Royal Copenhagen, Bridgman Importing, Karastan Announce Showrooms for Atlanta Market

ATLANTA, GA — AmericasMart® continues to be the market of choice for both buyers and an ever-growing group of exhibitors. New companies are opening showrooms, and current tenants are expanding in preparation for the first major market of the year – The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market®, Jan. 9-16, 2013, and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market® featuring the National Oriental Rug Show, Jan. 10-13.

These are more of the companies opening, expanding or relocating showrooms at AmericasMart for January:
Royal Copenhagen, a classic tabletop line that originated in Denmark, returns to AmericasMart as a prominent player on Floor 8 of Building 2, with a full collection of tabletop products and sought-after collectibles.Bridgman Importing Inc., importer of crystal, giftware and home furnishings, is greatly increasing its showroom space on Floor 6 of Building 2.Karastan, which has produced elegant machine-made area rugs for 80 years, is expanding to a showroom of more than 7,000 square feet on Floor 3 of Building 1.
Now Designs, which imagines and creates dishware, kitchen linens, oven mitts, aprons and much more, will double its space on Floor 8 of Building 2 WestWing as part of the Gourmet & Housewares collection.Floridus Design Images, manufacturer of holiday, home & garden decor and permanent floral product, opens a new showroom on Floor 18 of Building 1.Hill’s Imports has an expanded space on Floor 17 of Building 2 to showcase a broader array of glass containers, baskets and holiday accessories for food, floral, gifts and plants.Accent Decor, a leading importer and distributor of glassware, containers, vases and accessories to the event, hotel and floral industry, has expanded to 9,000 square feet on Floor 18 of Building 1.Amedeo Design, is a new exhibitor on Floor 10, Building 2 WestWing, with a diverse collection of planters, statuary, fountains and architectural pieces for the garden.The Plant Nanny, which sells unique terra cotta and glass plant stakes for self-watering, is opening a new showroom on Floor 10 of Building 2 WestWing. The company was previously known as The Plant Furniture Company.VIP International, which makes home accents, picture frames, candleholders, clocks and much more, opens its first AmericasMart showroom on Floor 10, Building 2 WestWing as part of the market center’s unmatched Gardens collection.Campo De' Fiori, Inc. and Elegant Earth are expanding and sharing a new showroom space, enhanced by the new, Floor 10 corridor of Building 2 WestWing. Campo De' Fiori, Inc. sells an extensive line of distinctive planters, containers and watering cans. Elegant Earth offers a popular selection of earth-friendly outdoor/backyard urns, pots, tables, fountains and more.Garden Age Supply, moves to a new, larger location on Floor 10 of Building 2 WestWing for more space to display a full array of the company’s engraved stones, home & garden accents, planters, bamboo animals and garden furniture.
For more information, visit www.americasmart.com.

Safavieh Rugs “Style Spotted” at High Point Market Design Innovation and Trend-right Colors Cited

Janel Laban, executive editor of Apartment Therapy “style spotting”
Safavieh’s new Santa Fe geometric rug with Peshawar wool pile
and Soumak flat weave in metallic yarn.

HIGH POINT –Two Safavieh area rugs were selected by High Point Market Style Spotters as favorite products during the October 2012 home furnishings market, October 13-18.  Lisa Mende, principal of Lisa Mende Design chose an ikat rug from Safavieh’s sustainable hemp collection by Thom Filicia, and Janel Laban, executive editor of Apartment Therapy singled out a new Santa Fe rug introduced at Market.

“We are honored to have our designs validated by top home fashion trendsetters; this distinction is especially significant when you consider that of the 167 products selected by the Style Spotters this Market, only five were area rugs,” said Safavieh principal Arash Yaraghi.

“This promotion by High Point Market is wonderful exposure for exhibitors like Safavieh, and also for the area rug category as a catalyst for color and pattern trends.  As the Style Spotters program continues each season, we hope to see the percentage of rugs grow in proportion to their vital role in interior design,” Yaraghi explained.

Named a Style Spotter after winning the High Point Market's Olioboard contest this summer, Lisa Mende is known creating expressive interiors with stylish accessories.  A respected design blogger, Mende noted on her Pinterest board that she chose Thom Filicia's Nottingham rug for its trendsetting colors of red, blue, yellow and aqua. “This hand knotted beauty would be great most anywhere,” she said.

Of the Santa Fe rug, Janel Laban of Apartment Therapy said, “Brick red plush pile meets subtly metallic silver flat weave: Beautiful unique rug from Safavieh.”  The rug combines a Peshawar weave wool pile with a Soumak flat weave in metallic yarn.

Chosen for their ability to see ahead of the curve in home fashion trends, the nine interior designers and bloggers asked by the Market to walk the show capturing images of their favorite looks and on-trend products. The Style Spotters curated their choices on Pinterest, a website that lets users organize and share photos on virtual pin boards. Each photo posted lists the exhibitor’s name and showroom number.

