Archive for September 18th, 2007
By Katy Bishop
The Shirley Street Antique Mall has a new home sweet home.
Owners Tom Ramsey and Richard Gazzerro packed up hundreds of pieces of furniture, glassware and lamps and moved from their Shirley Street warehouse to a new space on Goodlette-Frank Road at Central Avenue, resolving troubles they had with Collier County code enforcement.
Meanwhile, Homer Helter, who rented space from Ramsey and Gazzero in the back of the Shirley Street warehouse, has taken over the building’s lease. He plans to hire a lawyer and find a legal way to operate his military relics business and an antique mall there.
The Shirley Street Antique Mall is now in a nearly 15,000-square-foot space in Naples.
Ramsey, who began selling antiques at about 15 years old, wove his way through a labyrinth of antique furniture, display cases and boxes as the antique mall was getting set up to open this weekend.
Every few steps, he stopped to tell the story behind an item: from a Chinese wedding bed to a tilting dressing room mirror to an Indonesian table with carved, wooden elephants marching under its glass top.
Being an antique dealer is “all about the search and find,” Ramsey said. “You get this great feeling when you find something unique.”
The mall has taken over three spaces in Victoria Square plaza, and opened Saturday. It now takes up an entire block along Goodlette-Frank Road, general manager and vendor Anita Ashton said with pride.
The new space has about 50 vendors, with 40 floor spaces marked out on the carpet with tape and more than 30 display cases.
Wander toward the back and you may find yourself walking through a nautical area created by Hugh James, a boat captain at the Cocohatchee Nature Center, or a vintage clothing space created by Jeanne Sullivan, who has studied fashion for years.
If you catch them in their corners, they’ll tell you a tale.
Sullivan will tell you about the early 20th century clothing and accessories in her nook: like an early 20th century dressing gown or a pair of slip-on shoes from the 1960s in her display case that have a contraption in the insole called a “springalator” to keep them from slipping off.
The nets draped on Captain James’ showcases and walls were used to fish in the Gulf of Mexico and off the shores of Alaska, and his Japanese fishing floats — brightly colored, glass vessels covered in a web of knotted rope — are made from recycled glass.
Photo by Jimmie Presley / Daily News
Vendors and management spend the day moving into the Shirley Street Antique Mall’s new location in Naples on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007. The store is scheduled to open on September 15.
Some vendors moved with Ramsey and Gazzerro from Shirley Street to the new space. Some are new, and others stayed behind in the North Naples warehouse.
They sell anything and everything, from antique furniture, collectables and vintage clothing, to original artwork, gift items and new furniture.
Ramsey and Gazzerro bought the Shirley Street Antique Mall business at 5510 Shirley St. in 2005. Last year, they were cited by code enforcement for operating a retail business with a wholesale license because the retail space occupied more than 20 percent of the industrial warehouse.
After going before county commissioners, Ramsey and Gazzerro were granted three years to comply with the code. The move to downtown Naples resolves their troubles.
Homer Helter, who is still in the Shirley Street warehouse, has resolved to find a way to make his military relics business and the antique mall space legal in the industrial area.
Helter has renamed his business Homer Helter’s Military and Antique Mall, and plans to have about 40 antique vendors in the nearly 12,000-square-foot front of the warehouse. He will continue to operate his military relics business in back space.
He’s not sure yet how he will make the business legal in its current location, Helter said, but he has been meeting with code enforcement to work out the issue.
“Believe me, our work’s cut out for us,” Helter said. “I can tell you that it is going to cost some money to do this. We have to come up with a plan that code enforcement and the commissioners will say ‘Yes, this is OK.’ What that is yet, I don’t know.”
Helter, who has operated out of the warehouse for nine years and six months, has 28 months left to resolve the code enforcement violations and believes he has a 50-50 chance of succeeding, he said.
Whoever is operating a business on that site will have three years to comply with the code from the meeting at which commissioners made the decision, said Michelle Arnold, Collier County code enforcement director.
At the moment, Helter is remodeling the warehouse, and everything inside is covered in plastic as the walls are painted in preparation for the opening under its new ownership. He hopes to have the warehouse repainted, cleaned up and full of vendors for a grand opening celebration between Oct. 15 and the beginning of November.
As for Ramsey and Gazzerro, though they aren’t on Shirley Street anymore, they’re still calling their business the Shirley Street Antique mall.
“We have a lot of work to do, but it’s a relief” to have a new home, Ramsey said.
