A New Star Rises In The Futon Universe

Garnets, tufters, seamstresses and the like are humming in Paterson, New Jersey. A new futon mattress manufacturer, Star Futon, Inc., has opened for business and is offering a full product line consisting of 14 styles ranging from a value line to high quality styles with such names as Twilight, Moonlight, Starlight; innerspring mattresses are also being offered.
According to Anne Newmark, founder and president, Star Futon people have nearly 15 years of experience in the futon industry, "We've developed a full line of styles designed to meet the needs of every retailer. We're filling high-volume orders of the highest quality consistently on schedule." Ms. Newmark credits this success to Star Futon's production and sales staff that has been hand picked based on their expertise and outstanding reputations in the industry.
Star Futon's sales staff is headed up by Sam Chase, who has been selling high quality furniture, mattresses and futons for over 25 years. "I'm so pleased that Sam has chosen to represent my company," says Ms. Newmark. "He has very solid relationships with retailers throughout the country based on his knowledge of the business and his reputation for representing high quality products."
Ms. Newmark went on to say, "Sam and I agree that the philosophy of Star Futon is to provide the best quality for the best price at every level. Today's retailers are very sophisticated and are looking for new types of fibers and fill. At Star Futon, we plan on updating our product line regularly and continually meeting customer needs as well as offering all of the tried and true basics."
Star Futon can be reached via phone at (973) 225-0100 or fax at 1-888-883-0224.

Lifestyle Solutions By Elite Furniture Opens Atlanta Warehouse

Lifestyle Solutions, the new name for Elite Furniture contains their commitment to offer a readily available, Quick-Ship supply of products to their customers with the opening of their new Atlanta Warehouse.
"Atlanta opens the door to better service for our Southeast and Mid Atlantic customers," says Sean Pathiratne, President of Lifestyle Solutions.
"We have become a major, important supplier of futon frames and matching furniture with our continued commitment to offer the highest quality products with the best value, all available for quick shipment nationwide," he said.
Also announced by Pathiratne is the fact that his company has recently extended its warranty program to offer Limited Lifetime Warranty on all their futon frames.
Every Lifestyle Solutions futon frame comes with a premium body and their steel bracket reinforcement system.
Premium bodies are fully assembled back and seat sections manufactured and preassembled at the factory with steel barrel bolts, not screws, eliminating the extra assembly time, and any possible assembly errors by the end user.
The steel bracket reinforcement system, exclusive to Lifestyle Solutions (patent pending) truly eliminates breakage, even from excess use or possible misuse by the consumer, guaranteeing a lifetime of unhassled usage for each of their futon furniture systems.
"The combination of these two unique benefits give us the confidence to back our products with a Limited Lifetime Warranty," Pathiratne said.
To experience for yourself what Lifestyle Solutions by Elite Furniture is all about visit them in San Francisco (Mart I-961) or at High Point — Main Building-off the first floor-lower level or by calling 1-888-688-3366. More information can also be obtained at their web site www.elitefurniture.com.

Jones Fiber Products Introduces T-Bond Fiber

T-Bond, a revolutionary new cotton batting product is now being manufactured and marketed by Jones Fiber Products. The company envisioned this product a number of years ago, and developmental work began about three years ago.
T-Bond is a uniquely fabricated cotton batting that thermally bonds cotton fibers and low melt synthetic fibers. The result is a stronger and cleaner product that retains all of the benefits of cotton with the handling qualities of foam.
T-Bond is a product which is easier to handle and position during futon production due to the increased strength of the pad. The fibers are held in place or "bonded" which prevents fiber migration and matting down during usage. Since false loft is removed during the manufacturing process T-Bond is resistant to the formation of body impressions over time. The end result of thermal bonding is a more durable and resilient product.
Jones Fiber Products has two manufacturing locations. One is in Morristown, TN and one in Memphis, TN, and has the capability of manufacturing cotton batting, synthetic batting, needled pads, stitched pads and now T-Bond with a combined production capacity of 35 million pounds annually.
For more information contact Jones Fiber Products, Inc.. at (423) 586-4200 or (901) 948-4469.

