Regal Design marches into new bath rug category

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 7/2/2001 7:04:00 AM

North Vernon, IN — Bath and accent rug manufacturer and importer Regal Design studio, based here, is entering a new category of bath rugs, and with that move, the company is hoping to broaden its distribution reach to a new customer. Donna Sandy, design director, said for the first time in the company's 62-year history Regal will add printed and hand-carved rugs to its offerings to target a mid-tier customer. The collection will be introduced formally at the New York Home Textiles Show in October at the company's New York showroom.

The new collection will be imported from China and manufactured by a high-end source, Sandy said. The rugs will be made on finely spun acrylic, "which provides for better printing and more clarity for the design," she said. Price points for the new rugs are estimated at $25.

Regal, which typically serves department and specialty store customers, is expecting this new collection to broaden its distribution into "the high end" of the mid-tier market, Sandy said.

The new rugs will coordinate with a line of shower curtains and bath accessories under Regal's licensing agreement with Cashtown, PA-based artist Sharon Pierce McCullough, whose work includes whimsical and folk art designs and tropical animals.