Archive for September 13th, 2007
Everyone should have a place where all worries are left behind, a place where you can charge up your batteries and get ready for another day of work, a home where we build our privacy away from the eyes of the world. And since not all of us would want their home to look like their office – all steel and glass – there is the traditional way of decorating your home with simple yet elegant furniture that will give it a relaxed and comfortable look.
And if you want to make your home really at home you should consider buying Amish furniture. It is all about great, high quality, hand-made furniture that may not be considered the latest in fashion but it surely is the most beautiful on the entire market. We are talking about furniture made by people who really know how to do it since they have been practicing this craft for some time. Even if the Amish furniture was initially, and still is made for the simple use of the Amish people, this great classical style is in high demand with the general public. And it was just a matter of time until you could find original Amish dining room furniture or dining tables all around the States.
Your entire home can be decorated with Amish style furniture. As obvious as many people think it is for this type of furniture to be designed for your bedroom or living room, you should know that actually every room in your home can be decorated in Amish style. Not only does this furniture come in a variety of materials and styles, but there is also a piece of furniture for each room in your home, including dining rooms, hallways, kitchens, bathrooms, dens, and so forth.
Like all the other pieces of furniture in your home, the dining room furniture is important because this is the room where all the family get together for meals, whether it’s every day’s family dinner or a holiday dinner with all the members of your family. Enjoying each other’s presence is very important, but being in a comfortable room, where you feel relaxed and at home is also to die for. If you think of your dining room furniture in terms of durability and sturdiness, you should opt for Amish dining tables and chairs.
Probably the best thing about Amish dining tables, and the rest of the Amish furniture for that matter, is its beauty, which is given by its simplicity. The dining rooms have this classic look that will never go out of style. Creating the tradition of dining with your family gathered around the same dining table for generations is now very easy, because this type of furniture was certainly made to last for many generations.
The dining tables come is large variety, so as to meet all tastes and needs. You have a choice of leg base dining tables, trestle base dining tables, or pedestal base dining tables, in order to make the best choice according to the space available in your dining room, to the price or simply to your taste of what your dining room furniture should look like.
If you are looking for dining room furniture or dining tables please visit http://www.onlineamishfurniture.com
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If you are looking for dining room furniture or dining tables please visit http://www.onlineamishfurniture.com
September 13th, 2007
CEBU CITY, Sept 13 Asia Pulse - A furniture industry support organization is seeking a P7 million (US$151,000) loan from the Economic Development Council (EDC) through the Export Promotion Fund (EPF).
Marlene Garoatan-Bedia, Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF) advocacy officer, said the CFIF submitted its P7 million design program proposal to the EDC early this month.
“The objective of the design program proposal is to enhance the competitiveness of Cebu as the design destination,” Bedia said.
Bedia said the design program submitted is made up of four components.
“First, we intend to get local and national designers to help companies to enhance their products. An example is the Cebu X furniture show,” she said.
“We also have an internship program for industrial design students to give them hands on experience in the industry,” she added.
The other two components are the material collection to help in exploring and offering locally sourced and indigenous materials in the market, and reference sourcing to provide additional materials such as books and publications for the CFIF library.
If approved, Bedia said, the program will not only benefit the 162 CFIF members but also the entire Cebu furniture industry.
The EDC was created by virtue the Export Development Act of 1994 to develop and oversee the implementation of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) and coordinate the formulation and implementation of policy reforms to support the Plan.
The EDC website said that the EPF is a “public private partnership with initial contributions of P100 million from the Department of Trade and Industry, another P100 million from the Department of Budget and Management and P50 million from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and P10 million from the Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc.”
“Another P20 million was contributed by the national government-owned Industrial Guarantee and Loan fund, who was represented by the National Economic and Development Authority,” it said.
With the strengthening of the peso resulting to the continued decline of the export industry, Bedia said, funding programs such as the EPF is a “welcome development.”
She also cited Administrative Order (AO) 194 issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently as “another big help for the industry.”
“We still don’t have an official copy of the AO but we hope the effect of the order will reach us here in Cebu,” Bedia said.
AO 194 mandated the Department of Trade and Industry to work with Technology and Livelihood Resource Centre, government financial institutions and other businesses to draw up and implement a program with development loans to upgrade quality design and packaging of Philippine exports especially those being priced out due to the exchange rate.
