these fabrics range from 2.7% to 17.2%, according to a notice published in the Aug. 3 Federal Register. Len said money saved on duties will make its products more competitive in a global marketplace.
The application pertains only to the use of foreign-made microdenier suede fabrics finished with a caustic soda process, which Lane said are not produced by U.S. mills. The FTZ application would not apply to other imported fabrics it uses in its products.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is inviting public comment on Lane’s application. Submissions, including an original and three copies, should be addressed to the Foreign Trade Zone Board’s executive secretary at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Room 2111, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20230-0002. The deadline is Oct. 2.
August 9th, 2007
A brother and sister who allegedly tried to smuggle 513 pounds of marijuana inside pieces of furniture were arrested Friday at the Paso del Norte Bridge, Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday. The drugs, in 460 bundles, were stashed inside a sofa and other furniture in the bed of a 2001 Dodge Ram pickup, officials said.
The driver, Miriam Molina Macias, 31, and the passenger, Molina Macias’ brother German Molina Macias, 28, both of Juárez, were arrested. Molina Macias’ 11-year-old son was turned over to a relative.
Louie Gilot
August 9th, 2007
By Caroline Fossi (Contact)
Store to be opened in Summerville to take advantage of growth in area
Local furniture retailer Harry Gregorie got a bird’s-eye view of Summerville’s explosive growth during a recent small-plane trip over the area.
During the flight, he said he was struck by the vast number of new homes and neighborhoods cropping up around the town. “It’s just unbelievable,” said Gregorie, president of Charleston-based GDC Home.
The upscale home-furnishings company is hoping to tap into that residential boom, targeting Summerville for its fourth area location.
GDC plans to open a store this fall in North Main Market, located off U.S. Highway 17-A, also known as North Main Street and one of the town’s main shopping drags. The complex is anchored by a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a Lowe’s home-improvement warehouse and a Belk department store, and is across the street from the Azalea Square Shopping Center, home to a number of big-box stores.
The furniture retailer will move into half of a former Winn-Dixie supermarket that has been vacant for several years. If renovations go smoothly, the company hopes to be open there before Thanksgiving, Gregorie said.
The new store will carry wooden and upholstered furniture, drapery and upholstery fabrics, lighting, bedding, home accessories and area rugs. Brand names will include Lee Industries, Vanguard Furniture, Hooker Furniture and Pine Cone Hill. The company offers direct import pricing for many of its imported pieces.
At 23,000 square feet, the Summerville location will be roughly the size of GDC’s recently remodeled Mount Pleasant store. The company also operates a 44,000-square-foot store in West Ashley and a small interior design center near Kiawah and Seabrook islands.
Many of the retailer’s customers come from Summerville and the surrounding Dorchester and Berkeley counties. Given the area’s growth, the company expects to attract new patrons as well.
“We feel like there’s a need for our product,” Gregorie said.
The retailer plans to hire about 16 people for sales floor, customer service and stockroom positions.
GDC’s expansion comes at a time when many home-furnishings companies are struggling in the face of a sluggish national housing market. But Gregorie remains upbeat about the Charleston region’s prospects. The area, he said, “is not in dire straits.”
Between July 2004 and July 2005, Dorchester County added almost 5,700 new residents, a growth rate of more than 5 percent, making it one the nation’s 100 fastest- growing counties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Today, it’s home to roughly 120,000 people.
What’s more, the new store will be in a high-traffic area that’s also a “retail mecca,” Gregorie said, pointing to a number of big-name retailers nearby, including discounter Target and electronics seller Best Buy. The Lowe’s store next door to GDC’s future location is the top sales generator among that chain’s five Lowcountry locations, he added.
Billy Walker, owner of North Main Market, said GDC would be a good fit for the shopping center and Summerville.
The area has few upscale home furnishings shops, Walker noted. “I think (the arrival of GDC) gives you A-to-Z to choose from in retail,” he said.
Walker said he has several prospective tenants for the remaining Winn-Dixie space. He said he hopes to have it filled by next year.
Reach Caroline Fossi at 937-5524 or cfossi@postandcourier.com.
August 9th, 2007
Previous Posts