Week ending April 11, 2008
Hello. This week in home décor:
Quick impressions from High Point
The winds of change blew into North Carolina's Piedmont this week. I'm referring not only to the unseasonable cold temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, but also to the theme that ran through every conversation I had, namely: Rethink every aspect of your business practices.
I'll develop these ideas in future newsletters, but here's the gist today:
- Retailers: Stop advertising things and start marketing to the life stages of consumers and the emotions surrounding those events. Generation Y buyers (ages 22 to 30) are creating their own homes. Key moments in their lives are marriage, a job promotion, a first home or a baby. Gen X (30s to 49) is raising families, upgrading from a starter home and accommodating new technology. Baby Boomers (50-plus)—the empty nesters—have reclaimed their homes. They have the disposable income and the inclination to buy new furniture and hire a decorator to help them with their choices.
- Vendors: Quantify and analyze your e-mail marketing campaigns. Keep doing what works, stop doing what doesn't. Existing technology allows you to target your messages. There is no excuse for sending the same message to furniture buyers, designers, gift shop owners and home décor boutiques. A one-size-fits-all communication fits no one very well.
- Building managers: Leasing today is as competitive as wholesaling and as retailing. Landlords need to make their buildings "must-see" destinations. Krispy Kreme doughnuts and margaritas will only take you so far. The International Home Furnishings Center created a decorative accessories destination called Pavilions. This was a good first attempt, but I'd like to see IHFC develop a theme for the section or go to a juried selection process. Suites at Market Square brought back its sustainable-products section. "Amazed" was the name of a new concept space on the top floor of SAMS. I liked it, but needed to go through it twice to fully understand what it was all about.
I'll give the last word (two words, actually) to Martha Stewart. Asked by a retailer for advice she'd give to business owners, Martha said: "Be original."
Care to comment?
Louis XV chest comes in three finishes
A product we like
This Louis XV three-drawer chest from Furniture Classics is made of solid mahogany. It comes in a blue, black or white hand-distressed finish. The chest wholesales for $525, and the company has a $3,000 opening-order minimum.
Log on to Find It!® to see more about this chest, and to see more furniture, as well as lamps, rugs, wall decor and other categories. At Find It!®, you can search by category, price, style or vendor.
The A List, by Ashley Trent
Located in New Haven, Conn., Fairhaven Furniture is owned by husband-and-wife team Kerry Triffin and Elizabeth Orsini. They call it the "alternative home store," in that it offers customers "functional, unusual, emotional, meaningful objects." Many of their customers come from nearby Yale University.
Boasting three floors of exquisite home décor, the store's pride and joy is its handmade wood furniture. The website says it best: "Something that's been made by a human being using tools purposefully is palpably and irresistibly different."
Fairhaven Furniture was designed by Kathryn Assunto and is maintained by Fluency Creative.
What I like:
- This multimedia site has it all: a virtual tour, sound clips, great photos and great writing.
- The featured artisan page has a nice profile with photos of the artist and his work.
- A handy gift guide organizes items by price range.
- I always enjoy a solid about us page. This one combines thoughtfully written text, a map, and a nice photo of the owner and the storefront.
What I would change:
- The only thing missing from this fantastic site is an e-commerce function. It's an investment that might attract more customers.
Ashley's A List rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ (out of five)
Is there a retail website you love? Send the link to Ashley.
Home décor people
Birthday greetings to: Palecek's peripatetic Lisa Frudden (April 15) and Cyan Design's Laura Chebuhar (April 15). Belated greetings to Mystic Valley Traders' Tager twins—Kyle and Adam (April 9). Retailer F.W. Woolworth was born April 13, 1852.
Companies
STUFF, Kansas City, Mo., received a "25 Under 25" award from Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine. The award honors local businesses employing 25 people or fewer. Sloane and Casey Simmons own the store, located in the Brookside Shops shopping center.
Datebook
The Bangkok International Gift Fair & Bangkok International Houseware Fair run April 17 to 25. Closer to home, the Minneapolis Gift Show is April 20 to 22.
See more shows at Datebook.
That's it for this week.
Buy-Buy.
Jim Carper
Editor
Home Décor Buyer