Direct from Market: Dallas

Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts and Dec, 1/27/2011 2:26:58 PM

The Dallas Market Center buzzed with activity as buyers filled the hallways as they moved from showroom to showroom and from booth to booth. The mood was as bright as the Texas winter sun and although the temperature outside was quite chilly the buying inside the Market Center was relatively hot.

Attendance was markedly up as the crowded hallways showed. One might think that the higher attendance could be attributed to Dallas gaining those buyers who were unable to get to Atlanta because of the weather. (A number of exhibitors reported that in Atlanta they had not seen many of their customers from the southeast region - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama - due to the icy roads.) Such seemed not to be the case. Several DMC spokespeople noted that they were seeing more customers who had absented themselves from coming to market due to the economy; they also were seeing some new customers from the Midwest. Several exhibitors agreed, including Doug Cofiell of Homestyle.

While buyers are still being careful, they are beginning to spend a little more, increasing orders to ensure sufficient stock. Bob Burton of Burton & Burton related an exchange with one customer who commented that the fourth quarter had been so good in her store that stock had gotten uncomfortably low. "Never again," she said.

One of the highlights of the Dallas winter market is the annual ARTs Awards gala, which is a glittering black-tie affair honoring manufacturers, retailers, sales reps and designers in the lighting, furniture and decorative accessories segments of the industry. In a departure from previous years when then honor was bestowed on an individual, the ART Academy of Achievement Award was presented to HGTV in recognition of its influence in the home furnishings industry. For a full report of all the winners click here.

One Hundred 80 Degrees new showroomThere were a number of exhibitors who celebrated their opening or re-opening in new spaces. One Hundred 80 Degrees opened a showroom on the second floor of the Trade Mart right by the escalators and walkway to the World Trade Center. The showroom space is a separate from but a part of the Goetz showroom family. Tervis Tumbler continued its 65th anniversary celebration with the opening of a showroom on the first floor of the Trade Mart.  Foreside Home & Garden celebrated its re-entry into the gift market and its new home in the Homestyle showroom. Western Reps moved into a large, bright showroom space on the second floor of the Trade Mart.

Lady Primrose's founders Vivian Young and Caroline Rose Hunt (seated in front) with current owners Deby Fowler and Shirley Pieratt

Health and Beauty
Lady Primose, known for its elegant personal care product line, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2011. An anniversary celebration was held in the showroom on Friday evening. In honor of the anniversary, company owners Shirley Pieratt and Deby Fowler invited, the two founders of the company, Caroline Rose Hunt and Vivian Young to be the guests of honor at the celebration. Ms. Hunt was thrilled that Lady Primrose reintroduced two of the orginal fragrances in the line.

PAK personal accessories kitDebuting in the temporaries, PAK's personal accessories kits offer an attractive practical solution to handbag and travel needs. The cases currently come in two colors: green and black vinyl and hold tiny refillable bottles to hold hand sanitizer, breath spray, lotion, hairspray and personal fragrance. It is also organized to hold a comb, bandages, stain remover and other grooming essentials for quick touch-ups. They can even hold ID; a wristlet strap or chain make them a perfect evening out bag.

New to the market is Terra Dolce, a collection of handcrafted soaps, body butters, scrubs, oils and lotions created and manufactured by professional aesthetician Alison Cripps. The formulation of the all natural products were developed to help meet the needs of spa treatments and incorporate elements of ancient skincare traditions.
Burton + Burton pet balloons

Novel and Fun Impulses

One of the big buzzmakers in the Burton & Burton showroom were the pet balloons — fun helium-filled animal balloons with slightly weighted feet that, rather than floating up in the air like a regular balloon, skim along floor and can be "walked."

Adding a little whimsical fun style to home organization, Creative Imaginations offers the Cool Stuff line of Animal Head suction cup Grabbers and Clips. Made of a pliable plastic, the mouth of the whimsical animal grabs and holds onto a toothbrush, set of keys, pencil or whatever.