—
If you go
Shirley Street Antique Mall, 50 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples
Phone: 592-9882 or 643-1882
Homer Helter’s Military and Antique Mall, 5510 Shirley St., Naples
Phone: 594-9900
September 18th, 2007
Unique pieces that reflect personal taste find favour with younger collectors
Vicky Sanderson ,Special to the Star
To get this season’s most sought-after décor pieces, you may have to go beyond the shelves of your favourite home improvement retailers.
That’s because what’s super hot now are unique pieces that reflect personal taste. To get the look, consumers are turning in ever greater numbers to antiques and collectibles, says Stephen Ranger, president of Ritchies Auctioneers. In the 20 years he’s been with Ritchies, Ranger has watched the popularity of antiques grow.
“The whole nature of the business has really changed,” he explains. “It’s gone from being the realm of connoisseurs – decorators and dealers – to include a much wider public. The demographics have changed too. It used to be mostly people of 50 plus who were interested. Now we have more customers in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.”
Antique and collectible enthusiasts will be attending Ritchies’ 40th anniversary Select Sale, which begins on Tuesday with an auction of jewellery, clothing, silver, glass and porcelain, followed by auctions of furniture, rugs and decorative art on Wednesday and Canadian books and art on Thursday. Previews start at noon today.
Those who can’t make it to the auction can participate by absentee bid or watch it on-line in real time on e-bay. For more information about Ritchies (380 King St. East), go to ritchies.com)
The trend toward what Ranger describes as the “new eclecticism” is evident in the auction catalogue, which features such items as an Eames lounge chair in red ribbed fabric and aluminum. It’s a fine example of the modern Danish design that’s enjoying its moment in the spotlight after years of disregard.
“A few years ago, we were giving away the traditional teak dining set,” says Ranger. “Now they sell for significant money. And some high-quality silverware, like the Georg Jensen pieces, are the most desired in our marketplace. It’s part of a whole movement toward modernity.”
Other hot sellers are Bauhaus-style chrome chairs and toney Barcelona chairs. Cynthia Findlay, who’s been selling antiques since the Harbourfront Antique Market opened in 1977, agrees that everything old is new again.
“There’s a new openness to putting antiques in the home, and every month we lend something to a décor magazine,” says Findlay, who now manages Toronto Antiques on King, a multi-dealer market that includes her very own Cynthia Findlay Antiques, which focuses on fine china, pottery and estate jewellery.
For more information about Toronto Antiques on King, including information about upcoming seminars and free appraisal events every Thursday, go to torontoantiquesonking.com or call 416-345-9941.
More and more younger customers are browsing the china and decorative pieces Findlay has on display. But most want objects that do more than just look beautiful.
“People don’t want to buy things that are just going to sit in a room that nobody uses – the way our living rooms used to be,” says Findlay. “They want to use and enjoy the things they buy.”
To do that, Findlay’s customers are finding innovative uses for archaic items. Small china cigarette holders, for example, become single bud cases, while tiny nut dishes find new life as soap dishes. One Toronto designer started buying biscuit boxes and barrels in etched silver or crystal to use as an extra toilet roll holder in a powder room. Old cigar boxes are reborn as stylish hiding spots for TV remote controls. A Dresden china crumber – originally used to sweep up crumbs off the tablecloth between courses – could now serve as a letter holder on a desk or entrance-way table.
In some cases, says Findlay, there’s a fresh appreciation of the rituals that surround antique objects.
“For example, there are a lot of young women coming in now to buy china teacups. They use them for tea parties with their girlfriends,” she explains.
That trend supports Findlay’s theory that women are biologically predisposed to love china.
“It’s true,” she laughs. “Women like china they way men like Canadian Tire.”
Findlay is also noticing an upsurge of interest in coloured glass. In smaller spaces, she suggests, it reflects light and adds a splash of colour.
Findlay and Ranger agree that many people don’t consider antiques and collectibles because they think prices are prohibitive. Not so, says Ranger. “Although what you hear about occasionally are the items that go at fantastically high amounts, the truth is that things that sell at auction tend to sell at wholesale prices.”
Judging from the anticipated prices in the Ritchies’ catalogue, that’s accurate. A 76-inch sofa from Barbara Barry’s collection, which is probably about a decade old and looks in fine shape, is expected to sell for between $1,400 and $1,600. A new sofa from Barry’s collection would probably run about $6,000.
A set that includes an Arne Jacobsen-designed stainless steel ice bucket, plus a boxed set of tongs, corkscrew and bottle opener, is expected to sell for between $100 and $150.