The fall roster of Style Spotters also included:
• Traci Zeller, Traci Zeller’s Blog
• Gretchen Aubuchon, Fashion + Decor
• Lori Dennis, DesignCamp.com
• Julia Buckingham Edelmann, Material Girls
• Cassandra LaValle, Coco + Kelley
• Stacy Naquin, Stacy Naquin blog
• Jason Oliver Nixon, Demystifying Design

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More HOME Product than Ever in January at the Nation’s Most Comprehensive Market

ATLANTA, GA  —The nation’s single-largest collection of furniture and home furnishings product anchors 2013’s first global buying event January 9-16 (Temporaries: Jan. 11-15; Area Rug: Jan. 10-13) at AmericasMart® and the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market® and the Atlanta International Area Rug Market® featuring the National Oriental Rug Show.

Encompassing 15 floors of permanent showrooms—and enhanced by a large and growing temporary home furnishings product mix—the HOME center at AmericasMart continues to inspire retailers and designers with an unmatched array of high-end, design-driven home furnishings, home accessories, fine linens and textiles, wall decor, lighting, holiday and floral decor and the world’s largest collection of area rugs.  With the most complete product collections, the HOME building is the preferred destination for retailers to discover all the product, all in one place.

New for January 2013, furniture and rug manufacturer Four Hands moves to a 12,000-square-foot showroom on Floor 4 as part of an evolution to create an integrated lifestyle HOME buying experience reflective of the way consumers shop and live.  As part of the same integration, Surya moves its collection of area rugs and distinctive home decor to Floor 11. Both moves enrich the overall collection in Building 1, reinforcing the position as the leading collection of the finest rug, furniture and accessories product from around the world.

January continues as a touchstone market for the Holiday & Floral/Home Decor center on Floors 16-20 of Building 1. These five floors are the top destination in the industry for manufacturers and designers to launch innovative ideas, fresh lines and new product for the year. The Artisan Showcase offers a platform for retailers to see the old-world handcraftsmanship intrinsic in valued holiday products.                                     

Supporting the permanent HOME showrooms are 10 home categories in the Market Temporaries—several of which are housed in multiple floors of the HOME building (Floors 1, 2 and 7). These categories cover home furnishings and accessories to fine linens including HD Home, a juried collection of exclusive high-design home furnishings and decor showcased in spectacular vignette settings in the Center Hall of Floor 1.

The January Market will once again feature some of the industry’s most celebrated tastemakers and renowned designers. These special guests will shine the spotlight on the HOME center to educate, entertain and excite retailers. Stacey Bewkes, author of the wildly popular Quintessence Blog, discusses how she uses online sources to develop her style. Nathan Turner, of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Decorators,” explores a traditional American style that involves little effort and produces high design. And interior design icon Stan Topol brings his signature style to Floor 14 of Building 1 with a custom room installation capturing the essence of his 2012 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Decorators Show House room created in the landmark residence Knollwood, where his living room used furniture and accessories sourced from AmericasMart showrooms.

With a robust mix of soft goods, case goods, accessories, fine linens and area rugs, incorporated into an inclusive, unique collection, AmericasMart offers an experience that’s both individual and integrated unlike any other.

For more information, visit www.americasmart.com.

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Metro Market Week iPad Contest Winner Announced

NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY — Metro Market Week organizers announced the winner of the 2012 iPad Giveaway Contest, held throughout participating exhibitor showrooms during this year's fall Market Week. Susan Brouwer from A Rug For All Reasons, Santa Cruz, CA was the lucky recipient of the iPad.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest, which was sponsored this year by RugInsider.com. Planning is already underway for Metro Market Week 10, to be held Sept. 2013.

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International Market Centers Reports Successful Leasing Cycle Leading Up to Fall High Point Market

HIGH POINT, NC -- International Market Centers, L.P. (IMC), the world's largest operator of premier showroom space for the furnishings, home decor and gift industries with properties on both coasts, announced its most successful leasing cycle on record as it prepares for the highly anticipated Fall High Point Market, Oct. 13-18 2012. IMC has also approved a multi-million dollar capital plan for building improvements and infrastructure to enhance the market experience, including extensive WiFi upgrades in all IMC buildings in High Point.

"Each market we deliver more of what's new for buyers-including adding industry leaders and design trend-setters as tenants to our High Point properties, creating the most coveted venues in the marketplace," said IMC Home Furnishings President, Tom Mitchell. "We are excited about what Fall High Point Market has in store for buyers including the growing roster of temporary exhibitors and new resources in such popular destinations as SALON, InterHall, Pavilions on Main 3 and Showplace."

