Matouk, Sferra head east

By Andrea Lillo -- Home Textiles Today, 11/10/2003 12:00:00 AM

NEW YORK —

Come mid February, the showrooms of bedding and table linens suppliers John Matouk & Company and Sferra Bros. will be found farther east on 26th Street, if "everything goes according to plan," said George Matouk, Jr., president and ceo, John Matouk & Company.

Located at 11 East 26th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, the new space is about 40 percent bigger than the companies' current location, he added, and offices will overlook Madison Square Park.

The two companies have a familial relationship. George Matouk Jr.'s father, George Sr., is co-owner with his son in John Matouk & Co, as well as co-owner with Paul Hooker, president, in Sferra Bros. The two companies presently occupy adjacent showrooms at 37 West 26th Street.

The move coincides with the 75th anniversary of John Matouk & Co., founded by Matouk, Jr.'s grandfather as a table linens company in 1929.

Matouk "is at a point where we are experiencing growth we haven't had in decades. The company has new life, and moving into a new and upgraded showroom is part of that celebration," he said.

The company's growth has resulted, in part, from the strengthening of its major accounts, an increase in its customer base, and the creation of the Matouk catalog for both retailers and sales reps. Sales have increased 15 percent this year, Matouk said. "We've really entered a new phase."

Matouk added bedding and bath lines in the 1960s and '70s. In 1985 it moved its manufacturing facility from midtown Manhattan to New Bedford, MA, where it is now housed in a former Wamsutta mill.