Polymorphic Poof Chair Drives Comfort Research Growth

The cracker jack team of scientists who toil long into the night at the Comfort Research Laboratorics is proud to announce the arrival of a new line of materials used in the manufacturing of the Polymorphic Poof Chair.
Comfort Research is a major manufacturer of bag type chairs. The urethane fill used by CR is unique within the "bean bag" industry. The fill produces a pillowy embrace that conforms to the contours of the occupants' body, affording it unparalleled comfort. In addition to superior comfort, the fashionable, high quality covers will not "blow out".
The new line will feature synthetic velvets. These fabrics are as beautiful to the eye as they are sensual to the touch. This new line of velvet Poof Chairs will be available in a select number of colors. Indeed, "The Most comfortable chair on Earth...maybe even the Universe," just got cozier.
As usual Comfort Research will continue to use only the highest quality materials in the production of their current lines. The very popular materials currently in production are: 7.5 ounce poly-cotton twill, a 100 percent cotton indigo denim and stunning plush corduroy.
Regarding CR's filling materials Brett Karis, VP of sales stated, "Due to the properties of the fill used, the size of the chair can be dramatically reduced for shipping and storage purposes without affecting the final product, eliminating the need to impose minimum orders."
The Comfort Research Laboratory was founded in 1994 in Holland, MI. For more information please call Comfort Research at 1-877-226-2926.

"Zad Home" positions Zad Design as Interior Design Resource

"Zad Home" launched at the beginning of this year has been a huge success for Zad Design & MFG. By carefully choosing a selection of rich textures with a west coast look Zad now offers another dimension to accessorize futon furniture at retail. "Retailers who use Zad Home swatches are getting a lot of other softgoods orders in addition to their futon cover sales," said Akim Azad, company President, who added, "And they are very happy to see how these additional sales are impacting their bottom line." Additional swatches will be shown at the Summer San Francisco Design & Furnishing Show.
Also just in time shipment of Zad's well constructed American made product gained recognition among retailers as well. "By combining orders of frames, futon mattresses and futon covers the retailer can reduce inventory levels and only deal with one vendor for the products they sell. Zad offers frames made from pine, alder and oak, with futon mattresses that range from pillow-top models to traditional zabutons. "We are also doing custom order soft goods now as well as our prepackaged five-piece and three-piece futon cover sets," Azad said.
The company also offers POS materials to its dealers emphasizing the real value of futon furniture, and effective sales training for sales associates. "We show our dealers how to sell futon furniture as a fine piece of furniture instead of promotional only, with the emphasis on communicating with the customer about the real value of futon furniture," he said.
For more information call 805-486-8393 or stop by at Summer San Francisco Design & Furnishing Show # 465.

August Lotz Promotes Alix, Winrich Hired For Inside Sales

Erika Alix has been promoted to the position of Sales Representative for the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin & Illinois. Erika has been solving problems and giving advice to these customers for three years and will easily transition into this new position," said Mark Schlichter, President of August Lotz. "She replaces Eddy Botelho who left to pursue new business opportunities. Eddy's contribution to both August Lotz and the futon industry as a whole have been tremendous," Schlichter said. "We will miss him a lot. I'm happy for Eddy. I know it was a difficult decision for him to make."
Erika has turned over the Inside Sales and Customer Service management position to Heather Winrich. Heather was formerly a buyer with Menard's, a major building materials chain. "Having been in the buyer's seat has been a big help to me so far. I understand the business from the retailers' point of view and know what pressures and obstacles they face," explains Winrich.
Also making news was the debut in Las Vegas of three arm styles, two occasional table groups, a cherry finish and two frame sizes. Lotz also added two upscale futon mattresses to their line. "On a scale of one to ten, the Expo was an eleven for us," claims Schlichter. "Retailers are experimenting with our mid and upper price points and are finding that they fill the consumer's demand for a better made product regardless of price."
The arms that were introduced are the "Avalon", a Fifties contemporary/Art Deco look; the "Hawthorn", a beefy leg with an outward flare to the bottom and horizontal & vertical lattice in the grid; and the "Rocky Mountain", a rugged hand hewn log arm. On the futon mattress side, the "Utopia" and "Orthopedic Gold" were showcased. The Utopia incorporates a variety of foam types with a cotton core to achieve a level of sitting and sleeping comfort that is unsurpassed, as well as being UPS able. The "Orthopedic Gold" alternates heat sensitive foam with high density block foams. All of their new products are in stock and ready to ship within the normal 48 hour turn around time.
Because August Lotz' products are shipped via common carrier, they always strive to secure the lowest freight rates with all the major carriers in the United States and Canada. While this achieved a certain flexibility with these carriers, it also created congestion at the August Lotz shipping docks with over twelve different carriers picking up loads every day. In an effort to reduce the congestion and loading times, August Lotz requested bids from all National and Regional LTL carriers. The result was not only a more streamlined means of shipping the August Lotz product line, but also larger discounts with the chosen carriers. August Lotz customers gained the most in these negotiations with a lower landed price on futon frames and futon mattresses.
August Lotz will soon open their doors to the general public at www.augustlotz.com. Retailers will be able to use this as a preliminary sales tool — allowing their customers to see the line before they even come in to the store. No prices will be listed on the site to keep the playing field level. The site is in the final stages of completion and should be accessible by the first of July.
For more information contact August Lotz at 715-595-4023 or 800-826-7326.

