Market Report — Atlanta

-- Gifts and Dec, 1/11/2008 9:29:00 AM

January 11, 2008 — Wall Street may have been disappointed this week by soft retail sales reports, but certainly vendors at the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market aren’t: They’ve been too busy writing orders.  

Traffic is bustling in the three AmericasMart buildings, especially considering it’s still relatively early in the show. “We’re way up,” said Jamey White of Virginia Candle. A retailer at the Virgina Candle booth, Jan Dismukes of Jan’s Hallmark in Dotham, AL, agreed. “Woodwick is outselling Yankee in our store,” she said

 

“So far, it’s been really positive,” said Tim Kroetsch of Torre & Tagus. Helene Wack of 225 Unlimited said, “We have been mobbed.”

 

Rick Contino, president of Midwest heard that many buyers were planning to come to market later than usual, which could mean that traffic will increase. The fact that sales are already strong (rumor on the show floor was that even Tuesday night sales were good — could signal a blockbuster show.

 

Expansions, Additions 

With the traffic as heavy as its been, companies that expanded their showrooms in time for market have been proven prophetic. OneCoast added 9,000 square feet for its new Southeast home division; Jeremy Hirsch of OneCoast said the direction of the 18th floor in Building 2 is “indicative of how the industry is going.” The 80,000-square-foot floor now hosts only four showrooms — something Hirsch believes reflects a trend toward fewer, but larger rep groups.

 

Other showroom expansions include Darrah & Co. and HomArt.

 

Olivia Mullin

In addition to expanding their space, companies have also expanded their brands, and increased and diversified product offerings in time for the winter market season. Olivia Mullin’s personalized lines are growing and evolving. Known originally for personalized stationery items in bright colors and modern fonts, the company is now attracting interest with personalized glassware, including 14-oz. tumblers with etched monogram initials. Sets of four glasses come packaged in a gift box tied with a ribbon and gift tag — the perfect gift-to-go. Two other new gift sets are drawing their share of buyer interest: The Hospitality Gift Set includes cocktail napkins, guest towels, paper coasters and a coordinating spreader, and comes with either gold or silver initials; the new Notes & Memos Gift Set combines two of the company’s best-selling items — Sassy Singles and My Memos —  packaged together in a desk caddy.

 

Fringe expanded its product line of decorative vases, plates and candles to include mirrors in various shapes and sizes. The company is also offering Assemblages — a collection of trays that are, in a sense, a puzzle that can be assembled on a wall. The company has also expanded its giftware line with boxed sets of four votives; four styles are available.

 

Two's Company introduced the Mindy Weiss collection of bridal accessories, including everything a bride needs from pre-wedding to honeymoon. There’s a checklist to keep track of important to-dos, a bingo game, gifts for the bridesmaids, items for the honeymoon, ring bearer pillow and two garters — one to throw and one to keep.

 

Mud Pie introduced a whopping 700 new items this market, 200 in its baby collection alone. The monogram program is doing well, according to executive vice president Adrienne Boyer, so the company is continuing to expand the line. Mud Pie is also adding to its Sanibel collection by introducing Seaside, a line of sea-inspired accessories featuring shells, seahorses and more. As an alternative to the "cutesy" Prince baby collection, the company introduced Oh Boy. This line features primary colors, and offers pieces such as a fork and knife set, banks shaped like cars and more. Mud Pie introduced another new collection for boys featuring dinosaurs, alligators and frogs, also in primary colors.

 

Nature, a Natural

The sea continues to be a strong seller at this market, and Peking Handicraft has responded to the trend with hooked pillows featuring a crab, fish and lobster. The company also introduced aprons by Anna Marie Horner and new items from Julia Jenkins.

 

Following the nautical theme, HomArt introduced Maritime,a collection of decorative accents, including sailboats and pulleys. According to Julia Long, the company’s creative director, peacocks are another upcoming trend, and the company is introducing a collection.

 

Immortalis (formerlyCG Botanical Design) features a wide selection of permanent botanicals. Designer Laurie Burke takes a design perspective when creating her bouquets. The company's new orchid and phalaenopsis spheres come in small and large sizes.