(PNA)
September 13th, 2007
BY DINA SANTORELLI | Special to Newsday
Most of the photographs documenting the restoration procedures in the new book “Furniture Restoration: Step-by-Step Tips and Techniques for Professional Results” (Watson-Guptill, $50) were taken by half of the husband-and-wife team - Ina Brosseau Marx, who has no professional photography background.
“She had the instincts of taking the right pictures,” says co-author Allen Marx of his wife’s handiwork. “Some of photography is intuitive.”
And, according to the Marxes, so is furniture restoration.
Although currently residents of Princeton, N.J., the Marxes lived for 31 years in Great Neck. In 1983, they co-founded the Finishing School in Great Neck, which teaches how to reproduce and restore painted finishes; the school later moved to Port Washington and then Floral Park, its current home. The school is now run by their son, Robert Marx.
During their 30-year careers, the Marxes have restored painted, gilded and Asian lacquer objects from the 17th through 20th centuries. Their restorations can be found in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Yale University Art Gallery and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
While their new tome explains how to analyze an object for restoration, diagnose its damage properly and plot a restoration strategy to repair key elements, such as structures, surfaces and finishes, it also emphasizes that furniture restoration can be learned. Both professional craftsmen as well as beginners, with instinct and motivation, can develop a discerning eye and train themselves in its finer points and procedures.
“If we can do it, they can do it,” says Brosseau Marx, who notes that neither she nor her husband had any professional training in furniture restoration. “I took a few woodworking classes that were never appropriate because they use these tremendous table saws and jointers - stuff that you never use for restoration.”
With page after page of instructions, checklists and other tricks of the trade, “Furniture Restoration” covers subjects such as graining, restoring color and making molds and casts, as well as what sets restoration apart from woodworking. “You use small tools for restoration; cabinet-making is so different,” notes Brosseau Marx. “In cabinet-making, everybody admires, whereas, with restoration, you have to do it so well that nobody knows it’s there. So it’s an entirely different mindset.”
In 1991, they published their first book, “Professional Painted Finishes,” which they coauthored with their son Robert.
“We have great confidence that people can do much more than they think they can,” says Allen Marx, who celebrates his 85th birthday next month.
“As we say in the book,” adds Brosseau Marx, 78, “if two hands have put it together, your two hands can try to fix it.”
Meet the authors on LI
The Marxes, who are working on a third book, a Gilding Arts dictionary, will be signing their new book at The Finishing School in Floral Park from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and will conduct a lecture and PowerPoint presentation from 2 to 3 p.m. on tips and techniques for professional results. For more information, call 516-327-4850 or e-mail finschool@aol.com. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Reservations are suggested.
September 13th, 2007
Man refurbishes chairs, motorcycle seats from shop
By JILL FICK
In the past 25 years, Terry Traver has found that pieces of furniture are like people — each has its own story.
He’s been upholstering and repairing furniture for that long, and while he doesn’t always receive the sofas and dining room chairs at their best, it’s a different story when he’s finished.
Traver said he took a factory job when he graduated from high school, but when the factory closed, he had a plan.
“My dad had done upholstery work part time a long time ago,” he said. “So I had him show me the basics, and then I went to work in Toledo.”
After working for others, he decided to open his own business. He worked at home until renting a space in Elmore. In 1992, he purchased the small metal building that sits near the intersection of Ohio 51 and 163.
The career change has been a good fit.
“I like it because I get to work on something different all the time,” he said. “And I like working with my hands.”
His business consists mainly of furniture upholstery, but he also works on boat, motorcycle and snowmobile seats, and repairs furniture.
“I also make custom-built furniture,” he said. “I buy hardwood frames and build from there how the customer wants it.
“It’s one of my favorite things to do, but it’s not a big part of my business.”
Repairing furniture seems to be popular, however.
“Most of the time, they’re really bad, and I have to rebuild them totally,” he said.
One in particular comes to mind.
“This lady brought in an antique love seat,” he recalled. “It was from the late 1800s; a real unique piece. I’d never seen one like it.
“Well, she had been letting her pet pig sleep on it. She asked me if it would be worth reupholstering and I said, ‘If you keep letting your pig on it, it won’t be worth anything.’ ”
So, the pig found a new bed, and Traver spent four 12-hour days bringing the piece back to its original form.
Traver has lots of sample books with swatches of fabrics, leathers and vinyls he can order. He uses seven different suppliers to suit the personal tastes of his customers.
There are several factors to weigh in determining whether is piece is salvageable.
“A lot of it, you can tell right off the bat from what brand it is,” he said. “Like Berne or Pennsylvania House. You look at the frame and springs quality.
