Vegas readies for market

Home Textiles Today Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 7/26/2010 4:09:33 PM

Las Vegas - Sensing an uptick in the earlier of the summer markets, home textiles exhibitors at the Las Vegas Market, Gift + Home and Vegas Kids shows here next week are hoping the mood carries over.

Part of the upbeat mood is the audience that this venue attracts - a broad range of retailers that do not attend the High Point, N.C. market nor other regional shows east of the Mississippi. Whether home textiles specialists or rug retailers or furniture stores, there are significant numbers of northwestern, Canadian and West Coast dealers using Las Vegas as a major shopping center.
For Hudson Industires, as an example, "this absolutely is a good show, and always has been a god show for us, especially in our position in the specialty sleep segment," remarked Lonnie Scheps, vp. "It's like a rebirth. We get a lot of West Coast exposure."
And for the company, it's an opportunity to expand its growing e-commerce activities.
"We had a good first half and signed on several new e-commerce customers. We love them, both those with brick and mortar and those pure internet. They generate day-in, day-out business."
On a different plane, Beljin Mills - a producer of high-end tapestries, has been to all Vegas shows since the inception, said Charles Bunch, general manager.
"We typically see 50% of the traffic we see in High Point, but many don't go to High Point," Bunch remarked. With that traffic mix and new introductions, "it should continue to be a worthwhile show."
For AICO, the Vegas market is important in exposing its growing decorative bedding program to both furniture and non-furniture retailers, explained Laurie Phillips, vp, merchandising. This market is especially key to showcase the Michael Amini & Jane Seymour, A Design Collaboration program of both furniture and decorative bedding.
"Normally Vegas is a really good show, and we expect the same next week," said Tricia Ebersole, national sales manger for India House Brass. The company launched an outdoor collection of pillows and chaise pads at low price points, "and it is did quite well at the Atlanta and Dallas shows. It's all made in the US and retailers are finding the price points strong for today," she noted.
"Vegas typically is one of our better shows, and we anticipate the same," said Scott Sorgeloos, vp at Home Source. "We had our best Atlanta since '06 and hope the final results will hold for Vegas."