ABC Carpet & Home adds to boutique biz

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/13/2002 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

ABC Carpet & Home added Monkey Hill to its growing roster of highly specialized home furnishings boutiques.

Monkey Hill, a year-and-a-half-old New Hope, PA-based company, specializes in antique country and primitive furnishings as well as reproductions.

The 1,100-square-foot leased department here offers both antiques and what owner Bruce Imber calls "reinterpretations of traditional American furniture — practical, colorful, streamlined." The mix is about 60 percent antiques and 40 percent custom pieces and reproductions. Among the textiles are colorful rugs, fanciful decorative pillows and some bedding. Furniture and accessories make up the balance of the mix.

In New Hope, Monkey Hill occupies an 800-square-foot carriage house with overflow spilling into the main house using about 800 square feet.

Imber, who spent 35 years as a collector, had been in the music business. About 18 months ago he set up Monkey Hill "to sell emotion" as well as merchandise. Partner Jobert Abueva joined him from the beauty care business.