Rug Market expands Blum

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 7/22/2002 12:00:00 AM

ATLANTA —

The Rug Market Co. unveiled the latest addition to its Cheri Blum license, a jute area rug, and will be adding printed cotton bath rugs this fall. That introduction will be part of a larger effort to expand into bath rugs and kitchen rugs. That move is related to the company's strategy to pursue more specialty and big-box business, said president Michael Shabtai. To that end, the Los Angeles-based company has been building its sales team and recently added three new people: Leslie Birk, vp, director of sales; Dale Collins, national sales manager, corporate accounts; and Clarisa Owens, regional sales manager, all formerly of Croscill.

"You don't see a lot of fashion in bath, so we want to introduce that element," said Shabtai.

"We have been fine-tuning, and we're ready to go."