“Also, if the piece is sentimental to them, they bring it in. Or if it’s a size or style they can’t find anymore.”
Prices vary by piece and fabric, but for example, a fully upholstered love seat would average about $650.
“The heavier fabrics are easier to work with because they don’t stretch as easily,” Traver said. “And dining room chair seats are the easiest to do. Those are a breeze.”
He’s a little old school and a little new millennium in his craft.
“I use many of the same techniques they used 200 years ago, but I also use new techniques too,” Traver said.
Instead of hand stitching, he might use a steel tack strip, or rather than tacks, he might employ his pneumatic staple gun.
But quality work is always the goal.
“Anything that comes in here, I like to try to improve it one way or another from how it originally was,” he said. “Like using better material or padding or fabric, or things inside that you don’t see, like adding extra braces to the frame.”
His customers seem to appreciate his work.
“I mostly have repeat customers and referrals,” Traver said. “And a lot of walk-in people. They see the sign and stop in.”
Business is great.
“I’m booked three to four months ahead year round,” he said. “I think maybe because there are very few shops outside of Toledo.”
Traver estimates he’s worked on 400 to 500 pieces of furniture in his career. And, so far, he hasn’t seen a hard luck story he couldn’t improve.
September 13th, 2007
By TAN SIN CHOW
ISOFU (International Style Outdoor Furniture) might provide the answer for those keen to acquire such furniture with its hand-woven products made from high quality synthetic fibres.
Its sales manager Karen Chow said all its products were handmade by highly skilled craftspeople from either China or Germany.
“Our products including chairs, sofa lounges, tables, round couches, dining tables and bar tables offer ultraviolet and heat resistance, and thus, they are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use,” she said.
ISOFU was established in May this year.
Chow said they have approached corporate companies, developers, bungalow owners and beach resort operators to use their furniture in their premises.
“We’re targeting a niche market as demand for such furniture is expanding.
“In foreign countries, such furniture is widely-used in bungalows with private gardens and by beach resort operators,” she said.
Participating in the three-day Star Property & Home Fair 2007 for the first time, ISOFU is confident of receiving overwhelming response from the visitors.
“Following the announcement of home ownership incentives in Budget 2008, I am sure those who buy property want to add some the latest furniture in their new homes,” she said.
More than 200 exhibitors are expected to take part in the fair from Sept 21 to Sept 23. They will showcase property, home financing packages and home-related products. The fair is open from 11am to 9pm. Admission is free.
September 13th, 2007
Customers are often foggy about the true cost of ordering furniture online. When they see shocking hidden Shipping & Handling charges as they prepare to check out it can blur what appeared to be a clearly remarkable deal. Aaron R. Thomas wants to give people transparency in both furniture and business dealings. Within the United States and Canada, Aaron R. Thomas now offers Free Shipping & Handling. The prices that you see listed in the company’s online store (www.artc-acrylic.com) are the prices you’ll pay and nothing more.
Costa Mesa, CA (PRWEB) September 12, 2007 — In addition to creating amazing acrylic furniture, Aaron R. Thomas (www.aaronrthomas.com) has created a stir in the entire furniture market by offering both up-front pricing and free shipping on every item they sell through their online store (www.artc-acrylic.com).
Known for their excellent customer service and high quality furniture, the company is shaking things up by clearly posting their prices and shipping anywhere in the United States or Canada for free. “When people are buying a table or chair from a showroom they are already paying for it to be there. Why should the situation be different when the consumer is educated enough to go straight to the source?” asks owner Aaron R. Thomas.
I don’t want to be like everybody else. I am not in this business to rip people off, I make furniture because I love to do it. Because I’m lucky enough to get paid for what I love doesn’t mean that I should compromise my values.
The furniture industry has long been a kind of secret society that doesn’t blatantly display its prices and tends to favor interior designers and retailers over end users. Recent trends show that more consumers are taking research into their own hands and educating themselves about both design and price primarily via the internet. “We are who we are and we make the best furniture around. I don’t want to play games with our customers. We need to be straightforward with our pricing. What you see is what you’ll get shipped to your door, without hidden charges.” explains Aaron.
Aaron R. Thomas, a division of parent company, Thomas Plastic Design (www.thomasplastic.com), specializes in high-end, modern acrylic furniture, lighting, and accessories.
Aaron is the Principal and Lead Designer of the company which manufactures everything from $25 wine bottle holders to $200,000 custom chandeliers and every table, chair, lamp, and desk in between.
