SHOP TALK 2

Night and Day Furniture Introduces the Key West Collection

“The Key West Collection is our answer to the needs of our much, much younger customers. We’ve heard you, and here it is,” said Mike Gallawa. He reports, “I am very pleased to tell you that we have three bunk beds in our Key West Collection, including the Pelican Futon Bunk, Pelican Twin/Twin Bunk and the Pelican Twin/Full Bunk.”

In the Key West line up, Night and Day also includes the Sandpiper Bed as well as a complete grouping of matching case goods. To top it off, they offer a matching Student Desk.

“It is all light and fun. The whole collection is finished in a lustrous white lacquer featuring a louvered slat motif on all models,” Gallawa said. “But I particularly love the arched crown detail on the Sandpiper headboards and our mirror top. It’s classic and classy.”

The Key West Collection, oriented to the juvenile market, is all new and in stock. Looks good, feels good and it really takes care of the kids.

“I have kids myself,” said Gallawa, “and they’ve climbed all over this stuff. So I guess you could say it is already market tested.”

Speaking of markets, the Key West collection will be Night and Day Furniture’s new featured collection at the Las Vegas market in January.

Also, Eurohaus, the company’s new collection is now in stock. “The demand was really heavy after Las Vegas (July) and quite honestly I was concerned about meeting the demand in our initial offering. But we haven’t missed a beat!” Mike Gallawa happily explained. “We have full stock in all models and all colors.”

Eurohaus features suede-soft micro fiber fabrics, stitched and zipped over fiber-wrapped foam cores. Choose from a variety of fun and colorful micro fiber coverings. Sofas come with three-position ratchet mechanisms for easy adjustment and comfort. “The Eurohaus Collection has created a lot of excitement. It looks like it is here to stay!” Gallawa said.
 

Customer Service Still Number One With Omni

Omni Softgoods has always put customer service in the forefront of its business plan. This year is no exception. In October, Omni added a Customer Service Department to the organization, doubling its staff.

“The addition of our new Customer Service Department is exciting for us and a great benefit to our customers,” said Marcia Nachreiner, Omni’s GM. “We found, as the company continued to grow, we had customers who were calling to ask a question regarding an order or fabric, occasionally having to hold for an available sales consultant. Omni viewed this as an opportunity and immediately began working on the changes necessary to increase the number of customer calls being handled versus placed on hold.”

Omni’s new Customer Service Department now handles calls from customers regarding questions on orders or fabric. Customers no longer have to wait for answers; they simply ask for Customer Service. While Customer Service reps are handling inquiries and sales consultants are busy taking care of customers who are calling to place orders, needing design services or requesting quotes.

 

Bourne’ International New Products Update

“Bourné International is continuing to move forward and has expanded its Beacon Hill Juvenile line,” said Chet Stoler of Bourné. The collection now features four-poster beds, bookcase headboard beds, sleigh beds, bunk beds and a new captains bed. The Beacon Hill Collection is made of mahogany and is available in six painted finishes. The competitively priced collection has an entire ensemble of dressers, desks, trundle beds and storage drawers. “Our new captains bed with storage chest will be introduced at the World Market Center in the Mandalay Bay space #61281,” Stoler said.

Also, sales of the Macintosh Teak Platform Bed have surpassed the company’s expectations. “The Mac Platform was first introduced at the July 2005 Las Vegas Market along with the Teak Gentleman’s Chest, and sales have been phenomenal,” Stoler said. This is the first time Bourné had shown its teak bedroom and futon line in the natural finish. The company reported that sales of its under-dresser in teak, when combined with this bed, had increased dramatically. The furniture supplier will be introducing two new platform groupings in mahogany, teak and acacia in coffee bean finish, with apartment-sized case goods at their Mandalay Bay space (#61281).

Strata Furniture Introduces New Carriage Line

Strata Furniture is increasing production on their new Carriage Line of futon sofa frames. The new line made its debut at the first ever World Market Center show in July. Brian Donohoo, President of Strata Furniture, said, “The response to our new wall hugger line was greater than we could have imagined. Customers are looking for a frame that they can convert without moving it away from the wall. This feature, combined with the great price point and unique styles, made our Carriage Line an instant success.” The Carriage Line features interchangeable bodies with five different arm styles and two exciting finishes as well as a patented easy front-loading mechanism.

