Susan M. Andrews — Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — Optimism permeated Winter Showtime

2013 here last week, with the 34th edition of the twice-a-year fabric show receiving mostly high marks from exhibitors and buyers.

Several mill executives said their business has improved in the past several weeks, and meetings with manufacturers at the show left them feeling good about the upcoming season.

Showtime has evolved from a furniture-focused event into a broader format that attracts buyers from jobbers and retailers to recreational vehicle makers and handbag producers.

Changes this time around included the new Studio show, which featured 15 design studios offering textile designs. It was a big hit with buyers.

But several major furniture manufacturers and jobbers surveyed at the show agreed that, with some exceptions, the show lacked “knock-your-socks-off” introductions.

“It was a soft summer at retail and this is getting close to Christmas, but the furniture manufacturers are always here,” said Danny Kingsley, president of Advantage Fabrics.

Although attendance figures weren’t available at press time, many exhibitors said traffic was down a bit. However, they said all their major customers showed up, and companies that work only by appointment reported they were fully booked throughout the show. 

Catherine Morsell, director of the International Textile Market Assn., which produces the show, said the association’s exhibiting members were happy with this market.

“The winter show is always a little lighter than the summer show, but they recognize they have to show up every time to build loyalty with the buyers,” she said. “Several of them told us they had their best Showtime ever.”

Another encouraging sign: excellent attendance at social events every evening of the show.

The buying team from Norwalk Furniture was shopping “for natural fibers like linen and cotton, and for neutral colors like taupe, smoky gray and mineral colors,” said Debbie McKirahan, director of retail merchandising. “We found plenty of good values and interesting patterns.”

Keith Feuerhaken, vice president of U.S. sales and marketing for Canadian-based upholstery maker Sklar Peppler, said, “Everything is changing so rapidly these days that we have to do more ‘sweeping up’ while we’re still at the show. All the loose ends have to be tied up because we need to have our fabric by the first of the year to get the line ready for the spring market in High Point in March. Everything is two weeks quicker than usual this season.

“We were looking for gems — an item here and an item there,” Feuerhaken said, noting Richloom and Valdese were the source of some of the gems Sklar’s team found on its first shopping day at Showtime.

The ITMA Studio show was lauded widely as a great addition. Karen Nehlsen, director of design for upholstery fabrics at Microfibres, said, “Having the art studios at the show really steps Showtime up a notch, and I hope they all come back.”

While the art studios didn’t get as much traffic as they’d hoped, they understood it will take time to build the mini-show’s profile, and all are expected to return in June for the next Showtime.

“We didn’t see as many new faces as we hoped, but you have to give a show three or four goes before you decide about it,” said David Hedley, director of Artwork Design Ltd. in Cheshire, England. Designer and TV personality Candice Olson was among buyers who visited Hedley’s booth, buying three patterns for her upholstery line.

“We saw furniture manufacturers, bedding producers and even outdoor furnishings companies,” said Martina Steiner, U.S. agent for Italian textile designer Giacomo Barzaghi.

Another English studio, Art Cottage, believes the size of the Studio show is about right, at least for now. “They need to give it more time to get established,” said Nigel Brown, managing director. “There’s not enough business generated yet, and if they bring in more (exhibitors), it will dilute it. Most customers who buy textile designs typically do business with just about eight to 10 studios.”

Marketgoers also appreciated the first-time Sample Bank and Trend Presentation, which offered a hands-on look at dozens of samples. Tricia Lancia, textiles designer, and Robert Barkdull, product manager, for high-end home accents source MacKenzie-Childs were among those who used the presentation to look for new suppliers and get a quick overview of market introductions.

“The hunt is on for impact fabrics,” Barkdull said, “and we’re optimistic, although it may be that fabric producers took fewer risks this season.”

The dates for Showtime in 2014 are June 3-6 and Dec. 2-5. Information is available at ITMA’s Web site, www.itma-showtime.com.