 

Toss Design’s new collections for spring are “all texture,” according to Jennifer Hogan. Drawing strong response is a collection featuring a green zebra-striped pattern on a canvas-like fabric. Animal prints in stylized interpretations are particularly standout on larger travel pieces including a rolling duffel and large overnighters. Hogan notes that the travel category is big, and she’s going to focus on it. Other collections garnering kudos: a spotted cat cloth pattern that’s covered in clear vinyl and accented in bright green trim, and a colorful spring green/peacock blue combination with a stylized flower inside the paisley motif fabric, also covered in clear vinyl.

 

Sia has introduced five new collections in Atlanta, including Essential Whites, which offers a traditional coastal look that carries over to garden. Countryside finds its inspiration in traditional French looks. Zest of Summer features bright colors with a youthful feel. (This line is doing well across the country because it appeals to everyone, explains Sia's Judi Werling.) Summertime Blues focuses on furniture pieces and incorporating blue flowers. The last collection, Lavish, is the Sia's core collection, and Werling says they’ll continue to add to it. Last market, the company introduced dinnerware; this market it showcased a selection of stemware and glassware. "Sia has always been about lifestyle, but now we offer a complete lifestyle package," says Werling.

 

Now Designs showcased six new collections from April Cornell. The Maypole Collection features corals, greens and tangerine hues. Whisper is toned down with soft shades of pink, orange and yellow. The Seaside Collection features blues and greens, as does Sunshine. Fresh Cut is just that: fresh, with an accent on yellows and greens. And European Garden is toile-inspired — but instead of pastoral scenes, this toile highlights birds, bees, buds and berries.

 

Bungalow

And speaking of toile… At Bungalow, we saw sturdy bags and totes in a new toile-like pattern: an updated concept created from retro ’50s drawings of seaside scenes (rather than 18th and 19th century European and Chinese scenes we’re used to seeing). The designs are eye-catching and totally fun, with a touch of sophistication. The toile design and another damask pattern are intended to appeal to a more mature and/or sophisticated customer. The practical and popular Pocket Rocket and Bagette Bags are standouts in the new patterns. The Pocket Rocket bag is a large tote with three deep pockets on each side, ideal for stashing wine and/or soda bottles for a picnic (or baby bottles if you need a diaper bag). The Bagette is a medium-sized, square bottomed tote that makes a great grocery shopper with two sets of handles of different lengths.

 

New and Notable

Midwest’s big introductions include a new everyday candle accessory brand called Delight; a fragrance delivery system and candle alternative, called Fragrance Express, which uses a polymer insert and a fan to produce scent without flame; and Scents of the Season, an evergreen-fragranced gel ornament that will scent an artificial tree for two years. Midwest is also giving away some extra sparkle: three market attendees spotted wearing their “Sparkle” pins around the show will receive one made with real diamonds.

 

La-Tee-Da is focused on building a better mousetrap — or in this case, diffuser. The company introduced patented Super Sticks for reed diffusers, which founder Lowell Newman says throw ten times as much fragrance, as well as a patented cap for its fragrance bottles that allows shoppers to smell the scent without a tester.

 

Danielson Designs is offering multi-open frames so customers can incorporate a series of photos; the frames also feature inspirational messages. RemindHer is a collection of signs that have fun sayings for women. Room Service is part of the company's Walligraphy line; these easy to peeloff signs include items for practically every room in the house.

 

Tea is big at Andrea by Sadek, which introduced a new series called Sweet Tea. The line includes mesh strainers and a covered mug and teapot, as well as coordinating platters. Nautilus is a new sea-inspired collection that includes a wide selection of gift items such as salt and peppers, vases, platters and chip and dips. Another new coastal pattern is Boca. This collection is a little more sophisticated, with features lamps, plates, vases and more.

 

Fringe Studio

Fringe Studio has expanded its selection of decorative glass accessories, and featured assemblages of glass plates used as wall decor that made a big impact. One eye-catching display is a group of square plates. The design on each plate — a portion of the black and white drawing — is intriguing alone; putting them together makes a stylish statement that reveals the complete piece of art. Another assemblage in the showroom is a grouping of pieces in different shapes and sizes and with different designs.

