Capel comes back to 295 Fifth

By Cecile B. Corral -- Home Textiles Today, 6/25/2001 12:00:00 AM

TROY, NC —

After being away almost 30 years, Capel Inc., the area rug manufacturer and importer based here, is moving back into the 295 Fifth Ave. home textiles building in New York City. The company's new 2,200-square-foot showroom is in suite 808.

"While we do see customers at traditional rug shows, we see more of them at the home textiles show," said Kea Capel, marketing director. "The growth for us is with the bed and bath buyers, who attend the home textiles show."

The New York Home Textiles show in October will be Capel's first since signing the new lease at the 295 building.

In April, Capel set up a booth at the New York Home Textiles spring show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.

"It was a test on our part to see if we had the right product to participate in the home textiles market again, applicable product," Capel said, "And we do. We got a great response from customers."

Capel said that at the April market, the company found that its most applicable product was its cotton-rich rugs made in India, China and the U.S., with styles ranging from casual braided to wovens and tufted looks.

"Overall, the well-received product was casual and light-hearted," she said. "Color is also a big story. And price points must be competitive — $9.99 to $29.99."

Capel leased a New York showroom at the 295 building 30 years ago and then relocated to 919 Third Ave., where it stayed for 15 years.

"We moved out of 295 originally because it stopped being a viable market for us," Capel explained.

Later, after leaving the Third Avenue site, Capel moved to a Lexington Avenue showroom for eight years.

"We were in New York mainly to serve JCPenney, but when it moved to Texas there was no point for us to stay, or so we thought," she said.

Capel plans to stock the new showroom with an assortment of area rugs including casual, cotton-rich, and luxury blends of cotton, linen and silk as well as highly textured and exotic fiber-made collections, she said.

Another reason Capel is renewing its participation in the home textiles show is the growth in its catalog and specialty store businesses.

"We are finding that our product for this show is styled so that it moves from the bedroom into more rooms of the home — the bath, kitchen, living room," Capel said.

Capel added that the company is in the midst of a financially healthy year.

"We've identified why we are experiencing a healthy time despite the economy, and we're taking those reasons to the home textiles market," she said.

In other Capel news, the company is expanding its services to become an overseas sourcing agent for major retailers and manufacturers of area rugs.

"Our strengths are in sourcing, designing and importing," Capel said. "We've been doing it for 40 years, and we have offices in China and India."