Gold Bond Offers SofTouch-Down

Strutting her dance steps during the March FAI Expo is barefoot Samantha Heinlen, who finds things feel fine atop Gold Bond's popular SofTouch futon mattress. The tot was accompanied by her Dad, John Heinlen, of East/West Futons of Michigan.
Gold Bond is a leading manufacturer of fine futon mattresses. For more information contact Robert J. Naboicheck at 1-800-873-8498.

Alan Vincent Elected President of NCBI

MEMPHIS, TN — Alan N. Vincent, president of Vincent Manufacturing Co., Inc., of Little Falls, NY, was elected president of the National Cotton Batting Institute (NCBI) for 1999-2000 at the organization's annual meeting in Las Vegas.
Vincent had just completed a three-year term as a director of NCBI, the national trade association representing manufacturers of fiber batting for the mattress, futon and upholstered furniture industries; their suppliers; and other businesses affiliated with the batting industry. He succeeds Carl H. Richards, Jr., president of Richards Quality Bedding Co., of Grand Rapids, MI.
A graduate of St. Lawrence University, Vincent serves as a board member of the Little Falls YMCA, General Herkimer Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Eastern Herkimer County Industries, Canal Place Development Assn. and the New York State Parks and Conservation Assn. He is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Other NCBI officers elected for the new year are Alan Posner, President of Foamex L.P., Earle, AK, Vice President; Kenny Oliver, President of Jones Fiber Products, Inc., Memphis, TN, Secretary; and Jim Blasius, President of In-Cide Technologies, Inc., Phoenix, AZ, Treasurer.
New directors elected were Arthur Anthony, Palmetto Textiles, Inc., Spartanburg, SC, John Rowland, Trace Industries, Houston, MS; and Steve Wolf, Jones Fiber Products, Inc., Morristown, TN.

Hickory Springs A Solid Choice With Full Service Mattress Program

Tracy Hamlin, Sales Manager for Hickory Springs Fibers, indicates that her company has introduced a number of "high-end extras" which can be incorporated in the company's premium quality product such as their innerspring, polyurethane, and FoamCoil™ futon mattresses.
These high-end extras include fiberdown, a mixture of conjugate fibers and waterfowl feathers and down, which combines the resilience, performance and bounce of fiber with the superb comfort and plushness of down. Ms. Hamlin stated, "When the fiberdown, which is blown into pocketed channels, is united with the foam mattress core and the multiple layer of slick fiber, the feel is closely akin to Grandma's feather bed or the ultra-plush deluxe seating found in many of today's top-of-the-line furniture styles."
Another innovative concept which Hickory Springs has developed for use with premium level futons is the utilization of latex foam rubber. This premium quality material combined with polyurethane foam, polyester fiber and, in most cases, springs, enables Hickory Springs to create a product which conforms to the body's contours for optimal support. According to Ms. Hamlin, these units are highly durable and will maintain that important combination of support and comfort for many years.
"We are finding that more and more customers are interested in high-end quality and the comfort and support that goes with it. The extras which we are offering provide an even higher level of quality and can be tailored to the customer's specific needs. As an example, we can create a futon mattress that features fiberdown on one side and latex on the other side. It's the customer's choice. This provides for a great deal of flexibility. We are constantly exploring concepts from the furniture side of our business and seeking ways to apply these concepts to the futon industry. We believe this will enable us to create products that are even more serviceable and beneficial to the end user," she said.
For more information contact Hickory Springs at (828) 328-2201.