 

The Penguin Corkscrew from Wine Things Unlimited makes opening a bottle of wine easier than ever before. Drawn to it by the chic design, buyers were fascinated by the demonstration of how this very practical item works. An easy lever action does all the twisting and turning to drill the “worm” into the cork. There are three styles: Original, a brushed silver metal; Clear, a clear plastic so that you can see all the mechanics; and an upscale stainless steel model. The Penguin comes gift-boxed along with a coordinating foil cutter and fully illustrated instructions. This is a tool with definite male appeal for its gadget-y good looks and ease of use.

 

Design Design

There’s more giftware than ever before at Design Design. New this market: an April Cornell licensed floral-pattern paper tableware collection. “For the first time, we have brought out a line of aprons,” pointed out Brian Carder, vice president of sales and marketing. “The aprons and new bottle stoppers are really doing well.” The aprons have feminine touches with a slightly flared skirt, rounded pocket and applied rick-rack enhancements. On the chest they feature cartoons and designs, along with related captions and sayings to put a little fun into cooking and hosting.

 

Yakety Sak!, the gifts bags that talk when opened, has a new line of humorous bags called Punchline, which have an illustration and statement on the outside of the bag. When the bag is opened the sound technology tells the punchline or wisecrack related to the message on the outside of the bag. Yakety Sak is running an online contest for Punchline; customers can enter new ideas for new bags designs, along with the appropriate punchline to go along with the design. The winning design will be manufactured, and name of the person who suggested the design will be included on the bottom of the bag. Yakety Sak is also going collegiate, with bags that bear college logos and sound the school fight song.

 

Trending Up

The Green trend is hitting personal care and candles harder than ever. Organic and natural ingredients continue to be widespread, and paraben-free ingredients are receiving increased attention. But some companies are taking the emphasis even further, such as Enchanted Meadow’s Aroma Ecology line, in Tropical Rainforest and Coastal Rainforest varieties, and Nouvelle’s Verde line, which is selling very well, according to company owner Brett Huval. As an alternative to soy, Virginia Candle offers Olive Oil Organics.

 

IHR – Ideal Home Range is making a big splash with its new “Green is Life” paper goods collection, including napkins, paper plates, decorative boxes and gift bags. The paper items are made with recycled paper, but show that stylized floral designs can be eco-friendly, eye-catching and bright all at the same time. Recycled paper has come a long way from plain brown. Rounding out the collection are coordinating accessories including candles, ceramics and plastic serveware.

 

In Holiday, Halloween is huge: cupcakes from Ganz, All Witches Eve from Department 56, a whole host from Midwest, and much more. In particular, look for houses (haunted, pumpkin, or otherwise) to join the character and animal motifs. New Creative even offers a Cathedral lantern. Also in holiday, red and white (and sometimes black) is a hot variant, often combined with reindeer and a floral-yet-clean, graphic look.

 

In plush, Webkinz, Shining Stars and other web-enabled products continue to be the hot story. Now even the pink-or-green camo pet carriers at Ganz will come with Web codes, and over the holidays the Shining Stars website registered 5,000 kids and hour. But it’s not the only thing happening. Russ Berrie now has the Corderoy license, including a sound-and-motion piece where the bear reads his own book aloud, and Fiesta is offering interaction old-school style with its new Stuffing Party, a machine that kids can operate to stuff their own plush in the store.

 

Natural Life

Natural Life has gone Vintage Bohemian with its new collection of baby accessories that includes onesies, caps, soft moccasin-like shoes, bibs, wall hangings, melamine tableware and more. They have a ’60s “hippie” feel with subtle tie-dye, and incorporate Natural Life’s signature sentiments and simple embroidery touches.

 

And Just for Retailers….

To help retailers display its product line in a limited amount of space, Danielson Designs, known for its wall decor featuring sentiments and messages, has introduced 3”x4” wall display kits that come complete with installation instructions, hanging templates and all the hardware and accessories needed. The display units show how the signs can be collaged together to create a decor statement as well as showcasing a range of the company’s product for maximum impact in a limited amount of space.

 

-- Maria Weiskott, Caroline Kennedy, Meredith Schwartz, Bessie Nestoras