Flippers offer families a way to organize, personalize and separate their toothbrushes. Practical for both at home and on the road, these toothbrush holders have a suction cup to attach to mirror or tile and come in designs such as Hello Kitty, Dino Egg, whimsical animals and NFL football helmets. The body closes around the tootbrush head to keep it protected.

Whomp CharmzHow about adding a little "wildlife" to shaped rubber bands? That's what Whomp Charmz do. These tiny charming rubber charms, which are also tiny erasers, grab around the band to personalize and dress it up.

Franniart Learther Charm Bands

Fashion and Style
Speaking of charms, notable in The Mix showroom are Franniart's Leather Charm Bands. The bracelets are made of very soft Italian leather in several styles to which charms can be added and changed.

Taking a different approach to leather fashion bracelets is Couture Leather. They feature engraved messages and designs; some have Swarovski crystal embellishments or dog tags. The triple wrap style also has a coordinating charm. There are also styles suitable for men.

In the Portico showroom, Whitney Elizabeth Designs' handmade Floral Blossoms and Puffs were all the rage and the creative display constructed from paperback book pages and blossoms and puffs was eye-catching. Particularly endearing are the tiny puffs that clip to a toddler's shoes.

And Spartina 449 has expanded its line beyond handbags, pouches and totes to such wearables as coordinated scarves and double-sided reversible belts.

J. Michelle Designs, known for its affordably priced freshwater pearl jewelry, has added footwear to its line with a collection of leather sandals. The company has added new colors to its pearl offerings. In its sister line, Amanda Blu, the hematite beaded bracelets were attracting a lot of interest.

Home, Entertaining and Parties
Woozie is proudly promoting its appearance on the "Today" show with flyers in its display showing Hoda Kotbe and Kathy Lee Gifford toasting each other on the morning show with stemware dressed in the Woozie's insulated covers. Woozie has introduced Trayd'ables, two styles of acrylic serving trays with interchangeable mats that coordinate with Woozies.

Bridal event party and gift wares from Inviting Company drew our attention in the Erik Hahn showroom. The product line addresses the needs of different events that surround the wedding such as the Bachelorette Party and Rehearsal Dinner. There are drink decals with fun occasion-related sayings, temporary tattoos, stickers, luggage tags, thermal mugs, plastic drinkware and much more.

Q Squared breakfast set, new to the U.S., was drawing a lot of interest in the Donald McEvoy showroom with its stylish, brightly colored collection of melamine tableware. In addition to the mix-and-match tablesettings, the breakfast tray set is particularly striking. The company has taken headquarter offices in 41 Madison, The New York Merchandise Mart.

White seems to be the color du jour in candles. White is the only color of candles at Milkhouse Candle Creamery, whose candles are cleverly presented in milk bottles, butter jars and crocks. The selection of Comfort Candle Co. is also all white, but highly fragranced. The monochromatic presentation makes it easy for retailers to display and also allows the customer to purchase their favorite fragrance without having to worry about whether the candle will go with their decor.

Bulbrite LED Lamps, a lighting company known for its replacement lightbulbs has entered the portable lighting category with several very practical contemporary desklight designs that are perfect for dorm or home office. The lamps are energy-saving LED lights.

Stationery is new in the Fringe Studio line. Fringe has added decorative boxes filled with writing papers and envelopes.

And Three Designing Women introduced a new Changeables gift set that includes stamper, two different colored ink pads, notecards and certificate for a custom personalized stamp.

Danielson Designs Bare Essentials Mini TagsCapitalizing on the success of its Bare Essentials big tags and combining it with its "Small Talk" line's concept, Danielson Designs introduced the Bare Essentials Mini Tags line that are priced to retail at $4.50. Also new and getting rave reviews are the new Puzzle Frames, frame units that hook together like jigsaw puzzle pieces.