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Market Report — Gourmet Housewares Show

By Maria Weiskott -- Gifts and Dec, 5/20/2006 2:37:00 PM

It’s a good thing we brought our appetites to Las Vegas last week, because the Gourmet Housewares Show was a feast of gift merchandise cool, hot, trendy and the unusual — as well as delicious food.

The aromas and tastes throughout the show were as varied as the products on display. They don’t call it the “gourmet” show for nothing! Never shy, we taste-tested everything from warm soymilk freshly produced in the Soyabella soymilk maker from Tribest (surprisingly good — we never thought to drink our soymilk warm), to a rich cabernet sauvignon conserve from Leaning Oaks Vineyards (absolutely delicious), to Coffee Lovers and Wine Lovers chocolates from The San Francisco Chocolate Company. Our favorite was the espresso caramels: spheres of rich caramel with bits of espresso embedded within — all covered with a dark chocolate coating. There are simply no words to describe their carameliciousness. Lucky for us the hotel had an exercise room.

Gifts Galore

Taste-testing aside, this show provided a real change-of-pace, as well as an array of specialty products that could truly ramp up and differentiate a gift retailer’s inventory.

For one thing, attractive, cleverly packaged food items draw in male as well as female customers, and offer great gift-buying ideas for men of any age. After all you know what they say is the best way to a man’s heart. (Don’t worry, we won’t say it!)

The diversity of gourmet products also speaks to any number of special occasions, from shower to wedding to housewarming to hostess… to just plain thank you for stopping by.

Among our favorites at the Gourmet Show was a sleek Neem wood bread board by BonJour, of Vallejo, CA. The slotted board includes a tray underneath to catch bread crumbs; slides out for easy cleanup. Neem wood is indigenous to Asia, and is a tree that rapidly self-perpetuates, making it an attractive gift for the environmentally conscious. The wood also contains a natural bug-repellent.

Bonjour also introduced a line of giftables, including cappuccino, tea and break time sets for two in fashion-forward colors like turquoise, lime green and — appropriately — coffee.

Another highlight of the show was serveware (we hesitate to call them “glasses”) made of shatterproof polycarbonate from Merritt International, Sun Valley, CA. These pieces were so glass-like we had to pick each up and give it a tap to be convinced. Products include everything from ice buckets to platters to trendy stemless wineglasses. And the best news for gift retailers: we were told that these products will never see the light of day — or the light of an overhead florescent lamp — in a mass market retailer.

Yet another favorite were Time Mugs, from TimeMugs LLC, Bridgeport, CT. These colorful thermal mugs have clocks attached, so the user can keep track of that coffee break, we guess. The clocks come with or without “bling,” and are dishwasher safe (time-telling aside, one of their best features).

But probably our most favorite item at the Gourmet Housewares show was the AeroGarden from AeroGrow International of Boulder, CO. This is a product that really needs to be seen to be appreciated (but we’ll try to explain anyway). It’s a kit with everything needed to grow fruit-bearing plants or flowers indoors and — get this — without dirt! (We told you it was something.). By the looks of the crowds at the booth, this is going to be one hot product.

Some of the gift industry’s favorite colors were also prominent at the Gourmet Housewares Show, including the soft pink we’ve seen popping up here and there. That could be the “happening” color. Other notable tones: orange, burnt-orange, black, turquoise, blue, cream and all shades of green. And, of course, chocolate and coffee — both for seeing and eating at this show.

Vegas, Anyone?

Besides the hotel treadmill, we got a good deal of exercise walking the enormous Las Vegas Convention Center. The huge venue — which reminded us of the massive “messe” centers in Germany — was actually running two shows concurrently. The Gourmet Housewares Show, managed by George Little Management, was joined by the National Hardware Show, managed by Reed Exhibitions (a sibling of Reed Business Information, publisher of Gifts & Decorative Accessories).

We managed a quick look around the hardware event, which appeared to be just as busy as the housewares show, though not nearly as appetizing. But as the day wore on, we began to understand why there’s some concern among vendors about Las Vegas as a tradeshow venue. For one thing, there are a lot of distractions for attendees. And it was apparent by mid-afternoon that they were ready to be “distracted.” While floors and showrooms in Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other markets are usually still bustling at 3:00 pm, the crowds started thinning by that time in Vegas. Blackjack, anyone?

See you next week at the New York Stationery Show!

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