At Toronto Antiques on King, there’s also a range of prices, and a special $10 table that’s filled with small treasures. Another obstacle to the wider use of antiques in home décor is fear of failure, says Ranger. “People are afraid that they’ll make a mistake, especially when it comes to mixing antiques and contemporary décor,” he says.
Ranger’s advice? Relax. “Buy what you love. People’s instincts are generally very good.”
September 18th, 2007
By Denise L. Scott
The slowdown in the real estate market isn’t slowing down furniture business expansions in south Lee County.
Five furniture stores have opened at Coconut Point mall in Estero — World Market, Pier 1 Imports, Z Gallerie, west elm and Design Within Reach.
Nearly a third of the 19 furniture showrooms at the International Design Center in Estero are on the first floor open to the public, including Baker, Casa Italia and Stickley.
Now, even more furniture stores are opening stand-alone locations in Estero and San Carlos Park — Rooms to Go, City Furniture, Ashley Furniture HomeStore and Carls Patio.
That may be a sound business decision, according to consumer spending data collected by the U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Despite the cooling real estate market, U.S. consumers spent $85 billion on furniture in 2006, up from $80 billion in 2005 and $75 billion in 2004.
That’s not to say local stores aren’t feeling a pinch. Spectrum Home Furnishings, Blocker’s Furniture and Rhodes Furniture all recently closed stores in Southwest Florida.
“The housing market has been a big challenge for the entire industry of home furnishings,” said Scott B. Krugman, spokesman for the National Retail Federation. Like any industry, he said, there will be winners and losers.
He said there’s typically a six-month lag time between the housing market slowing down and sales following suit.
Jessie Vega/news-press.com
• Jane Sullivan, store manager for Carls Patio Furniture, greets Kathleen Metcalf and Mike Ganek, the first customers of the day at the new location on U.S. 41 and Alico Road.
The bright side, he said, is that housing is cyclical.
“A housing market that slows down is eventually going to speed up again,” Krugman said.
And despite the cooling real estate market, south Lee County is still growing.
“Your housing market is dictating the need for furniture retailers,” he said. “You’re seeing an increase in population, whether people are renting or buying.”
And newcomers need furniture, whether they’ve signed the dotted line on a mortgage or a rental agreement.
Carls Patio President Gary Ecoff isn’t letting the housing market slow his plans for growth.
He opened his 13th location early this month on U.S. 41 at Alico Road. The company has 10 stores in Florida, including one in Naples, and a few in California.
“We’re very excited to be in Fort Myers,” he said. “It’s a growth story, even in light of what’s going on in housing. That’s a temporary blip on our radar.”
Ecoff said his company has been fortunate, increasing its profits even during the real estate downturn. He attributes some of his success to the hot trend in patio furniture.
“Nice outdoor furniture is very fashionable right now,” he said. “It’s hard to pick up a magazine or turn on HGTV and not see outdoor living.”
Ecoff said many people who can’t sell their house right now have decided to fix up their backyard to enjoy in the meantime.
“When they plan to sell, it’s something they can move with them,” he said. “They’re not so concerned about whether it will fit within the confines of four walls at the next house.”
Another east coast Florida company expanding into Southwest Florida is City Furniture.
That store, and its offshoot Ashley Furniture HomeStore, will be built in San Carlos Park on the north side of Alico Road just east of Interstate 75.
City Furniture President Keith Koenig signed the deal to build the 75,000-square-foot City Furniture and neighboring 35,000-square-foot Ashley Furniture Homestore during the height of the real estate boom two years ago.
He said county approvals took 15 months.
“The real estate market affects our business pretty substantially,” he said.
“One of the stages when people buy furniture is moving into a new home or condo. In Florida, the housing slowdown has been worse than other markets.”
Koenig has finally gotten approval to begin construction within the next month. He expects to open both stores by October or November 2008, along with two more in Naples.
Koenig’s company is licensed by Ashley, a furniture manufacturing company, to build the Ashley Furniture HomeStore concept in southern Florida.
He said both stores will offer furniture priced in the middle to upper ranges.
Like Ecoff, Koenig isn’t letting today’s housing market dictate his long-term plans to grow the 35-year-old company.
“That doesn’t shake my confidence. We’re in the best part of the best state in the country,” he said.
“There were still 350,000 people who moved into this state. There’s a pent-up demand. They may be sitting on the sidelines, waiting for prices to come down. Sooner or later, they’re going to buy a home.”
