Market Report — New York
By Bessie Nestoras, Caroline Kennedy, Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts and Dec, 8/15/2007 1:07:00 PM
(Editor’s note: Opening weekend of the summer New York International Gift Fair means that it’s award season once again. And once again, Tavern on the Green in Central Park was the setting for Gifts & Decorative Accessories’ annual Retailer Excellence Awards, which honor the best manufacturers, reps and retailers in the gift industry. And just who are these outstanding gift industry professionals? See for yourself.)
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| Gifts & Decorative Accessoriesbooth |
August 15, 2007 — As the New York International Gift Show continues, traffic remains steady at the Javits Center, with vendors reporting good sales. Sebastian Herald, CEO/director of Michael Aram, said his booth got “slammed.” “It was like the old days,” added Michael Aram.
Herald went on the tell Gifts & Decorative Accessories that the company was looking to expand its gift offerings because customers were asking for it. New pieces include a buttercup butterdish, nut caddy and napkin holder. Also new is a set of pomegranate salt and pepper shakers in nickel and gold. In addition, Herald told us that flowers are going to be blooming in 2008 — and we got a little peek of what’s to come with the Chrysanthemum bowl. The company is adding a holiday collection and will expand into housewares. “People are decorating every room in the house,” explained Herald. “They’re even entertaining in the kitchen. There’s a new living style now.”
Jonathan Adler also offered plenty of introductions. The designer continues to create his signature pieces, but things are also taking a classical turn. The Regent Furniture Collection features wood and Carrerra marble, and the Grand Tour collection features busts and obelisks in pastel shades (in keeping with a modern design aesthetic). In addition, the company now offers tufted wool rugs that will be kept in stock, making it easy for quick delivery. In response to customer demand for darker colors in the pottery, Adler has also introduced the Midnight Glaze collection.
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| Not Neutral |
Not Neutral continues to expand its collection of accessories based on its popular metal garden stakes. The leaf motif is now being used in serving bowls. Also new are 100 percent cotton, double-sided quilts that are available in two sizes: 30”x40” and 50”x60”.
Green was on Red & White Kitchen Co.’s mind when it created the new Bamboo Flour Sack Towels. In the past, the company offered flour sack towels, but has now chosen a bamboo fabric because it absorbs water very quickly, making it the perfect kitchen tool for busy at-home chefs. And who wants a damp towel lying around for days? The combination 70 percent bamboo and 30 percent cotton dries in just a couple of hours.
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| Alessi |
REA award winnerAlessi offered a new trivet that’s made of a chain and four “feet” that are shaped like jacks. The chain makes it easy to store, either on a hook or in a corner of a drawer. The company also introduced Taste Huile, a metal oil-pourer that you can hold in your hand to warm up oil for tasting. The pourer rests on a leaf-shaped tray.
The Baby Bunch, maker of the “bouquets” of baby T-shirts, onesies, bibs, socks and hats, continues to do really well with its line. The company is now working to expand its line into Spa, Garden and Wedding, and will launch new “bunches” in October.
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| Pat Says Now |
Pat Says Now created quite a stir with its collection of computer mouses in various shapes and motifs. The Swiss company has been in the States for just four months, and is exhibiting in New York for the first time. The line includes hearts, bunnies, ladies and more.
The trend toward organic shapes in white and off-white ceramics took a very specific turn: several fashion-forward vendors at the New York market offered versions of natural-looking wooden shapes in white permanent form, from sit-able tree stumps at DFC Mexico City to practical resin vases to a purely decorative pile of porcelain firewood.
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| Klein Reid |
Danish designer Karen Hansen offered a unique product: decorative bowls and accents made from telephone wire. The items come in various colors and are food-safe.
At 7West
Traffic at 7West was steady also, but seemed to come in spurts — as many vendors also reported at The Metropolitan Pavilion. Basically people arrived when the shuttle buses arrived. Still, manufacturers were happy with sales and with the summer market in general.
“We’re doing really well. Yesterday was really good,” said Andy Kono of Peking Handicraft. “It’s an excellent show. We’re up from last August,” said Isadora Frost of Isadora & Mizrahi. When we walked in to Vietri’s showroom and asked Lois La Pera how the show was going she responded with a smile: “Don’t ask! We were here 13 hours yesterday. If I didn’t shut the lights people would still be here.”
