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Direct from Market: New York

By Bessie Nestoras, Meredith Schwartz and Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 1/29/2009 10:58:00 AM

NYIGF buyers waiting on long lines to register on Sunday, January 25

Gift buyers created long lines that snaked around the Jacob Javits Convention Center’s Crystal Palace, as they crowded in to register on-site for the New York International Gift Fair. And over at 7 West, Chris Collins reported that the building saw good attendance during its pre-show days, especially on Saturday for the international buyers day, and the late night Mardi Gras buying event on Monday was well attended. And on Sunday evening, Gift for Life's Casino Night fund-raising party was a draw for show-goers.

Dorothy Belshaw, director of the NYIGF attributed the crush at Javits to several factors: all venues of the show opening on the same day, rather than its traditional, Saturday-one-day-earlier opening for the Show Piers venues; the large Northeast/Mid-Atlantic regional buyer base not traveling out-of-region to conserve on budget and time; and unprecedented number of last minute registrations.

Gift for Life's Casino Night Party

The timing of the show may have contributed to the last-minute registration. The timing allowed buyers have a better gauge of their open-to-buy, inventory and restocking needs after an unsure holiday sales season, and many retailers decided at the last minute to attend the market.
However, in spite of the long early lines, traffic reports by exhibitors were mixed, with more at Javits observing respectable attendance, while at the Piers, a number of exhibitors, used to an exclusive opening day, told a slightly different story — that traffic seemed comparatively light.

NYIGF's Dorothy Belshaw admitted, "Traffic was down, but anecdotal reports from exhibitors confirmed that major buyers were at market, quality and representation were strong and order-writing was cautious. Retailers responded especially well to new product, looking to reinvigorate their offerings, and many needed inventory. Many retailers who had not attended earlier winter markets, or who had attended without placing orders, relied on NYIGF to meet their resourcing needs."

With many buyers reportedly spending fewer days at market, attendance seemed even lighter after the first two days of the show, and a snow storm that changed to freezing rain didn’t help matters. One minor mishap, probably due to the inclement weather, lead to an intimate atmosphere: Wednesday morning saw the front half of Pier 90 go temporarily dark due to problems with the power.

Sensing the Mood
Overall, although cautious, order-writing seemed steady, and many were satisfied with their sales — some very much so. “We had a great day [on Saturday]. We had a lot of international buyers for 7 West’s International Days,” said Nancy Michael of tag.

“We’re having a really good show. It’s our first show and it’s been good,” said Heidi Hong of Silva Studio, a jewelry vendor.

Art Hernandez of Bluewick candle told Gifts & Dec that about 30 percent of his business at this show has been from the unexpected reactivation of dormant accounts. And another exhibitor told Gifts & Decorative Accessories that she’d doubled her business.

Nevertheless, there are always those who don’t fare as well. On exhibitor said they hadn’t even covered their expenses by the second-to-last day of the show.

Klein Reid

The retailers that G&DA spoke with seemed relatively upbeat, and not all were local regional retailers. We noted buyers from Los Angeles, Minnesota and Florida, and heard a few foreign languages being spoken in the aisles as well. Although store sales may not have been stellar, buyers reported that business was okay. Christine Ward, a retailer from Minneapolis, noted that another buyer from the store, Patina, shops Atlanta for certain categories; Christine buys for other categories and comes to New York because there are things here that aren’t in Atlanta. Patina retailer Christine Ward noted she has adjusted her product focus this year, “I am looking for great items that will retail for $40 and under.”

Jonathan Adler

Key Considerations
The key to being successful in this economy is to offer new and interesting products — both at wholesale and at retail. And that is something heard throughout the market. It’s important to excite shoppers and get them into your store. And one way is to offer new products, especially at the right price point. Patina retailer Christine Ward noted that she was looking for great products that will retail at under $40. Other retailers noted that they were focusing on the $25 and under price point.

Many vendors are helping on both fronts. Jonathan Adler has introduced several new collections this season to excite customers, as well as expanding into tabletop with a melamine collection and a porcelain dinnerware line. Klein Reid and Ankasa are two manufacturers who introduced pieces at a lower price point. In fact, 35 percent of Ankasa’s new pieces are priced lower. And one vendor told Gifts & Decorative Accessories that they are cutting their margins in order to stay in business.

Salvatore Forte, owner of Hom, in Brooklyn NY, finds that more and more people want to stay home and as a result want to make their homes more inviting. “My candle sales are up and believe it or not my furniture sales are up, too.”