In May of 2007, the company introduced artc™, which is the Aaron R. Thomas: ready-to-carry line of hand-crafted, modern furniture geared towards the design savvy and priced within the scope of more design lovers. The artc™ line (www.artc-acrylic.com) was responsible for a barrage of phone calls from interior designers demanding to know how they were going to make a profit when their clients had found the items and already knew exactly how much they cost.
The latest move by Aaron R. Thomas is expected to make waves as well. “I don’t want to be like everybody else. I am not in this business to rip people off, I make furniture because I love to do it. Because I’m lucky enough to get paid for what I love doesn’t mean that I should compromise my values.” Time will tell if the rest of the furniture industry follows suit.
Aaron R. Thomas Design is an artisanal furniture company specializing in modern design. They design and hand craft modern furniture, accessories, and displays from their studio in Costa Mesa, CA.
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September 13th, 2007
Clint Engel — Furniture Today,
BATON ROUGE, La. — Kornmeyer Furniture is shutting down after 127 years in business and a remake last year as Kornmeyer’s HomeSmart, a move the retailer initially said was boosting business.
“Over the past 16 months, the company has been working to overcome a severe liquidity crisis by reducing costs, working with its vendors and negotiating a forbearance agreement with its primary lender, J.P. Morgan Chase,” the company said in a release.
Despite its efforts and the help of vendors and the bank, “the company could not overcome the loss in sales resulting from a failed software conversion,” the release said.
Planned Furniture Promotions, which the company hired earlier this year to conduct a high-impact sale, will now run the GOB sale. It starts Friday and is expected to wind down by mid-December, said Jacques Pourciau, recently appointed Kornmeyer’s president.
“The prolonged software difficulty, the resulting financial strain along with the inability to replenish our inventory to meet our customer needs, forced us to close our store,” Pourciau said. “We thank all of our loyal customer for their support and patronage and our employees for their years of dedicated service.”
He declined to identify the software company used, but said that the retailer is not pursuing any legal action against it.
For the liquidation, the company is discounting goods from suppliers including Lane, Barcalounger, Hooker, Hancock & Moore, Sherrill, Bernhardt, AICO and Sealy.
Pourciau said vendors have not yet been paid in full and, “we are pursuing settlements.” He added that the company is in the process of selling its 90,000-square-foot store of an office supply company.
“There are no plans to file for bankruptcy,” he said.
Dave Carpenter, director of La-Z-Boy Financial Services-Greensboro, said the GOB news was not totally unexpected but “is certainly a severe loss for their loyal employees.”
“Kornmeyer’s has been an excellent customer of La-Z-Boy companies for many years,” Carpenter said. “The company made a concerted and sincere effort to reorganize, but evidently the current economic environment in the furniture industry prevented a successful result.”
La-Z-Boy is a Kornmeyers creditor and has filed a legal claim against the retailer to recover its money, he added. Meanwhile, it is shipping sold orders to the retailer through Planned Furniture Promotions.
Pourciau said Kornmeyer’s intends to fulfill all orders during the GOB and urged customers to contact the company if they have questions about prior orders.
Kornmeyer’s, a fifth-generation family-owned business founded in 1880, was spotlighted late last year at Furniture/Today’s leadership conference with then-President Rose Mary Williams discussing margin and other improvements for the company since it rebranded itself with the help of Grid2.
“The name change was the result of some extensive market research that I think would have been very success with the right marketing,” Pourciau said. “We were just never able to implement that because of the financial difficulties we were having.”
September 13th, 2007
By: Furniture World Magazine
Monthly Results
New Orders: According to our latest survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors, new orders fell 6 percent in June 2007 compared to June 2006. New orders were 9 percent higher in June compared to May, but that was caused by some of the timing of market orders as discussed last month.
For the month, approximately 83 percent of the participants reported declines in new orders in June compared to last year, higher than what has been reported in recent months.
For the first half of the year, new orders remained 5 percent lower than the first half of 2006. Some 70 percent of the participants reported order rates lower than the first half of last year, up from 65 percent in May and 60 percent in March.
Shipments and Backlogs: Shipments in June were 6 percent lower than June of 2006, but 6 percent higher than May. Year-to-date, shipments are 7 percent lower than the first six months of last year.
Receivables and Inventories: Receivable levels were flat with May despite the increase in shipments. Compared to last June, receivables were 4 percent lower. With the 7 percent decline in shipments, it appears that the trends of earlier in the year have reversed and receivables are stretching out. But the gap widened somewhat in June as receivables were 5 percent lower in May 2007 versus May 2006. These will need to be watched as more retailers are beginning to struggle for business.