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| Flying Fig |
Textile manufacturer Flying Fig — in the Gallery on Six showroom —had many introductions this market. The Paper Cuts line takes on a contemporary look instead of the traditional, beaded and elegantly embroidered pieces. The line includes runners, tablecloths, napkins and placemats made from washable cotton flax.
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| Arte Italica |
Arte Italica is expanding its wall art collection with a new line called Grafico. The collection features images of Pompeii that are heat-set on pure linen and stretched over handmade frames, then held in place with nails. The company would also like to attract a more contemporary buyer, and introduced Portofino, a new tabletop collection featuring a simpler pewter border. This cleaner look was well-received. The company is also expanding its Etrusco collection of accessories to include a dinnerware line, and its desk accessories featuring a crocodile skin pattern sold well.
Socials, Holiday Entertaining
We’ve been hearing for months that ice cream socials are trending up, and the good folks at Rosanna confirmed that for us at the New York show. Apparently, families, friends and neighbors are reviving this old-fashioned event as a way to get together. And of course, to make a party more festive, you need the right accessories. Rosanna’s ice cream sets (which have even caught Oprah’s eye) are a confectioner’s treat in sweet pastels. The set includes tall sundae dishes, plates, small sundae dishes and more.
At the PPD Paperproducts Design booth, the Patience Brewster line of holiday paper tableware is attracting a lot of interest. Plates and napkins feature her signature Krinkles characters done up for the holidays. And looking forward to the spring holidays, how about whimsical Patience Brewster napkins for Valentine’s Day entertaining? All napkin designs come in two sizes: beverage and lunch. Christmas holiday paper plates also come in two sizes. In addition, PPD has expanded into porcelain and ceramic accessories that coordinate with some of the paper collections. Very eye-catching and on trend is a coordinating collection of various black and white designs, some combined with silver or gold; these come in both paper and porcelain. The porcelain mugs, plates, cups and saucers are all come gift-boxed in attractive ready-to-go sets.
Wolf Returns
After an absence of almost two years, Wolf Designs has returned to the gift market. The company took time out to focus on its core business, providing high-end jewelry boxes and travel cases to the jewelry industry. Receiving a lot of buyer interest are well-priced organizer trays that can be tucked into drawers or stacked openly on dresser top.
For the younger crowd, Wolf has novelty jewelry box shoes that come packaged in their own shoe boxes. Three fun styles — sneakers, stilettos and platforms — offer plenty of selection. And for the sophisticated youngster, colorful suede-like boxes with embroidered and beaded designs accent the case. Future plans call for Wolf to gradually move back into home and office accessories, as well men’s and bridal accessories.
What About Those Turtles?
Our curiosity was piqued at the Cloud B booth when we observed people grabbing a plush turtle or ladybug and disappearing into curtained area. While we were reading the display for the Twilight Turtle, a passing retailer, Marcy Stanton of The Studio in Duxbury, MA, gave the product a resounding endorsement. She explained that the turtle is like a nightlight … but with a difference. A light inside the turtle makes the shell glow; but the shell is also pieced together in such a way that the light is cast as stars upon the ceiling. There are even real constellations in the design, which now comes in two sizes of turtle. Though Marcy hadn’t yet seen the smaller size, she noted that the larger Twilight Turtle sells well in her store — even at a price point that’s higher than her usual. Customers love the idea and recognize the value, so price doesn’t seem to be an object.
Just after chatting with Marcy, we immediately got into conversation with Nan from Firefly, in Thomasville, GA. She stopped to look at the ladybugs. Tough she’d placed an order at the Atlanta show in July, she hadn’t seen the actual sample. The necklace Nan was wearing was from Julio Pagliani, with whom we’d spoken on Saturday in the Handmade Galleria. Nan noted that Pagliani is her primary jewelry line, and is featured on her store’s website.
Sadek Happy at Javits
Since closing its 26th St. showroom in New York, Andrea by Sadek has had an extensive presence in the tabletop section of the show. The booth (or should we say, booths) are striking, with separate segments running down the aisle in a very Continental presentation.
According to Jim Sadek, being in the Javits Center has resulted in opening many new accounts. Of course, the tabletop and giftware company has always done well, there was a lot of traffic coming into its showroom. But there, more customers were repeat business rather than new — at least compared to being at Javits. Sadek also noted that the showroom at the corporate offices in New Rochelle, NY, gets almost daily customers from all over the Northeast. And he said that at this time, the giftware side of the business is out-performing the home decor side — a consequence that may be related to the “down” housing market.
