Rug briefs

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/28/2002 12:00:00 AM

Karastan readies new ad campaign

DALTON, GA — Upscale area rug supplier Karastan is preparing to launch a new month-long television and print advertising campaign in March to promote its new English Manor collection.

The campaign is the second of its kind for Karastan, which last year used both television and print advertisements to promote its then-new Sunwash collection.

The TV ads are set to run on network and cable channels.

The English Manor collection comprises six rugs that are made of 100 percent wool.

The slogan for the campaign will be "Everyone loves an English accent."

Stanton debuts complementary carpet

SYOSSET, NY — Broadloom and runner manufacturer Stanton Carpet Corp. will introduce a broadloom rug that coordinates directly with an area rug produced by White Plains, NY-based Trans-Ocean Co. Inc., Stanton's partner.

Stanton will test the new offering with Trans-Ocean's Serenade Scroll rug by designer Liora Manne, said Philip Koufidakis, vp, national sales, Stanton.

The introduction will take place at the Surfaces market later this month.

Burlington debuts new Atlanta showroom

MONTICELLO, AR — Area and accent rug manufacturer Burlington Rug Corp. debuted its new showroom at the Atlanta International Area Rug Show last week.

The sixth-floor space marks the second showroom for the one-year-old company. Burlington Rug Corp.'s other showroom is in New York at 295 Fifth Ave.

Aside from enjoying its first market as an exhibitor in Atlanta, Burlington also marked another company milestone by introducing imported and handmade rugs. The new line of imports includes handmade rugs from China and machine-mades from Europe, said Jan Pourquoi, executive vp, general manager.

Shaw Rugs prepares Martha Stewart launch

DALTON, GA — Continually adding licensed product to its roster of products, Shaw Rugs is preparing for the May launch of its newest and much-anticipated collection — the Martha Stewart Signature line.

Jeff Meadows, vp, Shaw, said the line will comprise about four lifestyle collections and 40 rugs to 60 rugs total. Constructions will include a range from polypropylene to 100 percent wool offerings in multiple price points. Initially, the entire line will be made domestically at Shaw's factories here at headquarters. But eventually, Meadows said, the plan is to add imported product.

Also at the onset, the line will be sold at independent retailers only, Meadows said.

Shaw's current roster of licensed goods includes Kathy Ireland and Tommy Bahama, among many others.

Trans-Ocean moves NY showroom , hires exec

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Area rug importer and distributor Trans-Ocean Import Co. Inc. has relocated to a new showroom in New York at East 28th St. The official opening is slated for Feb. 1.

Originally Trans-Ocean's New York space was located in suite 405 at 295 Fifth Ave. The new showroom is double the size of its original showroom, said Trans-Ocean president Charles Peck.

"Over the past several years, we've dramatically increased the number and frequency of designs we introduce each quarter, and [we] expanded our lines to include a much wider range of constructions and materials," Peck said.

The new showroom is one of three Trans-Ocean operates — the other two are in Atlanta at the AmericasMart and at High Point, NC.

In other company news, Trans-Ocean recently hired Robin Stuart as its new merchandise manager, based here out of company headquarters. In this newly created post, she is responsible for sales projection, quality control, inventory tracking and statistical analysis, as well offering input into new product development.

Stuart was formerly rug buyer for Carpet One. Earlier, she served as rug buyer for Montgomery Ward and Waccamaw.

Obeetee expands range of imports

NEW YORK — Area rug importer Obeetee Inc. is preparing to expand the breadth of its offerings to include product from countries other than India.

The new offerings will be introduced as of this summer, said Bill Ward, ceo, who recently joined the company from ABC Carpet & Home.

Ward will lead the company's initiative to import from Nepal, China, Pakistan, Iran and other countries overseas.

"During my time at ABC, the majority of our business was direct so I [have] already [known] those people [agents and manufacturers] in those countries for the last several years," Ward said. "There's tons of beautiful product there we want to tap. With the right development we can build a very cohesive line and make Obeetee a one-stop shop for area rugs."

The product launch is set for July.

Nourison launches Calvin collection in Atlanta

SADDLE BROOK, NJ — Nourison launched its long-awaited Calvin Klein collection of licensed rugs earlier this month at its showroom at the Atlanta International Area Rug Show.

The new collection includes five different rug constructions — handmade in wool and silk, Tibetan weave in wool and silk, hand-knotted in wool and silk, handwoven flatweave, and loom engineered in wool with hand-carving or hand-hooking — with four to eight designs within each construction.

Price points for a 6' x 9' range from $700 for a flatweave through $3,700 for a Tibetan wool and silk rug.

Milliken & Co. expands Color Blanket program

LAGRANGE, GA — It was last July that Milliken & Co. launched its Color Blanket program — a runner-like 2' x 8' display piece that allows for up to six colorways of a design to fit on a single rug rack or hanger — for a few test collections.

Milliken has rolled out the Color Blanket program for all of its 544 offerings of nylon carved and uncarved rugs.