Chicago News
John Parris Frantz -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 6/1/2001
For the indoor garden look, Blue Ridge Designs, Chicago Merchandise Mart (CMM) 1527, has a winner in its collection of ivory lattice furniture and accessories. Tables, planters, and other items are made of a steel and wood combination sporting a distressed finish to look like antiques. The Cheri Blum Collection added a new pattern that combines pastel floral decoration with its brand of metal buckets, platters, and trays. Another Blue Ridge collection features wicker-and-wood trays and chargers, along with coppertone metal planters, birdhouses, vase pitchers, and baskets.
Markwest, a rep firm that is a 30-year veteran exhibitor at the Minneapolis Gift Mart, expanded its presence to Chicago and has taken up residence at CMM 13-144. The Markwest team consists of two sales managers and 14 sales reps, all under the leadership of owner Don Haberman. The firm represents a variety of lines from books to boxes and calendars to candles.
Hand-painted ceramic figurines from Russian artist Turov, made in California under the name of I Am Yours, are available at Simpson Marketing, CMM 1524. There's something for everyone in this artsy line of 150 designs using ten contemporary animal types in three sizes. There is also Judaica such as kiddush cups and menorahs, as well as a limited-edition series of musical themes called Orchestra. There is nothing worse than losing your wine glass amidst dozens of others at a wine and cheese party, but That's Yours, a collection of Wine Charms, comes to the rescue. The charms' metal rings attach onto a wine glass stem to differentiate each guest's glass. Wine Charms have 20 themes such as garden, sports, lifestyle, occupations, and bridal.
It's bedtime at Ivan Bloom Associates, CMM 1570, since Corsican iron beds and Waverly textiles showed up. Corsican offers more than 1,500 bed frames; it also has bar stools, dog beds, cribs, display furniture, garden pieces, and hundreds of other items. Waverly offers bedding ensembles and luxury pillows in dozens of patterns. Ceres has a line of art candles that look like decorative vases, columns, etc. Ceres also offers some very unusual gift candles such as the one with a faux snakeskin finish. Botanicus is a different candle line because it includes a variety of attractively boxed and packaged votives in frosted, funnel-shaped glass or larger poured candle jars with tin lids. Floral Interiors is back at Ivan Bloom with its full line of flower arrangements and preserved ferns.