Sometimes it pays for an exhibitor that’s still on the show’s waiting list to be able to pack up their stuff and be ready on a moment’s notice. Such was the case for Needham Lane (www.NeedhamLane.com). Dan Pickett packed up his car with the company’s samples of new designs in cotton pajamas, nightshirts, robes and throws, and came to New York when another exhibitor cancelled in the Metropolitan Pavilion. And it was good for Dan and buyers, because the company offers colorful fabric patterns, and has introduced pj’s in oxford cloth as well as a lightweight cotton robe for men.
Every parent believes that their little one is super; Wry Baby now offers a way to dress them that way. The new Super Baby onesies have a cape attached to stimulate playful imaginations. The company also has a fun line of greeting cards with the Wry Baby signature humor presented through a licensing partnership with card company Nobleworks. Also in the works: a baby book for parents to keep those special memories in. It, too, will be done in humorous Wry Baby style.
No, Suburban Silk is not being knocked off by a copycat vendor. The company has split off the personal accessories side of its business under another name, Suburban Hill, which is also the name of its retail store. The company is balancing multiple business identities as it grows. The stationery side is called Paper PhD.
The Personal Care Crowd
Many EXTRACTS personal care exhibitors reported good to positively booming business, particularly on Sunday. “So crowded they couldn’t get through the aisle,” said a representative from Microplane, maker of foot files. Along with Best New Product award winner Colorlab’s custom-blended makeup, other interesting EXTRACTS debuts included Mommy Makeup, a six-piece, six-minute makeup regimen that offers coordinated palettes and detailed step-by-step instructions. Honeycat Cosmetics are feline-themed for a playful yet sensual impact in both product and packaging. Sweet Potato Pie Bubble Stuff and bath salts packaged in a sardine (or cat-food) style can are two of the line’s most unusual offerings.
Personal care and candle vendor Dani offered an Eco line, notable not just for certified organic and natural ingredients and soy wax, but for clear plastic packaging made from corn instead of petroleum. (Talk about renewable resources!) Yet if the company didn’t tout it, you’d never know because the look is just as brilliant and polished as the gift industry has come to expect — nothing homespun about it.
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| Eccolo |
These days, natural products are becoming almost more the norm than the exception at EXTRACTS. However, the section also saw an increased presence of alternative medicine this year, from Wild Divine’s do-it-yourself biofeedback training to She Essential Beauty, a line of bath products developed by two acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists. Another line, called Buddha Nose, was developed by a Shiatsu practitioner.
Disney continued its move towards subtler licensed patterns on surprisingly high-end home goods with the vintage-look Walt Disney Stationery Collection from Eccolo Ltd., screen-printed on hand-stitched leather. More high end: Alice in Wonderland soaps from luxury manufacturer Gianna Rose Atelier.
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| Food Chain Friends |
Inventive Plush, Stylish Nostalgia
Inventive plush peopled (and animaled, and monstered) the aisles of the NYIGF this week. Standout debuts included My Own Monsters, designed by kids, from North American Bear; the Oppenheimer toy award-winning Food Chain Friends, best summed up as “each one eats one”; and handmade Dooodolls such as Mr. Nerdie and Orange Butch. Pooki is branching out into mobiles and crib decor as well as new plush pieces, and of course the granddaddy of Weird Plush, Uglydoll, offered new Uglies as well as a how-to-draw-them kit.
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| View-Master |
Nostalgia for Gen Xers (and old-school fun for their kids) included Fisher-Price reintroducing the iconic View-Master in a booth of its own. The slightly sleeker design still recalls the classic plastic gadget, though blue and black options have joined the classic red. When done with retro film fun, kids can direct their own photo shoot with Fashion Angels’ Fashion Magazine Editor, which uses today’s cheap-and-easy picture technology to add plenty of play value. Included are a digital camera and software to create and edit your own ’zine, then print and share.
Quotable New York
“This is my best New York show so far. The first day was great, the second day was great,” said Lynn Read of Vitreluxe.
“It’s been a really busy show. The first day was really, really good,” said Rachel Lara of o.r.e.
Talking about how retailers can succeed: “Retailers who bring a brand are doing best,” Sebastian Herald, CEO/director, Michael Aram.
Standing in line for lunch, we overheard one market-goer say, “I’m running out of steam.”
“Pretty decent traffic. They come in waves based on the shuttle bus. Then you get a lull. Like on an island, when the ship comes in,” said Edward Venegas, Suburban Hill.
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