Joan Gunin — Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — When asked to predict the turnout for the October market based on last week’s listless premarket


here, Harry Cierler, director of North American operations for leather upholstery resource Chateau d’Ax, just shrugged.

For a man with plenty of opinions, even Cierler could not find the words.

All the shakeups and breakups and buildups of recent markets seemed to have taken their toll on this High Point premarket.

With 12 or 15 appointments booked, Cierler was among a few hardy souls who braved the dark halls and empty sidewalks of High Point.

“Manufacturers aren’t showing interest so retailers aren’t here,” he said.

Retailers who did come saw a flurry of monotone contrasts in soft leathers, mixed with solid-color textured fabrics at the Chateau d’Ax showroom.

Leather upholstery resources who were open for premarket used the down time to ready their showrooms, review their numbers and familiarize their sales force with new product.

At Bradington-Young, President Scott Young said about a third of his sales representatives were at premarket. “There was a marked reduction in customers here and our reps would rather be out on the road seeing people,” he said.

But despite the small turnout, he said, “We have seen some pickup at retail in the last 45 days.”

Craig Young, vice president of sales, said Bradington-Young is seeking to differentiate itself from imports with features such as shapes, turns, details, cover application and special orders. Continuing its success with club chairs, the company will emphasize combinations of tooled leathers, anilines and fabrics.

At Robinson & Robinson, Peter Robinson, group president of LeatherTrend and its sister divisions, attributed the abbreviated premarket to the ongoing “segmentation of markets between the East Coast (High Point) and the West Coast (Las Vegas).”

Robinson plans to show in Las Vegas for the first time in January, with a showroom in the World Market Center’s new Building B. “When business is tough, you have to be everywhere you need to be,” he said.
 
In High Point in October, the company will add to its case goods line and also will offer new leather, fabric and motion upholstery.

“We are reviewing our product introductions with our sales team to make final decisions to prepare for October market,” he said. “It’s a worthwhile exercise.”