Home office, exercise line gets preview here
By Gary James -- Furniture Today, October 15, 2001
HIGH POINT — Hidden Grove, a new line of furniture that combines home office and exercise functions, is holding product previews with a select group of dealers during market here in the PMI showroom at 315 Russell St.
The line's developers — TurnKey Products and Icon Health & Fitness — have invited about 30 top dealers to visit their showroom from Oct. 17-20. They are showing several prototypes from the new line, which has been tweaked quite a bit since it was first previewed to dealers this summer at Icon's headquarters in Logan, Utah.
"At that meeting in July, we received a lot of great suggestions about things to add or change," said Andy Nielsen, TurnKey's owner and the designer of Hidden Grove. "It was very helpful feedback that enabled us to really improve the program."
Among the changes are new, enhanced finishes for all three groups in the line — traditional cherry, country oak and contemporary maple. The hardware also has been changed.
Also, Icon, which produces the exercise equipment that goes in the cabinetry, upgraded the treadmill with a 5-inch longer deck. As a result, the height of the cabinets was raised so the treadmill will lift and fold more easily.
"We upgraded the treadmill so that it's a better match for the quality of the cabinetry," said Kurt Facer, new initiatives sales manager for Icon. The treadmill now being used is part of Icon's Image line, recently cited as a "top brand" by Runner's World magazine.
The 11-piece furniture line also includes a weight bench armoire.
A few other elements of the cabinetry also have been refined. A laptop tray that pulls out for use while exercising has been re-engineered, and turned legs with detailing have been added to a desk/return unit.
"We've finessed the styling," said Tony Cantrell, president of TurnKey Products. "We want to make sure we have everything just right before we launch."
TurnKey and Icon had planned to roll out the line at retail this fall. But the group now aims for a January launch, which "should be much better, given everything that's happened with the economy and the terrorist attacks," said Nielsen.
TurnKey has lined up a production partner in China that expects to begin shipping product in November. Icon will handle the marketing, warehousing and distribution of the line.
Icon has developed a full slate of marketing and advertising materials for dealers in support of Hidden Grove. In addition, it has appointed Jeffrey Carmignani, vice president of new business development, to manage the program's development, along with Facer.
"We've very excited about the reaction we've gotten so far," said Nielsen. "Every dealer we've shown it to has endorsed the concept. They recognize that this is something new and fresh that will create excitement on their floors."
The line also will solve space, time and aesthetic challenges for consumers, Nielsen said.
| Available in three styles, the Hidden Grove home office wall blends easily into a variety of home settings. |
| The weight bench, left, and treadmill fold back into the home office wall unit when not in use. |