Inventories, on the other hand, appear to be in much better shape, down 12 percent from June 2006. Inventory levels were flat with May. With orders down 5 percent and shipments down 7 percent year-to-date, the 12 percent decline indicates that inventory levels are well in line. Of course with more and more direct shipments being made, these percentages should be showing more of a gap, but it is difficult to determine how much of an impact this is having.
Factory Employees and Payroll: The number of factory employees fell another percentage point from May bringing the comparison to June of last year at 15 percent lower. In May, compared to May 2006, the reduction in employees was 14 percent. Payrolls were 12 percent lower than June last year, compared to 6 percent last month. Year-to-date, payrolls were reportedly down 9 percent from last year.
The declines in employees and payroll continue to reflect the impact of plant closings as well as softer business conditions in the industry.
National
Consumer Confidence: One of our key economic indicators took another hit in August when The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index fell back to 105.0, down from 111.9 in July. This decline gave back the gain that was posted in July. The Present Situation Index decreased to 130.3 from 138.3 in July while the Expectations Index declined to 88.2 from 99.4.
Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center said: “A softening in business conditions and labor market conditions has curbed consumers’ confidence this month. In addition, the volatility in financial markets and continued sub- prime housing woes may have played a role in dampening consumers’ spirits. But, despite less favorable conditions and in spite of all the recent turmoil, consumers still remain confident. And, current Index levels suggest further economic growth in the months ahead.”
Consumers’ assessment of present-day conditions in August was less upbeat than in July. Those claiming conditions are “good” decreased to 26.4 percent from 28.3 percent, while those saying conditions are “bad” increased to 16.3 percent from 14.5 percent. Consumers were also less positive in their appraisal of the labor market. Those saying jobs are “hard to get” increased to 19.7 percent from 18.7 percent. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” decreased to 27.5 percent from 30.0 percent in July.
Gross Domestic Product: According to the latest release of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, real gross domestic product (GDP) increased 4.0 percent in the second quarter of 2007, up from the advance estimates of 3.4 percent.
The change in the growth rate from last month’s estimate reflected upward revisions to nonresidential structures, to equipment and software investments, to exports and a downward revision to imports. There was an offset due to a downward revision to residential fixed investment.
Housing: Total existing home sales in July were off 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.75 million units, down slightly from an upwardly revised pace of 5.76 million in June. The July sales were 9.0 percent below July 2006 sales according to the report from the National Association of Realtors. Single-family home sales (excluding condos, town homes and co-ops) fell 0.4 percent and were 9.3 percent below the sales in July 2006. The median existing single family home selling price fell 1.0 percent.
Regionally, existing home sales rose 1.8 percent in the West, but still 15.2 percent below a year ago. Sales in the Northeast rose 1 percent but were 2.9 percent lower than last year. In the South, sales for the month were even but 10.7 percent below a year ago. And in the Midwest, sales fell 2.2 percent and are 5.6 percent below a year ago.
Total inventory of existing homes rose 5.1 percent. This represents a 9.6 month supply, up from 9.1 months in July.
Lawrence Yun, NAR senior economist, said the market is holding on despite temporary mortgage disruptions. “Home sales probably would be rising in the absence of the mortgage liquidity issues of the past two months,” he said. “Some buyers with contracts have been scrambling when loan commitments did not materialize at the last moment, while other potential buyers are simply waiting for the mortgage market to stabilize.
“The rise in sales and prices in the Northeast region on a fairly consistent basis in recent months is promising because this was the first region that underwent sales and price weakness after the boom. Now, it appears that it will be the first region to climb back, indicating that other regions could follow a similar path.”
Sales of new one-family homes in July were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 870,000 according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. This was 2.8 percent above the June rate but was 10.2 percent below the July 2006 estimate. The report indicated that there was a 7.5 months supply of new houses at the current sales rate. Sales were off in the Northeast, basically flat in the Midwest and South and up in the West. Privately owned housing starts were 6.1 percent below the revised June estimate and were 20.9 percent below the July 2006 levels. Single family starts were off 7.3 percent in July compared to June.