Strata Furniture also has opened a West Coast warehouse in Oakland, Calif. Donohoo remarked, “We have increased the number of customers on the West Coast and receive many requests from that market for our futon frames.” The warehouse will stock the new Carriage Line and will gradually stock all of Strata Furniture’s complete product line.
 

CottonBelle to Introduce Pillow Program at Vegas Show

Furniture industry concerns about the bottom line prompted CottonBelle to accentuate the positive with accent pillows at all price points. “Both custom and stocking programs can add a smooth 10-30 percent to a furniture store’s bottom line,” said CottonBelle’s owner, Mary Lou Rath.

Mixing pattern, textures and colors are hot, inexpensive ways to enhance sofa vignettes. Design elements such as a covered button or center block accent are also incredible values. Stocking programs introduced at Vegas will include a “bakers dozen” in many colorways, and fabrications including faux suedes, chenilles, colored denims and velvets. “Stocking a variety of pillows encourages customers to experiment and design on the spot,” Rath said.

She added, “If you dare, step outside the price box and remind yourself that consumers don’t always buy based on price. Pillows are often impulse or “passion purchases.” You need only watch a customer walk around the showroom holding a pillow to know you have their attention. Include strong pattern, color and design elements like boxing, fringed denim and piping to capture these souls and stimulate your sales.”

To see the company’s newest fabric introductions and pillow constructions visit us at the Las Vegas World Market, Booth P17105.

 

Hickory Springs Adds Director of Information Services

Hickory Springs of Hickory, N.C., maker of furniture and bedding supplies, announced that Lee Hagood has joined Hickory Springs as Director of Information Services. Hagood will oversee the functions of two departments, Information Services and the JD Edwards Implementation Team.

In this position, Hagood will supervise 12 Hickory Springs employees at the corporate offices located in historic downtown Hickory, N.C.

A former employee of Georgia Pacific in Atlanta, Hagood has extensive experience in Information Service management. He has also worked on the installation and conversions of systems to the JD Edwards "Enterprise One."

 

White Lotus Home Purchases 100% New Jersey Wind-Generated Electricity

White Lotus Home, a New Jersey family-owned and -operated business, has committed to purchase 100% New Jersey Wind for both its New Brunswick and Princeton stores. The company is the first business customer in the state to purchase 100% wind-generated electricity. New Jersey Wind is an electricity choice now available to electric customers under the New Jersey CleanPower Choice program recently launched by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. New Jersey Wind is supplied by the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, under development in Atlantic City by leading clean energy marketer and developer Community Energy, Inc.

Theodore Casparian, owner of White Lotus Home, said, “We think our customers understand the importance of quality products crafted in a responsible manner, and they want to do business with companies that share these same values. We’re proud to be New Jersey Wind customers and hope that all businesses, big or small, will follow our lead and make the choice for New Jersey clean power.”

Community Energy President Brent Alderfer said, “White Lotus Home has stepped up as a leader in New Jersey. Their purchase of New Jersey Wind puts their energy dollars to work to benefit the state economically and environmentally.”

The Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm is under development by Community Energy in Atlantic City. The wind farm is owned by Jersey-Atlantic Wind, LLC, a partnership of Babcock & Brown, a San Francisco-based investment banking firm, Central Hudson Energy Group, Inc., a New York utility, and Community Energy, Inc.

Victorian Espresso For Queens Only

The Futon Place, Inc. is proud to introduce its new line of platform beds. The improved Victoria bed is perfect for almost every type of futon mattress. The Victoria is made in espresso finish and available in queen size only. Following the traditional European/Japanese style the Victoria bed offers excellent mattress support along with elegant looks. The new style comes with an optional set of four drawers, and two detachable nightstands. It can be purchased as a complete bedroom set including a six drawer dresser with a multi position mirror and a five-drawer Chester. This amazing set turns every normal room into a master bedroom for queens.
 

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