Furniture proving Atlanta growth star
By Jane Kitchen -- Furniture Today, August 2, 2004
Atlanta — While this month's Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market was by most accounts not as strong as the January market, exhibitors here were generally pleased with attendance and the chance to meet buyers they don't typically see at other shows.
With over 1 million square feet of permanent showroom space and 1,100 temporary booths devoted to furniture and home furnishings, the Atlanta market is an important show for those shopping for or selling midpriced to high-end goods.
"The home furnishings category is our No. 1 growth category," said Dave Savula, senior vice president of leasing for Building One of AmericasMart, where the majority of permanent furniture showrooms are located. "Most people just are not aware of the number of furniture showrooms we have."
While attendance tends to be a bit higher at the January show, both summer and winter markets are strong for furniture, he said.
Savula expects the home furnishings category to continue growing here. The demand for furniture showrooms is one reason AmericasMart is planning a 2 million-square-foot building, set to open in 2008, dedicated mainly to home furnishings, he said.
"It's always been a wonderful market," said Harriet Bosiack, vice president of Seabrook Classics, which this market expanded its Carolina Lowcountry Collection, licensed by the Historic Charleston Foundation, which debuted at the April High Point market.
Bosiack said she sees a different kind of buyer here than in High Point: "We see (in Atlanta) a fair number of designers — ones that do very good projects — as well as buyers from boutiquey, high-end stores."
Kevin Bates, a sales representative for Englishman's, echoed that view. "It's seldom that you get stocking dealers (in Atlanta)," he said.
He too sees a lot of designers here, as well as smaller shops that buy one or two pieces. Englishman's, which specializes in high-end European antique reproductions, brought out a 72-inch round Fleur de Lis dining table that garnered quite a bit of attention.
Asian influences, tactile sensations and organic materials also found their way into many of the new pieces here.
Moe's Home Collection's group of zinc-topped accent tables offered cool-to-the-touch tops. Padma's Plantation's plaid four-place tall table with stools made a statement with a mix of such natural materials as sea grass, rattan, abaca, water hyacinth, bamboo and coconut palm leaf cover.
A dramatic introduction from Canadian company eWest, which opened a permanent showroom here, included laser-cut Chinese letters featuring sayings from the I-Ching in chair backs, and cool and smooth table tops coated with six layers of lacquer.
Color continued to be an important element for the designer set, with introductions like Seabrook Classics' striking new gullah blue color and Tradewinds' mint green, both important attention-grabbers for accent pieces.
One advantage of the July market is that it overlaps with the rug market here, meaning buyers can see several categories in one visit.
"It gives buyers more to see and exhibitors more opportunities," said Savula. Space restrictions don't allow the two shows to overlap in January.