Across the 5.1 million square feet of showrooms IMC owns and operates, company officials tout an impressive 92 percent occupancy rate for its High Point buildings this fall, which includes 34 new permanent tenants and 15 showroom expansions. New in IHFC are A-America, Durham Furniture and European brand Siedo Solutions showing for the first time with Eurostyle--to name a few. Rowe and Chandra will open spectacular new showrooms in Showplace, while Highland House along with high-end rug resources Art Resources and Bokara will introduce new permanent showrooms in Market Square.

Sought-after and sold-out destinations at High Point Market— including InterHall, SALON, Pavilions on Main 3 and Showplace First Floor Temporaries—are 100 percent occupied. In the Suites at Market Square, 90 of the 300 exhibitors are showing for the first time, meaning nearly one-third of the Suites will feature brand new resources. SALON has expanded onto the Mezzanine Floor, directly above the original SALON area on the Ground Floor and will feature 17 new exhibitors. In addition, buyers will see 11 new exhibitors in the Pavilions on Main 3, seven in InterHall and seven new exhibitors on the first floor of Showplace. In all, IMC’s temporary boast nearly 115 total new resources—delivering fresh new buying opportunities for retailers and designers.

IMC has also approved a multi-million dollar capital plan for building improvements and infrastructure to enhance the market experience. Among the investments is a $1 million investment in enhanced WiFi service in IMC lobbies and exhibit areas for this market. Complementing IMC’s WiFi investment, the City of High Point has also invested in improving wireless service in the public areas around the Market district in High Point.

“There is a deep commitment by our leadership to ensure that our valued clients, guests, and business partners have the best possible experience when they invest in and or visit our facilities and the city of High Point,” said Bob Maricich, CEO of IMC. “This multi-million dollar initiative, to begin rolling out this fall, will not only bring IMC’s buildings to the highest operational efficiency and enable us to deliver premium service to our valued customers, but the sizeable commitment will also give a boost to the local economy.”

For more information, visit www.imcenters.com.

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SURFACES and Las Vegas Market Dates to Coincide in 2013 and 2014

DALLAS, TX and Las Vegas, NV – SURFACES and Las Vegas Market are excited to announce they are forming an extended strategic partnership to co-locate their events for 2013 and 2014 in order to provide their attendees an enhanced product sourcing, educational and networking experience.

SURFACES 2013, being held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center January 28 – 31, serves as the industry’s introduction of the newest product styles and selections that consumers will be demanding for the coming year. Every floor covering product, tool and technology will be featured on the show floor with daily complementary installation demonstrations where attendees can see these products in action.

Las Vegas Market, being held January 28 – February 1 at World Market Center Las Vegas campus, is an international home furnishings showcase that combines style, inspiration and productivity like no other market. Retailers and designers can shop product offerings from trend-setters in all home furnishings categories—from furniture and mattress to home decor and gift. A ‘total marketplace’ for today’s home furnishings professionals, Las Vegas Market features 1,000 world-class manufacturers and fresh new resources as well as educational, networking and hospitality events all week long.

“We are very excited about the strategic partnership and the benefits that it brings to our attendees” commented Dana Teague, Group Director, SURFACES “Our dates coincided in 2011 and it proved to be an enormous success for both events. Due to scheduling conflicts in 2012 our dates were one week apart and we were met with disappointment from our attendees; therefore both parties agreed that it was in the best interest of our events to hold our dates concurrently and give our customers a convenient, one-stop-shopping opportunity, saving them both time and money.

In addition, the coinciding dates will give thousands of buyers the opportunity to engage in a wider range of education and networking events. Registration benefits will be available for those attendees who wish to participate in both events and a complimentary shuttle service will be provided between each venue.

“We are thrilled to partner with SURFACES again for the benefit of buyers and exhibitors at both venues. The synergies of our co-location add value to both of our customer bases—allowing manufacturers exposure to new distribution channels,” said Dorothy Belshaw, President of Gift + Home Decor at International Market Centers. “And for retailers and designers looking for new and unique resources, SURFACES offers great depth in the floor coverings space while Las Vegas Market delivers a tremendous breadth of new products in furnishings, home decor and giftware. We’ve worked to make access to both events convenient and easy for buyers.”

As part of on-going efforts to attract interior designers and due to the popularity of the program in 2012, SURFACES has expanded the Designer Day program to two days. The two days, January 29 and January 30, will be filled with innovative products, tours and education. This all-day educational event is a must-attend for interior designers looking to get the latest trends and the newest products available for their clients.

SURFACES is co-located with StonExpo/Marmomacc Americas. For more information on SURFACES visit www.Surfaces.com. Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @Surfaces_Show.

The official sponsor of SURFACES is the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), the floor covering industry's largest advocacy organization representing floor covering retailers, contractors and allied service providers throughout North America.

The WFCA is a recognized leader in marketing research, industry certification programs, and operates the premier consumer flooring web site, www.wfca.org, providing unbiased information about every type of floor covering and connecting customers to members’ retail stores. The WFCA also influences public policy affecting the floor covering industry and consumers. For more information about the WFCA, visit www.wfca-pro.org

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