HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT — While some youth manufacturers stress the long-term appeal of their products — bedroom suites that will take kids from toddler to college, and then can even be used as guest room pieces —others take a different approach, making whimsical furniture that is full of pure kid appeal.
The advantage to these pieces is that they capture the imagination of both the parents (or grandparents) and kids. What little boy doesn't want a car bed? And making a bedroom fun for a young child can make bedtime easier. The downside, of course, is that little boys only want car beds for a short time — then they get older and the car becomes too kiddie.
But just because Junior will tire of his kiddie bed in a few years doesn't mean that function isn't important. Storage is still a vital part of these whimsical pieces, and safety and good construction are still big selling points.
Accent pieces are particularly popular in this category — small table and chair sets or storage desks that help round out a room's look. With their lower price points, these might be impulse items or grandparent purchases, bought for the cuteness factor despite their limited years of use.
The grandparent connection
The Powell Co. has had success with a series of small accent pieces aimed at the two- to six-year-old age group. They include shaped, hand-painted activity desks in themes like fire trucks, dump trucks and tractors. The activity desks sport a roll of paper for art projects as well as plenty of storage space.
"They appeal to grandparents as something they can give as gifts," said Anne Russell, merchandising manager at Powell.
At the April market, Powell will expand its transportation line into youth bedroom, introducing a bookcase trundle bed with hand-painted road signs and miniature trucks for drawer pulls. And while a transportation-themed bed won't carry a child all the way through college, Russell said she often sees several different buying cycles for youth bedroom — one for a younger child, and then a move into something more teen-appropriate like a loft as the child gets older.
Indeed, kids' tastes change so quickly these days that parents who aim to keep the young ones pleased will be redoing their kids' rooms several times before they're grown, which creates a potential window for manufacturers to sell to parents at several stages.
A bed featuring Junior's favorite licensed character might be all the range when he's four, but in a few years — maybe less — he'll outgrow that, perhaps for another themed bed, perhaps for a basic twin. And when he hits those tween and teen years, suddenly everything changes again, and a newly hip Junior just won't be happy with the same old furniture.
Pieces like theme beds carry higher tickets but appeal to the parents who want to give their child everything. Certainly these kinds of beds are not new to the kids market — car beds have been a staple of the kids furniture business for eons. But manufacturers are getting more creative lately, expanding beyond car beds into boats, storybook characters and beds that double as play areas.
Coaster Kids has had success with a line of themed bunk beds with slides and tents. It plans to expand the line with a train-themed piece this spring.
"It has pop," said Robert Soussana, project manager for Coaster. "Parents are looking for something different, and they want to make it fun for their kids. Especially if it's priced right, parents figure it will do its job for five years and they've got their money's worth."
It's certainly not a choice every parent will make, but for those who have the money and the inkling, there have never been more fun choices for kids' rooms.