Ramblin Wood Announces the "Return of the Nomad"

Demand by furniture buyers has spurred Ramblin Wood to reintroduce the Nomad cloth 3-drawer dresser. Those early buyers found a unique product that not only works exceptionally well but is also easy to ship and assemble. The Nomad is a great accessory to other Ramblin Wood products since it takes up very little room to show and is a great place to store futon covers. It's truly a unique product. Once buyers try it out, slide the drawers in and out to find out how smooth it works, it becomes a viable alternative to the standard wood dresser.
The Nomad is perfect for the dorm room or kid's room and is geared toward the youth of today. This is definitely not their parent's dresser.
The Nomad dresser is available in oak or maple with either natural, red or black canvas drawers. Like all Ramblin Wood products it is UPS shippable. Call Dave or Terri at Ramblin Wood, phone number 505- 294-3322, for more information.

Otis Bed Continues Innovating trend At 1999 Futon Expo

1999 is a watershed year for Otis Bed Manufacturing. The company is building on its 117-year old heritage and tradition of innovation with three major introductions at the Futon Expo & Specialty Sleep Show: the Inner Comfort™ Futon Mattress, the Comfort Lock Cushioning Method™, and the Otis Electric Futon Frame.
"Historically, our business has been split roughly 60% consumer market products and 40% medical market," said John T. Roma, Sr., President of Otis Bed. "Today, we're focusing our product introductions in an effort to grow our consumer focus to become 99% of the business."
The Inner Comfort™ is made with a multi-layered system of soft and firm foam and a core of DuPont Dacron® 3D molded clusters for a durable sleep surface that cradles the body from head to toe. The Comfort Lock Cushioning Method™ compacts and strengthens the foam, eliminating soft spots and locking in comfort. And the Otis Electric Futon Frame is the first on the market with the ability to adjust from a sofa to a bed while the user rests on the futon – with a simple push of a button.
Marketing support for the company's new introductions includes retail sales training tools and point-of-purchase materials. A new consumer-focused company slogan reads, "You take care of the day. We'll take care of the night."
"Our goal is to create a stronger consumer brand identity for Otis Bed," said John T. Roma, Sr., company president.
Founded in 1882, Otis Bed Manufacturing is a manufacturer of high-performance cushioning systems for the consumer and medical products markets.
For more infomation contact Jack Roma at Otis Bed Manufacturing at 1-800-588-6847.

SIS wins 4th award for "Best Visual Display"

In Las Vegas at the Futon Expo, every casino, restaurant, and dining slot machine seemed to have a theme. In keeping with the spirit of Vegas, SIS Covers previewed new fabrics with a "global village" theme to showcase patterns from around the world.
The "Best Visual Display" award-winning booth featured six international vignettes. Africa was represented with new mud cloth inspired patterns, Italy featured elegant, butter colored bedding, and French day in the country focused on the fresh, spring pallet. The USA was both 60's pop culture with fun and flowery brights, and also flag-inspired with stars and stripes on Americana, Old Glory, and Yankee. Finely detailed Asian fabrics represented a Chinese tea house, and an Indian market with fragrant fruits, and spices featured an exotic new chenille, Taj Mahal.
SIS covers remains committed to bringing retailers the latest in home fashions to keep in step with trends in the market.
For more information contact SIS Covers at 1-800-989-5435.

