SHOP TALK

Futon Industry Gets Better Homes and Gardens® Branding

Futon and daybed covers are now being sold under the storied Better Homes and Gardens brand name as part of a new licensing agreement with SIScovers, one of the futon industry’s pioneer manufacturers. The agreement provides SIS with exclusive manufacturing rights for both futon and daybed related products. SIS will custom-make other items from the Better Homes and Gardens portfolio as well.



The fabric collection focuses on fashion-forward patterns and colors along with classic designs. The new lines are helping bring “forward-looking” fashions while adding the magazine’s “mainstream America” image to futon retailers’ showrooms.

Shari Hammer, President of SIScovers, announced the licensing agreement will benefit retailers, especially those in the futon industry. “The Better Homes and Gardens brand reassures consumers they’re making the right choice when purchasing a futon. Consumers are going to walk into the futon store and feel confident while buying a futon. The Better Homes and Gardens brand makes it a more comfortable decision,” said Hammer.

Allen Hyduck, owner of Fantasy Futons and Futons.net in Mesa, Arizona says, “As a retailer, I want brands in my window that people are going to look at and say, ‘I feel comfortable buying this. I know and trust this brand’. My reaction when SIS told me Better Homes and Gardens was branding futon covers was, ‘Wonderful, their readership covers such a huge population that may not have looked at futons yet.’ Mainstream middle America may now become interested!’”

SIS debuted four Better Homes and Gardens collections at the Las Vegas Winter Market. Cityscape is an upscale contemporary group spotlighting the trendy blue/brown color combination. Charlestowne, a modern French Country collection, is fresh with its red, yellow and subtle blue hues. Catalina is tropical, consisting of retro pinks and greens that take us straight back to the Havana of the 50s. And Carnivale is a whimsical, magical collection filled with bright colors and fun patterns appealing to children of any age. Each collection consists of four or five coordinating patterns—it’s easy for the consumer to mix and match with confidence. “The Better Homes and Gardens editors do a lot of research to determine what their consumer base wants,” Hammer said. “They put a lot of effort into creating designs and choosing colors that will appeal to
their readers.”

Each of the fabrics has been well received. “Our retailers are thrilled and eager to put the new fabrics on their retail floor. We have customers setting up entire Better Homes and Gardens galleries within their store. This is an essential brand name for retailers to market,” said Hammer.



Better Homes and Gardens reaches over 40,000,000 monthly readers. Published by one the nation’s leading media and marketing companies, Meredith Publishing (Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Family Circle, and 200 special interest publications under the Better Homes and Gardens banner). The median age of a Better Homes and Gardens reader is 47 years old, 78 percent are female, of which 65 percent are married.

For additional information, please call SIScovers at (800) 989-5435.

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Industry Leaders Gold Bond and Adonis Strengthen Services Throughout the East

Home furnishings and specialty retailers are benefiting from a newly formed partnership between Gold Bond Mattress and Adonis Furniture to bring fast, reliable and more cost-effective delivery of futon and specialty mattresses directly to retailer’s warehouses every week.

“We’re building the great Eastern markets together,” Gold Bond President Bob Naboicheck said. “Adonis has the most complete line of futon frames, platform beds, bedroom groups, bunk beds and case goods in the industry, along with the deepest selection of sizes and finishes.”

“Gold Bond has the most complete mattress and futon line in the industry,” he added. “Retailers now have an opportunity to mix the loads to simplify their ordering while getting better service on their key products and see better turns in the process,” Mr. Naboicheck said.

Sales training, in-store point of sale aids, floor plans, advertising assistance, and logistical support are also available.

“Futon, juvenile, oak and hardwood furniture, bedrooms, tables, shelves and futon, specialty and foam/innerspring mattresses…it is clear retailers have a new and compelling resource for our two companies’ new products, delivered,” Adonis General Manager Matt Sansoe said. Adonis also operates warehouses in Florida
and California.

The two companies share showrooms in High Point (Space IHFC Main 615) and the Las Vegas World Market Center (Space 1042).

For additional information call Gold Bond at 800-873-8498 or Adonis Furniture at 877-323-6647. Or visit the websites:www.goldbondfuton.com or www.adonisfurniture.com.

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Hickory Springs - First Bio-Based Foam

Hickory Springs Manufactur-ing Company, producer of flexible polyurethane foam for the furniture, bedding and other industries, recently announced the introduction of a breakthrough foam product that will mean far less reliance worldwide on the need for non-renewable petrochemical resources in foam manufacture.

Hickory Springs’ latest development comes at a time of rising petroleum prices and concerns about raw material availability. This new product marks the company’s first foray into the creation of a flexible polyurethane foam that replaces a portion of its petrochemical-based ingredients with a reactive material made from a sustainable, renewable resource. The product also provides cushioning that is comparable, if not better, in terms of quality and performance to oil-based foam formulas on the
market today.

The product, which features a basic raw material derived from a patented process, will be marketed under the trade name of “Preserve.” The name is a nod towards the foam’s reduced reliance on petroleum.

Vice President of Foam and Environmental Technology Bobby Bush sees this innovation as part of larger responsibility both for Hickory Springs and the industry in general. “Our goal is to find new uses for resources and to avoid the waste that has been part of our industry’s history. Not only is Preserve, which incorporates bio-based polyol as an active ingredient, an attempt to lessen our dependence on oil, it is also an opportunity to steer our industry’s thinking away from its short-term mindset.”

Working with Cargill, a global agricultural conglomerate and the manufacturer of the bio-based polyol, Hickory Springs has become the first slabstock foam manufacturer to commercialize flexible polyurethane foam made, in part, with a renewable resource. According to Director of Marketing and R&D Dimitrios Dounis, Preserve resulted from “significant innovation and break-through advancements in this technology. We have now taken a major step toward positioning our industry for sustainable growth. This new process and product allows us to remain ahead of rising threats to our industry.”

