Upscale touches mark upholstery action
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, January 27, 2003
San Francisco — Better fabrics, premium seating and Asian imports were key elements in West Coast upholstery producers' efforts at the winter market here.
Several factories added down seating, a few added products from Asia, and many upgraded fabrics. Price, while obviously a factor, took a back seat as manufacturers pumped up their value stories.
The push at Fairchild of California was in more transitional/traditional styles in high-end fabrics with down-and-feather cushions as an option, said President Scott Haigh.
"The market, even on the West Coast, is turning a little more formal," he said. "It's not like the East Coast, but where the market here is going — and where our void is."
Adding premium seating and better fabrics raises the price point range for Fairchild, and "offers us an opportunity to go and call on new clients," Haigh said.
Also new on the Fairchild floor were three leather chairs, one made in the company's Whittier, Calif., plant, the other two fully assembled in Malaysia at under $1,000 retail.
Lazar's emphasis was on enlarging its designer chair program, with eight models in the $599 to $799 retail range, and on a program of fully assembled imported leather chairs at under $1,000 retail, with ottoman included.
"We'll stock these in two different colors," said Don Graves, director of sales and marketing. The initial offering of six will be expanded to eight in 11 different leathers.
Lazar also tweaked its Lucky Jeans collection, adding color to the denim offering in tie-dyed pillows and striped chair covers. The collection is expanding beyond denim, and this market added a corduroy cover.
At Golden Oaks, "Our direction is to do some better goods," said Jennie Shafer, merchandising manager. "We do well in the price points we're in, but we want to move up."
That effort included a down-feather blend from Pacific Feather, better fabrics and more detailing incorporated in 10 new groups. She noted the upgrade may allow the La Mirada, Calif.-based company access to additional stores.
"That's what we're hoping," Shafer said. "We want to address other opportunities that are out there."
Golden Oaks also added urban lifestyle, Pottery Barn-like looks, and entered the sectional market with three new models.
At Vicky's Furniture, "It's all about perceived value by the customers," said Steve Nitkin, sales manager. "We used better covers for the perceived value. The demand for wood trim has grown but there is more competition and customers are looking for something different. We have three wood trims which are ours exclusively."
Vicky's focus was on contemporary frames. "We feel people are looking for that style," he said. "Traditional is still big, but there's an interest in contemporary."
Nitkin said Vicky's is getting away from scatterback sofas, moving to three-over-three seating. Also, the company found interest here in country cottage. "We're noticing that the pallet is lighter for winter," he said. "Usually in winter the pallet gets dark."
John Charles Designs is moving toward what Sales Manager Matt Genova described as a "pure, clean contemporary look," reflected in its market offerings in subtle, strong colors spiced with oranges and other bright colors. "We've almost abandoned transitional," he said. "People are looking for clean looks."
Richter Furniture also showed more color, using fabrics from Italy and the Decosit show, said President Braden Richter. "We showed a little bit in High Point and were successful with it," he said.