Scaling Back, but…
There was still plenty to see at market, even though it was evident that vendors were holding back a little and offering fewer introductions. There was a wide selection of photo frames from Umbra, including a few more traditional looks. Wall décor is a big category for the company and so it added several new mirrors to the line.
Klein Reid’s new 8.5 collection of vases, vessels and lamps comes in two colors yellow and Atlantic blue. The company’s lower priced Applied series is doing very well.

Jonathan Adler had one of the largest introductions this market with a new lacquer collection in bright colors, as well as new porcelain dinnerware imported from Japan, melamine plates and a series of new salt and pepper shakers and napkin rings.

Reisenthel

German manufacturer Reisenthel looks to the sky for inspiration. Its new bags feature airplane buckles as a closure. The company also introduced a selection of bags made from sail cloth and rope. The large totes are durable and feature six pockets.

Juliska came out with stoneware that takes on the look of pewter and is oven, dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe.

Erin Smith Art offers a wide selection of wall décor and greeting cards featuring photos of her grandmother with messages written by Smith. The pieces have a fun vintage look and are right on trend with the quotable wall art seen throughout the marketplace.

Intoxicated Zodiac turns to medieval herbal astrology to create its line of candles. The collection is based on the work of medieval herbalist Nicholas Culpepar. Each candle comes with a reading about your sign, as well as a Celestial Cocktail recipe. Once you burn the candle, you can use the glass. They are available in a 10-oz. size and a 1.5-oz. travel size. Shot glasses are also available, as well as tote bags. The candles are also being used as wedding favors and baby gifts.

Wild & Wolf

Wild & Wolf, whose name comes from Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf, offers a variety of tools featuring floral motifs. The company collaborated with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London to create three motifs.

Knockabout's Peculiar Pets

One standout new plush offering comes is the Peculiar Pets by Knockabout. Handmade in the U.S. of vintage fabric, the flat shapes somewhat recall the Uglydoll look, but with more texture and recognizable animal species. Each comes with its own sewn-on accessory, from cat with nip to lamb with mint jelly! (The creator used to be a chef). Particularly notable is the price point, at only $12 wholesale each.

Lovegrove & Respucci

A hybrid of tradition and hipster style that makes the eyes do a double take is the New York delft pattern tabletop from Lovegrove & Repucci, this five piece porcelain placesetting combines traditional blue and white delft coloration with quintessentially urban motifs such as graffiti and taxicabs.

Cupcakes continue to be hot: both The Baby Bunch and Australian vendor babycupcakes offer kids clothes packaged in fool-the-eye cupcake lookalikes.

Protocol introduced gift kits based on the Worst Case Scenario book series. Each kit is packaged with a special Worst Case Scenario book and a gift item — some practical, some fun — related to the scenario.

On the Personal Side
In personal care, tweens and teens are the next big target audience. Changes, invented by two registered nurses, explains a girl’s first period in a positive way, and comes in a girly girl or tomboy version. Meanwhile, Glory for Girls offers natural skincare for sensitive skin with a tween-friendly look and feel. Tiny Tillia relaunched with a new look, and added the brand new TilliaBath & Body adult line as well.

Portico

Also new in personal care, Portico, the former home store brand, has been reinvented on a line of bath and body products produced and distributed by Hunter, who is now also making and distributing the Pharmacopia line. And Ballmania, the popular spherical lip balm that appeared on Oprah, has reinvented its brand identity as “Twist and Pout.” Also look out for the Blow line of hair products that help women preserve a blowout longer, and Wash With Joe, an invigorating coffee mint bodywash. In the category of VERY personal care, OhMiBod by Suki LLC, is a vibrator which syncs with the music playing on an mp3 player (cell phone accessory also available).

A find for fashionistas on a budget: new Lizette Shoe Wraps decorate a simple slide, pump or boot with straps and bling for only about $20 retail.

Brelli

Also fresh in the footwear scene, British offering Redfoot features foldable flats in a carrying case to pop in a purse and swap out for painful heels after a night of partying for $55 and up retail.

And to keep those fashionable duds dry, Brelli offers see-through biodegradable umbrellas made with bamboo in both clear and UV-protected, personal and porch styles.

Alexis Bittar found that large earrings are in demand and has added many new large-scale pieces that are lightweight and easy on the ears.

