New York Market Report
Maria Weiskott, Bessie Nestoras, Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 2/3/2006 2:18:00 PM
NEW YORK—Seen and heard at 7W
The winter edition of the New York International Gift Fair may be over, but there was still a palpable air of enthusiasm as the market drew to a close yesterday. During the fair, which began on January 26, activity at Javits was continuous on both levels 3 and 1; the Piers enjoyed a reasonable share of business; New York MarketCenter buyers were impressed with renovations at the Fifth Ave. Building; and 7W—7 West 34th St.—boasted a textile alliance comprised of DownTown Company, Emdee International, Fino Lino, French Market Collection and Katha Diddel Home Collection.
7W also hosted ribbon-cutting ceremonies for four new tenants: Tag, Kkooll Collections, Archer Worldwide, and Christopher Radko, whose new digs in Chicago took a Best Showroom award during that market. Radko’s new showroom at 7W features matte black walls to set off the sparkle of the Radko ornaments, as well as shallow glass display cases set into silver tables and white wall shelves. “It’s the new gallery look,” says David Strand, district sales manager for Christopher Radko.
The company’s previous display style was “beautiful,” says Strand, “But sometimes the decoration got in the way of the product.” According to Strand, Radko has begun changing its other showrooms over to the new look too.
Radko himself contacted us during the New York market to dismiss statements that appeared in one of our Atlanta Direct from Market reports. “My brand is very strong,” said Radko, reminding us that he had appeared on HGTV, Entertainment Tonight and PBS, and had been the subject of extensive articles in the LA Times, Chicago Tribune and New York’s Daily News.
“[The business] is doing just fine. I’ve been doing this for 21 years, and I’m still doing it.” Radko added that he had not been on QVC in three years. “My ornaments are not in big box discounters,” he emphasized.
We stand corrected.
New, too, at 7W is the Gund showroom, though the company will maintain its presence in the Children’s Building, at least for now, giving the plush vendor two showrooms just a few blocks apart. “We felt like it was time to get into this building,” said Gerald Heider, vice president of sales, East, for Gund. “It’s just so classy. It’s a really cool place to be. Show management has been very helpful; they couldn’t do enough for us. They brought traffic in, and they’re doing a lot to market.”
But that’s not to say traffic was uniformly high. “Prior to [the Toast of the Town] it was very mediocre. But the soiree really brought them in. It’s crawling with people,” said Heider.
Notable names spotted at 7W’s Toast of the Town soiree Monday evening included Chris Kennedy, in from Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, Gerry Seibel from the LA Mart, and Eugene Freedman, seen with Shonnie Bilin of Franz, for whom he’s consulting (on top of his gigs with Precious Moments Inc. and Starlite Originals).
Of the industry in general, Gerald Heider’s prediction is that the worst has passed. “Let’s face it: the people who own their buildings or have very long leases are going to be fine. There will be fewer retailers, but the relationships between manufacturers and those players will be even tighter,” he predicted. “The shakeout is that the middle guy got hammered. Forget the little guy, what’s left is the upper-end” of specialty retailers. And they in turn are looking for higher-end product. “I saw fewer tschotschkes,” Heider said. “There’s less traffic going into that little store, you’re paying higher rents, you can’t afford to give space to an item you sell for a dollar.”
Interestingly, about 60 percent of 7W exhibitors also take space at Javits or the Piers. And they do well both at 7W and whatever other temp location they choose, according to Su Hilty, director of marketing for 7W. While such a practice may be expensive, the exposure must make it worthwhile.
NEW YORK—Buzz at Javits
Buzz at both the temps and permanent showrooms became more mixed as the New York show went on, with some exhibitors continuing to report an excellent show while others reported an inexplicable falloff since the August market, and even since January’s Atlanta show. Some Javits exhibitors said crowds were good, but didn’t translate into sales. “They’re just looking,” said one.
Yet others reported an increase in sales over last year’s show. “Sales grew 50 percent from last year,” said Philip Verhagen of Umbra. Brent Smith of Not Neutral noted that Sunday was the best day that company ever had. “We sold more yesterday than all of last year.” He attributes the rise in sales mostly to Bloomin’ Stakes, the company’s new line of garden stakes with a pop art feel. Tahmineh Javanbakht of Artecnica told Gifts and Dec that “There is a good buzz. There are so many people here.”
