Gary Evans
AT THE MARKET — The first days of the summer market here got mixed reviews from upholstery vendors, some saying it is an active market and others describing it as so-so.


“We were busy this morning, but it slowed down this afternoon,” said G. Wayne Miller, vice president of Canadian manufacturer and importer Flair Design, on Tuesday. “We wrote a few new accounts and we have a lot of appointments for (Wednesday).”

Along with its domestic products, Flair has new collections from China that included a sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman, lamps and tables for a single price. The company is featuring a seven-piece group at $399 FOB China, with the step-up group at $449.

“The response on this has been absolutely phenomenal,” said Miller, who noted retailers could bundle all the products — as well as dinettes — together in one container. “We want to simplify it for them,” he said.
Flair has a new all-leather queen bed, with headboard and  footboard for $249 FOB China. It was test-marketed in Canada and is selling well, said Miller.

“So far, the traffic hasn’t been very good overall,” said Chris Cogan, director of sales for North Carolina-based Four Seasons Furniture. “I think that has to do with soft retail. And Vegas is no bargain in July.”

Cogan said the company will be back in January and is making commitments on a market-to-market basis. But he added that Four Seasons has gotten new business from companies it might not have seen in other venues. “We’ve picked up some pretty nice stores on the West Coast,” he said.

Upholstery manufacturer and importer Stanton International is emphasizing velvets and wovens to give dealers options to microsuede, according to Tom Yow, president and CEO.

“So far, that’s what we’re having our success on,” he said, noting that one major told him Tuesday that he didn’t even plan to shop Stanton’s showroom if all it had was microsuedes.

Yow said Stanton, which imports about 30% of its line, is stepping up its opening retail price points from $399 to be stronger in the $599 to $799 category.

Flair, Four Seasons and Stanton are all exhibiting in the Las Vegas Convention Center, which opened Tuesday, so the market is still young for them. In the World Trade Center, results have been equally mixed, according to several manufacturers exhibiting there.

Richter Furniture is showing most of its new products in white to make a statement in design, said President Braden Richter. “People always talk about our designs being different and that’s what we wanted to emphasize,” he said.

He said just about all the products in the company’s first-floor showroom are new to the market — including an Italian linen casual sofa with a 47-inch seating depth targeted at $2,900 retail.

Also new at Richter is the Nassau collection in a boucle ivory cover, with a high back and modified wing arms; a straight-lined transitional; a modified Chesterfield back; and an upholstered headboard in a white chunky linen fabric played against a dark bed frame. Braden Richter said the new lines have been “well received.”

Hiatt Furniture is making its statement in neutral and organic fabrics and is emphasizing new looks designed for casual comfort. One new offering is a sectional that, with a seating depth of four feet, looks like three chaises grouped together.

“The Great Room is getting greater,” said Eddie Schroder, director of marketing. He said that with flat-panel televisions expected to drop below $1,000 in coming months, consumers will want furniture to accommodate their leisure. The three-piece grouping — with down cushioning — will retail for about $2,000.
Hiatt is having a strong market, Schroder said.

“It was crazy in here” on opening day, he said. “Every time we come here, we see retailers that we have never seen before.”