HFI & ADF Move Into Expanded Showroom

By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM

New York — —

New York — Home Fashions International and American Decorative Fabrics have officially moved from 303 Fifth Ave. to suite 812 of 295 Fifth Ave.

The new space measures 11,800 square feet and will serve as showroom as well as sales, marketing and executive offices for both companies and parent firm Home Furnishings International, plus feature two conference rooms. Roughly 26 beds out of 30-plus new bedding patterns will be on display versus 12 in the old 8,500-square-foot space.

According to company officials, the move was necessary because the firm has “grown so rapidly” and needed the extra space to show its three core categories: bedding, decorative pillows and window. Approximately 6,000 square feet will be devoted to the Home Fashions International showroom, while the American Decorative Fabrics showroom will encompass 1,000 to 1,500 square feet.

About 3,000 square feet of Home Fashions International's total space will cater to decorative accessories with two-thirds of it showing freestanding dec pillows and pet beds, and the rest displaying throws, table runners, placemats, curtains and draperies.

In addition, the company recently hired Jean Brown as a major account executive for Home Fashions International. She handles all distribution channels and focuses on the company's various product lines in bedding, decorative pillows and window. Brown reports to company president Tom Healy.

Prior to joining Home Fashions International in early September, she was key account manager for Evergreen for two years. Previously, she served as vice president of sales and marketing for Manual Woodworkers & Weavers for three years.

“We needed to come up with a new environment to show the breadth of our product lines and wanted to be in a location that would put us into more of the mainstream for our accounts to come see us,” described Healy, president of Home Fashions International.

He added that the recent new hire is part of a growing dynamic of adding sales reps in the field to pursue new accounts in additional areas of distribution. Currently, five new sales reps have been added in the last five months, with a few more to come in the near future.

“One of the key aspects of the move is to have a venue that is commensurate with our growth,” said Healy.