Three manufacturers added limited edition pieces to their collections. Umbra introduced the Pirouette mirror, which goes from formal to casual with a simple spin on its pillar. The blackwood veneer mirror features seven pillars with three sides, each showing a different motif. There’s a plain mirror, an etched mirror and a plain wood side. Rotate each to create your own design. There are only 700 pieces priced at $700 retail.
It’s quite a departure for the company, but it was a hit. “After two days, we’re down to 68 [units]. It could be sold out by the International Contemporary Furniture Fair,” said Philip Verhagen.
Artecnica introduced a 24-kt. version of its popular Garland lights. The piece, designed by Tord Boontje, comes packaged in a walnut case, and is limited to 1,000 pieces priced at $650 retail. About 100 were sold by the second day of the show.
Taking a cue from the fashion industry, bedding manufacturer Dwell has introduced Dwell Editions, a collection of bedding designs that will be available for just one year. The company feels that consumers need a quicker turnover in design, as in the fashion world. Because mass producing manufacturers are knocking off designers so quickly these days, Dwell plans to stay ahead of the curve with Dwell Editions. The first collection was inspired by the movie La Dolce Vita and 1960s wallpaper.
For a Good Cause—Design Ideas introduced Doodles Destinations, a collection of famous buildings made from wire. Included are the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, the Capitol in Washington, DC, the Twin Towers and more. Ten percent of sales will go to the World Trade Center United Family Group.
Harry Barker, maker of pet gifts and accessories finds that more people are demanding environmentally friendly product—so they’re delivering it. Harry Barker always focused on eco-friendly products, but they’re focusing on the category now more than ever.
NEW YORK—More from EX•TRACTS
Representatives of Bloomingdale’s, Speigel, QVC, and Macy’s were all spotted at EX•TRACTS, according to GLM representatives.
Noteworthy items included the Hush timed aerosol home fragrance product, which won Best of Show, and the exquisitely packaged Memoirs of a Geisha Japanese Pear candle from D.L. & Co., which won in the Cosmetic & Fragrance category of the Best New Product awards.
Also of interest are Xela aromasticks’ commonsensical wall mount for reed diffusers, to keep them out of the reach of pets and children. Zeno, a revolutionary new gadget cures a pimple in 24 hours, albeit with a $200+ price tag. Retailers whose clientele features upscale teens or famous faces, take note!
And speaking of famous faces, first-time exhibitor Grooming Lounge brings a wealth of experience shaving Washington, DC’s power elite to its new line of men’s grooming products. The company demonstrated the Beard Destroyer and other products by performing live shaves—complete with barber chair and hot towels—during the show.
NEW YORK—Eye-catchers
From Decorative Things—Trays, ice buckets and dustpans made from laminated fabric. Some of the fabric really “popped,” and was reminiscent of Peter Max designs. Another plus: everything is made in the U.S.
From Built NY—Neoprene bags for carrying chilled drinks. Neoprene is the stuff diving suits are made of, and it can keep bottles and cans chilled for up to four hours. One bag was especially made for a 6-pack; great gift for a guy!
From Loofah-Art—Out-of-the-bath-and-into-the-kitchen, fun and colorful loofah scrubbers in shapes depicting everything from martini glasses to lemon slices to olives. The best part: they’re easy-to-use, sturdy and are organically grown.
From Ravenscroft—Wine-tasting glass with indentations for thumb and forefinger (the better to swirl!). The company also has an “amplifier collection” to “magnify, focus and intensify the bouquet” of wines.
From Somerset Entertainment—“Concept” music for activities from dining to relaxing; this, as opposed to artist-driven music. The display allows customers to sample selections from an array of CDs, and comes with a $1,533 purchase. Interestingly, over 50 percent of music is now sold in non-traditional music stores.
From Alan Silverstone—Andy Warhol cat snow globes. (Did you know: the Andy Warhol Foundation supports young artists?)
New Categories—Glass designer Tracy Glover has ventured into two new categories: stationery and wall art. The cards and the giclee prints feature patterns from her glass pieces.
Trending? Asian influenced art glass, stemless wine glasses.
Also: the color to keep your eyes on this season is gold. Spotted throughout the show, and according to Allison Julius of Jonathan Adler, its use seems to be on the rise. “It seems to be fairly prevalent, especially in fashion and in jewelry,” said Julius.
Next stop: Halifax, Nova Scotia.