On the Eco Front
The green focus — eco-friendly and sustainably produced products — continue to be a strong focus, especially at the NYIGF. The Sustainability: design for a better world display saw buyers studying the products featured and noting the vendor booth numbers. Of particular note was how creative, design-forward and colorful green products can be.

Stationery manufacturers were strongly represented in the display. Blue Barnhouse featured a range a colorful notecards and greeting cards printed on old-fashioned hand-powered presses. Sol Fair Trade offered home office accessories such as clipboards and journals and journals with hard covers made from recycled food packages. And British exhibitor, Sukie Ltd. presented its Rescued Paper Notebook.

Lichen introduced test tube-like vases in a new medium for the company known for its creative use of industrial felt. The “adaptation, a mutable magnetic vase” designed by Brandon Perhacs consists of delicate test tube like containers that magnetically attach to a recycled hard rubber base. The magnetic bottoms of the tubes allow for creative arrangements. Lichen also introduced very striking pendant lamps made with industrial felt shades.

Lisa Ann Sparks

Wunderwurks has some very striking bowls, jewelry and lamps made from soft, recycled plastic that has the look of blown glass.

Lisa Ann Sparks’ eco-friendly jewelry is colorful and fun, but more importantly gives back to the community. From each collection, a portion of the sales goes to a corresponding agency. For example, a percentage of sales from the pieces featuring endangered animals goes to the World Wildlife Fund. Sparks reuses all scraps in various designs and reuses the 100 percent recycled sterling silver wire and powder from her work and other artists. The line includes necklaces, rings, bracelets, money clips, belt buckles and plates. The pieces are packaged in a bags made out of recycled fabric and unbleached organic cotton yarn.

Earthlust

There were water bottles everywhere, but nary a drop to drink. In New York — as in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle — metal water bottles were the latest extension of the eco-friendly trend. In both stainless steel and aluminum, from edgy Blue Q, Earthlust, and gift stalwarts likeSpoontiques. One from Ecousable, even comes with a built in filter in the cap to transform tap water’s taste.

Oots

Similarly combining earth- and wallet-friendly appeals and also trending up are carriers for “brown bagging” lunch in style such as the green lunch kit from Don Mark Ltd. and lunchboxes from Oots. Built NY introduced the Extra Relish Lunch Tote to complement its original Gourmet Getaway Lunch Tote. Both are made of the company’s signature insulating neoprene; the new lunch tote has an interior pocket and a removable shoulder strap.

Ceramica Magnifica

In the 7West Showrooms
7 West and the Westchester Italian Cultural Center bring to town Ceramica Magnifica, an exhibit of contemporary ceramics by artisans in Este, Italy. The exhibit was on display during the New York Gift & Home Textiles Market Week and will run through April. Pieces from artists, including designers Krizia and Ottavio Missoni are on display.

The Richard Cohen Collection added a few new lines to its showroom including France International, a collection of wicker serveware and accessories. Also new is Chamart. The company recently moved into the showroom from its own showroom in the building and couldn’t be happier. “It’s terrific. This is a great destination showroom,” said Leny Davidson, president of Chamart.

Now Designs introduced four new collections this market. Orchid, which features oranges and pinks with a butterfly and dragonfly motif; Santorini, a blue and sea green color story; Beach Glass which brings together black, white and thyme and Madres, bright reds, oranges and pinks.

New to Isadora & Mizrahi is Poo-Pourri, West Third candles and Simply DesignZ, a selection of serveware.
The new Lily Pulitzer collection from Lifeguard Press can be found in The Mary Harper Group showroom. Also, the showroom has added more lines from French Look International, including Lolita Lempicka, a couture candy line, and Three Designing Women, which offers customized stationery including stamps and embossers.

Raz Imports

Gallery on Six added Lignarius, a line of photo frames and mirrors, Coco Company, Pierre Rousseau candles, The Joy of Light matches, Laidback pillows and totes, and Dora Designs a collection of doorstops made from leather, suede and ultrasude in the forms of owls, cats, dogs, pigs and other animals.

Dora Designs

7 West’s E-Catalog Gallery was a big success and Chris Collins, vice president and general manager of 7W was thrilled with how well it was doing as was Nancy Michael, who spearheaded the project.

Raz Imports moved into a new showroom in 7 West. There is more 8,000 square feet of space. The company can now easily display its various collections in different rooms throughout the showroom.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for upcoming reports on Frankfurt’s Paperworld and the Las Vegas Market.

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