Preserve is now in limited production at the Company’s Conover, NC plant. For more information, contact Bobby Bush (828)-328-2201.

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Carriage House Introduces New Line of Upholstered Daybeds

Carriage House introduced its new line of upholstered daybeds at the January ‘06 Las Vegas Market. Carriage House designer Pat Dortch calls it a natural extension of their already popular upholstered bed line. “Most of our bed designs will be available as daybeds,” Dortch said, “which are slight variations on our twin size beds.”



The daybeds are designed to be used with twin mattresses provided by the customer. A bedcap in matching fabric is provided to cover the mattress, giving the piece a uniform upholstered look and feel. Carriage House offers more than fifty fabrics for their daybeds, as well as working with customers’ own material. “Building pieces to order is our strength,” Dortch said. “This makes us very popular with design firms and high end specialty stores.”

The real beauty of this line is its flexibility. “Carriage House daybeds can be used as a large chaise or divan, floated in the middle of a room, or backed against a wall and lined with pillows as a looseback sofa,” Dortch said. Of course, the dual purpose of the daybeds adds to their appeal. “This is a seating/sleeping option that can truly be used anywhere in the home.”

For more information, call Carriage House at (877) 993-9984, or visit their website: www.carriagehousefurniture.com.

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FAI Membership Drive and Expo Update

The Futon Association International (FAI) recently had a membership drive and is happy to report that retail membership has increased significantly this year. The main focus of the drive was the Find A Retailer program that FAI offers retail consumers at www.futon.org.

“Retailers are really taking advantage of the Find A Retailer program,” states Brian Donohoo, FAI President. “Our website (www.futon.org) receives thousands of visits a month from consumers looking for a retailer in their area. Stores that are listed on our site are getting their information in front of many new buyers.”

FAI will publish its membership directory later this summer. This directory will be an updated version of the directory that many manufacturers and retailers have on their desk today. Member manufacturers will receive a free listing and have the opportunity to increase their exposure in the directory. This directory will be given to over 8000 retail outlets.

The Futon Expo & Specialty Sleep Show (FE&SSS) will head back to Las Vegas in July ‘06 as part of the World Market Center’s Las Vegas Market. Sue Tedesco, FAI Treasurer said, “We sold out the January ‘06 show and many of those exhibitors asked to sign up for the July ‘06 show. Due to the fact we have been allocated less space in July, I think it will go fast.”

The FAI’s FE&SSS will be alongside the Specialty Sleep Association in the Las Vegas Convention Center. Lease applications are now being accepted. For more information, contact FAI by email at info@futon.org or call 800-327-3262.

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Hickory Springs Neil Underdown Receives Business Leader of the Year Award

The Lenoir-Rhyne College Business Council will honor Parks C. “Neil” Underdown, Jr., Chairman of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Co., as its 2006 Business Leader of the Year. This award recognizes recipients for their lifetime contributions to the community.

Underdown joined his father, Parks C. Underdown, Sr., at Hickory Springs
Manufacturing Company in 1958 and served for more than 48 years in various capacities. Under his leadership, Hickory Springs operates more than 60 operating facilities in 17 states and today is a leading supplier to the nation’s furniture and bedding industries.

“Neil has always represented the highest level of business ethics,” said J. Donald Coleman, President of Hickory Springs. “We are the company we are today thanks to his visionary wisdom and leadership.”

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White Lotus Home Celebrates 25th Anniversary on Earth Day

White Lotus Home will commence their twenty-fifth year of operations on Earth Day, April 22, 2006. Since 1981, the family-owned and operated New Jersey-based business has remained steadfast in its mission to offer an affordable mattress crafted in a way that will foster environmental stewardship and fair labor standards. “White Lotus Home has achieved this through keeping jobs local while reducing the use of fossil fuels and their byproducts,” said company President, Theodore Casparian. “At White Lotus Home everything truly is handmade in the USA with a continuous commitment to a healthy environment,” he said.

White Lotus handcrafts only “green” products. “The cotton used in the manufacturing of White Lotus products is derived from plant fibers not typically used in the textile industry – those destined to otherwise become agricultural waste. The fibers are deemed “green” because there is no chemical processing after harvest – no bleaching, no fungicides, and no dyes”, Casparian said. White Lotus also offers certified organic cotton mattresses, pillows and other bedding accessories, products made from wool, organic buckwheat, and kapok, as well as mattresses without borates.

For more information, call Theodore Casparian at (877) 426-3623, email Theodore@whitelotus.net or visit www.whitelotus.net.

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Strata Furniture Expands Carriage Line

Strata Furniture won big in Las Vegas by introducing new futon frames in their expanding Carriage Line. Strata Furniture is well known for true “wall hugger” futon frames: frames that do not need to be moved away from the wall in order to be made into a bed.

“The response to our wall hugger line has been incredible,” states Brian Donohoo, President of Strata Furniture. “Customers are looking for a frame that they can convert without moving it away from the wall. Our Dillon futon frame was a huge hit at the January World Market Center show.” The Carriage Line expansion will include a new contemporary arm style as well as another stain finish. The Carriage Line was an expansion of Strata Furniture’s Signature Collection. The same quality craftsmanship, unique styles and patented mechanism are present in both collections.

“We are known for our high end line,” Donohoo said, “and retailers are exited that we are bringing the same characteristics to a mid price line.”

For more information, contact Strata Furniture at (763) 786-3784 or visit our website,
www.stratafurniture.com.

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