Rooms to Go, which recently remodeled its Fort Myers store, has plans to build another stand-alone store in Paradise Shoppes of Estero, at the northwest corner of U.S. 41 and Williams Road.
A Rooms to Go spokeswoman did not return a call for comment.
“Florida will always remain a desirable place,” Ecoff said. “It’s not a matter of if it’s going to come back. It’s a matter of when.”
September 18th, 2007
By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Akron Beacon Journal
Give your outdoor furniture an end-of-summer cleaning before packing it up.
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.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
September 18th, 2007
By David Benda (Contact)
Blemished, splintered, sagging, ripped or stained.
Jessica Dill and her crew at American Furniture Co. make a habit of bringing even the most dilapidated sofa or dining room table back to life.
Take a walk around Dill’s shop on Twin View Boulevard in north Redding and you’ll find furniture in various stages of rebirth.
Maybe Dill’s best market pitch is her before-and-after photo album that sits on a table in the front of the business.
“Most of the people that contact us are the ones who like the style or size and they can’t find exactly what they’re looking for or the piece has some sort of sentimental value,” said Dill, whose parents bought the Redding business in 1974, two years after it opened.
In the beginning, American Furniture Co. was nothing more than a strip tank off Locust Street in downtown Redding. Customers would bring in their furniture to have it refinished.
When Rod Dill and Candy Woodson, Jessica’s parents, purchased the business, they started expanding into all aspects of furniture refurbishing.
Rod Dill, who has moved out of the area, was a traveling pharmaceutical salesman before he went into the furniture business.
Jessica Dill, 35, who practically grew up watching her parents’ business, said her father was weary of traveling. She recalls a day — she was still in diapers — when he was loading up his car for another business trip. Not wanting her father to leave again, Jessica tried to climb into the trunk so she could ride along.
That was enough for her father. Her parents bought the furniture business not long afterwards.
American Furniture Co. stayed at its downtown Redding location for more than 20 years before it moved to its present site on Twin View Boulevard in 1996.
Dill, who took over the business from her parents in 2004, has five employees, including Dan George, who’s worked for the company 10 years. George, 57, is a furniture upholsterer who moved to Redding from the San Francisco Bay area.
“I started working in factories, did some flea markets and then started working small shops,” said George, who says furniture upholsterers are a rare breed.
Some of the more common repairs American Furniture Co. does are chair re-glues, sofa frame reconstruction, replacing dresser drawers, dining room table top refinishing, and repairing china hutches.
A sofa reconstruction typically can cost $1,800 or more, which includes the fabric, Dill said.
Dill’s business has fabric lines from 14 different vendors, the largest variety north of Visalia, she said.
Much of American Furniture Co.’s business comes from repeat customers, Dill said.
“At any one time we have about 100 jobs going in the shop. We are six to eight weeks out,” said Dill, adding that her busy time is around the holidays.
American Furniture Co. also did work for the new Redding Library, refurbishing the antique rolltop desk and card catalog.
Dill said furniture refinishing businesses like hers are constantly monitored to make sure they’re compliant with air and chemical regulations.
“We keep records of chemical compound we use,” Dill said. “There is really a lot of watch-dogging that goes with it.”
Reporter David Benda can be reached at 225-8219 or at dbenda@redding.com.
September 18th, 2007
Consumers might want to invest in home insurance cover for their gardens as one insurer has claimed that garden furniture may be attractive to opportunistic thieves.
According to home insurance provide Saga, Britons can often underestimate the cost of having to replace items which are stolen from the garden and it is important that householders invest in the correct level of cover for their property, such as sets of garden furniture.
Other items which can expensive to replace include barbecues, patio heaters and bird tables.
Director of Saga, John Potter, said: “Another thing that is often not factored in when valuing a garden is the cost to replace the grass should it be seriously vandalised, this alone could cost hundreds so you can see how easy it would be to underestimate.”
Recent figures from the Target Group Index (TGI) from April 2006 to March 2007 highlight that more than one million people in the UK spend an annual £150 on plants.
Householders receive up to £500 contents cover for their garden as part of their home insurance policy with Kwik-Fit Insurance.
September 18th, 2007
Leading online retailer of 1950’s retro tables, bar stools and retro furniture, today announced its fall inventory has been updated with many new bar stools and retro tables
www.AmericanChairs.com, a leading online retailer of 1950’s retro tables, bar stools and retro furniture, today announced its fall inventory has been updated with many new bar stools and retro tables offering a variety of styles and selections perfect for fall decor.