World's Fastest Futon Rolls into Futon Expo

Las Vegas, NV — Adonis Furniture recently unveiled the "world's fastest futon" at the Futon Expo in Las Vegas.
The Testarossa is the world's first hardwood frame that is fully suspended on industrial castors. "People had a blast being rolled down the aisles. There were a few strange looks, but we had a lot of fun with it. It blends in with a lot of the contemporary furniture available in the market today," said David Lee, General Manager and Head Designer at Adonis Furniture. "Practically speaking, you can now move a futon frame away from the wall without scratching the floors, and you know, cleaning those nasty dust bunnies from under the futon is a snap now," said Lee with a subtle laugh.
The Testarossa is from Adonis Furniture's premium Muscle Body frame collection. The line is constructed from oversized premium ramin and nyatoh timbers. A selection if eight popular arm styles, five decorative finishes, and four sizes are available for the futon specialist. The company also sells a promotional line of rubberwood-based frames, metal frames, and platform beds.
For more information, contact Adonis Furniture at (510) 638-6422.

Futon Don Says — "We are ready to ship"

With the summer upon them BedRoom Distributors has just completed inventory and is ready to "same day" ship any of their plus 20,000 in stock futon frames and mattresses. "We ship the same day," says Futon Don Bumgardner. "From our just again expanded warehouse in Fort Worth, Texas. We now have a 50,000 square foot warehouse and we can drop ship anywhere in the USA. We have distribution points strategically placed all over the country to get the best shipping prices for our customers."
BedRoom Distributors has warehouses in Sanford, Fla., Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Fort Worth, Texas. "In addition to our warehouses, we have distributors in Hartford, CT, and Santa Barbara, CA, and our new Sealy Futon Mattress program is really being well received in the market," says Futon Don.
The Sealy Futon Mattresses are going gang busters. "We are the first authorized Sealy Futon Mattress distributor in the USA and we are exceeding our projections by truck loads," he said.
For further information contact Don Bumgardner "The Futon Don" at BedRoom Distributors 1-800-934-3881.

Natural Futon Sleep Promotes Raymond Rollings

Natural Futon Sleep Products, which produces a full line of futon mattresses, has promoted Raymond Rollings from Customer Service Director to Regional Sales Director. In his new post, Rollings is responsible for managing account development in the Southwest Region. "Ray has unique insight into our customer's needs, having served them since our inception in 1989. He will contribute greatly to our sales and marketing efforts in this area," says Tom Conard, President. Replacing Rollings as Customer Service Director, is Dale Hautanen, formerly Purchasing Manager of Rick's Bedrooms of Dallas. "With over twenty five years of furniture and retail management experience, Dale is a familiar face to many of our customers and vendors. His expertise is a big gain for our company and our customers alike," adds Conard.
Natural Futon Sleep Products also announces the latest addition to our Sleeper family of futons. The Dream Sleeper is a plush, overstuffed mattress, using both flat and convoluted foam. The memory in the foam makes the difference. Incredibly soft, it is possibly their most comfortable mattress yet. Wrapped in pillow-like holofil polyester fiber, (Dupont Dacron 91-H), it is then machine compressed when filled, and compression lace tufted. It comes with a ten-year warranty, and can be shipped via UPS FOB Dallas, TX.
For more information contact Natural Futon Sleep Products at 1-800-330-4233.

Omni Softgoods Delivers Web Ready Fabric Images To Dealers

In a strong show of commitment to their on-line retailers, Omni Softgoods is making a wide array of images available for use on customers' web sites. Whether in slide or picture format, or already scanned in, all of Omni's samples will soon be electronically accessible for the consumer's perusal. "We are still working on what is best for each retailer," says Omni president Robin Reid. "No single system will work for everyone. And the tremendous on-line market for soft goods will also translate into increased store activity." As a bonus, Omni will make fabric available for retailers to swatch to their consumers (at shipping cost only).
Thanks to enthusiastic market research response, Omni will soon be distributing a new and streamlined Sample Screen. The innovative system will be a two-tiered version of the existing screen, thus giving eight panels for increased display with no extra consumption of space. To compensate, swatches will be slightly smaller, but the swivel hangers will remain. Omni will also be sewing its labels onto the swatches for increased efficiency and durability. There will also be room on the label to display product prices.
For more information contact Omni Softgoods at 1-800-283-8037.