Consumer Prices: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor, on a seasonally adjusted basis, the CPI-U advanced 0.1 percent in July, following a 0.2 percent increase in June. The index for energy declined for the second consecutive month, down 1.0 percent in July. The index for petroleum-based energy decreased 1.4 percent. The index for energy services fell 0.5 percent, resulting from a 1.7 percent decline in the index for natural gas. The food index rose 0.3 percent in July, reflecting a 0.5 percent increase in food away from home. The index for food at home rose 0.1 percent in July after registering average monthly increases of 0.6 percent in the first six months of the year. The index for all items less food and energy advanced 0.2 percent in July, the same as in June. A smaller increase in the index for shelter was offset by an advance in the apparel index and larger increases in the indexes for medical care and for new and used vehicles. During the first seven months of 2007, the CPI-U rose at a 4.5 percent seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR).
This compares with an increase of 2.5 percent for all of 2006. The index for energy, which rose 2.9 percent in 2006, advanced at a 21.3 percent SAAR in the first seven months of 2007 despite registering declines in each of the last two months. Petroleum-based energy costs increased at a 36.9 percent annual rate and charges for energy services rose at a 3.8 percent annual rate. The food index has increased at a 5.7 percent SAAR thus far this year, following a 2.1 percent rise for all of 2006. Excluding food and energy, the CPI-U advanced at a 2.3 percent SAAR in the first seven months, following a 2.6 percent rise for all of 2006.
Retail Sales: The U.S. Census Bureau announced its advance estimates for retail sales.
According to the report, U.S. retail and food service sales for July, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday trading-day differences, but not for price changes, increased 0.3 percent from the previous month and 3.2 percent above July 2006.
Total sales for the May through July 2007 period were up 4.1 percent from the same period a year ago. The May to June 2007 percent change was revised from -0.9 percent to -0.7 percent.
Retail trade sales were up 0.2 percent from June 2007 and were 2.7 percent above last year. Food services and drinking places were up 8.0 percent from July 2006 and sales of nonstore retailers were up 7.3 percent from last year.
Sales at furniture and home furnishings stores increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis over June as well as over July last year. For the seven months, sales at these stores were up 2.9 percent over the same period a year ago.
Employment: Nonfarm payroll continued its upward trend adding 92,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate remained at 4.6 percent according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents or 0.3 percent.
The number of persons unemployed 27 weeks and over rose by 188,000 to 1.3 million. This group accounted for 18.4 percent of total unemployment, up from 16.2 percent in June.
Durable Goods Orders and Shipments: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, new orders for manufactured durable goods increased 6 percent in July. New orders have been up 5 of the last 6 months. This level marked the highest level since the series was first started in 1992.
Transportation equipment had the largest increase, accounting for over half the dollar increase for the month.
Shipments of manufactured durable goods, up four of the last five months, increased in July by 3.9 percent. This was also the highest level of shipments since the series started. Transportation equipment again was the big winner.
According to this report, shipments of furniture and related products declined 3.2 percent from June of 2007 and fell 1.7 percent from last July. For the seven months, shipments were down 5.5 percent. Orders for the seven months were down 3.9 percent.
Summary: It seems like every month lately has been somewhat the same ole story, other than the effects in April and May of market orders. Having finished the Vegas market, Tupelo and the “new” pre-market, the reports indicated reasonably good moods considering how slow business seems to be at retail.
As is usually the case, there are winners and losers but there are always those glass half full—half empty people no matter what happens. One story we heard was that one exhibitor at pre-market noted that he was not happy with it at all in a conversation with another exhibitor. He asked the exhibitor he was talking to his thoughts on it. The half full guy said he was very happy with it and named all the customers he had seen. The half empty guy then supposedly said something like, well I saw those same people so mine must not have been as bad as I thought. You gotta love market talk—whether High Point, Tupelo, Vegas or any other. Let’s hope business picks up a bit over Labor Day and on up to the October market so that mood at market will remain good, at least for the half full guys and gals.
September 13th, 2007
Katia Deng/ Shanghai Daily news
More than 700 representatives from across the world attended in the second World Furniture Congress in Shanghai yesterday.
Global experts from the furniture industry will discuss and share their insights on“Globalization: Influences on Cooperation and Development”at the two-day event.
Gu Xiulian, vice chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee, extended her congratulations to the opening of the global event. She said the development of the Chinese furniture industry will benefit from the congress, and it is a good chance to exchange opinions among countries.
She added that she believes the congress will enhance cooperation between China and other countries.
Calixto Valenti, president of the European Furniture Manufacturers Federation, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.
Zhou Yupeng, vice director of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People’s Congress, also addressed the congress.
September 13th, 2007
Expo, traditional furniture markets attract different customers, exhibitors say
Kids Today, ,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.
September 13th, 2007
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