With the latest fall arrivals, AmericanChairs.com has an extraordinary collection of bar stools and retro tables that are commercial grade quality at affordable prices. Typically bar stools are available in both 30” and 24” heights and come in a variety of styles and colors. Items such as the Seat Back Bar Stool are available in an assortment of colors and finishes, fitting well with any décor. The Retro Tables collection includes tall round pub tables, rectangular diner booth tables and round retro tables.
All bar stools provided by AmericanChairs.com have 16 or 19-gauge chrome plated tubular steel frames, swivel stool tops and are upholstered in high-grade Naugahyde vinyl. Their inventory of retro tables offer a 2.25″ grooved shiny aluminum edge and can be customized with dozens of laminates.
“Bar stools are brilliant for their function and decorating sense, and make ideal additions to fall decor. With family football season underway and family holidays just around the corner, bar stools and retro tables make excellent temporary or permanent seating additions,” stated AmericanChairs.com spokesperson, James Cobble. “Customers looking for retro furniture reminiscent of the 1940’s and 1950’s, can rely on AmericanChairs.com to always provide superior craftsmanship, quality and a myriad of options,” concluded Cobble.
For a complete list of the newest bar stool and retro table additions, or to browse through other retro items reminiscent of the 1940’s and 1950’s, visit www.AmericanChairs.com.
About American Chairs, Inc
American Chairs, Inc is an online retailer of 1950’s style seating, including diner chairs, bar stools, retro diner booths, retro diner tables, custom logo bar stools, Harley Davidson® and Coca-Cola® furniture, and now retro electronics. Providing quality classic furniture for thousands of homes and businesses nationwide, the company prides itself on making comfort and style as important as functionality. American Chairs, Inc is 100% U.S. owned and operated offering commercial grade products manufactured in the USA. Founded in 2002, American Chairs, Inc is a privately held firm, with headquarters in New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.AmericanChairs.com.
September 18th, 2007
Sales expected to grow by 5% compared to last year; some 75% of furniture sold is made in Israel
Dining-room furniture, and specifically dining tables that can sit between 8-25 people are a hit among shoppers during the holiday season. Manufacturers reported that dining-room furniture sales were expected to rise by 7% in the next month and reach NIS 320 million ($78 million).
According to Haim Herman, head of the Infrastructure Products & Consumer Goods Association at the Manufacturers Association of Israel, furniture sales were expected to grow by 4-5% compared to the corresponding period last year, and total NIS 1.9 billion ($464 million).
Herman added that some 75% of furniture sold during the holidays ($348 million in sales) is made in Israel.
During Rosh Hashana and Sukkot, most manufacturers offer 10-20% discounts in stores.
September 18th, 2007
— Furniture Today,
Facility consolidates product from Asian factories
DONGGUAN, China — Hamilton Spill opened a 35,000 square foot showroom here last week, its first showroom space in Asia.
The Canada-based importer’s showroom feature products from all its categories: upholstery, leather, bedroom, dining and occasional tables, from factories throughout Asia.
“We are extremely excited to increase our physical presence in South China,” said Rick Verjee, chairman. “With a majority of our vendors in the area, we can consolidate products for viewing from all over the region and display them in a way that reproduces the feel of the North American home setting. Instead of traveling to multiple factories to view items, our customers can visit our showroom with one-stop convenience and experience the entirety of our product line.”
The company said the move underscores Hamilton Spill’s commitment to innovation in emerging markets. Verjee and Louis Tremblay, the company’s new vice president of operations, will tour the first customers through the space this week.
September 18th, 2007
Despite the crummy real estate market and generally listing economy, now is a good time to go furniture shopping, apparently. That’s partly because consolidation and increased competition has squeezed out everyone except for discount-happy big box retailers in some cities, and partly because business is down overall this year so everyone is trying to attract more customers with markdowns.
But “shopping for furniture is treacherous,” says the editor of ConsumerAffairs.com in the Times article. Here are five things to do to avoid paying too much, buying the wrong piece, or not getting what you thought you paid for.
Research - “approach furniture buying as you would car buying”
Room Plans - use available services to enter your room measurements and avoid the “scale problem” (buying something that looks like will fit just fine, but doesn’t)
Store Visit - take as long as you can to sit, open and close, and generally inspect every inch, or find an outlet or furniture warehouse and shop there to ensure the model you examine is the product you’ll receive
Delivery - your best bet is to buy what you want off the floor, load it yourself into your van or truck, and get the hell out of there
Laways and Financing - avoid these like Britney avoids panties
September 18th, 2007
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