San Francisco Summer 2005 Market News

Furniture World News

This August, San Francisco will host two major shows open to the retail buying trade and design professionals only. With overlapping days of the SF Furniture Market and the SF International Gift Fair, buyers can take advantage of thousands of unique products and vendors—everything from trend-setting gift items to beautiful furniture and accessories. Summer Market 2005 will be held August 3-6 at the SF Mart. Market will overlap one day with the SF International Gift Fair and also coincide with PreFair at the SF GiftCenter & JewelryMart. With the profitable fourth quarter approaching, buyers need to shop for the combination of gift, home furnishings and home accents that will lure customers into their stores. The SF Furniture Market is the perfect opportunity for buyers to reinvent their stores, shake up their inventory and become the resource destination. “Buyers will be pleased with our exhibitor mix and our market, which has been strengthened by the overlap with the Gift Fair,” says Roseann Carini, the Mart's general manager. “For traditional furniture buyers, they can more easily cross-merchandise their stores by adding stylish gift and accent pieces that will help boost margins and build store traffic.” Linda Carey, managing partner of Alchemy at Home Division for Ruddell Associates and regional vice president of WithIt, agrees. “As gift and home intersect more in consumers’ minds, smart buyers are purchasing accessories to give their stores a lift,” she says. “To drive traffic, furniture stores need to be a destination for something more besides furniture. “Buyers will appreciate the ease of shopping and the personal attention they will receive at a regional market like San Francisco,” says Carini. “Most importantly, the vendors who are showing in San Francisco value the business of independent dealers and design professionals.” The SF Mart continues to be home to hundreds of furniture and accessory showrooms and lines that exemplify West Coast style. For Summer Market, this includes Cisco, Impact International, Lazar, Michels, New Pacific Direct, Omnia, Pacer, Ploi and Zocalo. Other exhibitors include American Leather, Ashley, Brownstone, Capel, Kessler, Palliser, Universal, WHFA and William Sheppee. Additionally, the Mart’s temporary areas will house a selective group of up-and-coming manufacturers who are choosing to introduce their lines in San Francisco. New, Expanding & Relocating Tenants (as of 6/28/05) Alchemy at Home Armen Art Classic ReCreations GreenGrass/EuroCastle Impact International JC Interior Sources(Vicky’s Furniture and Bermex International) Josephine Homes Ochi & Company Peti Antik Restonic San Francisco Sunny Designs TFM Tradewins LLC Zocalo Imports Temporary Exhibitors (as of 6/28/05) Accent Brazil Antiques 2000 Artstock International Bottega Consorzio Mobili D & K Designs Elegant House Goldwood Furniture Homey Designs Ilami Imports Jet Age Furniture KKL, Inc. The Country Co. USA Improvements to Decor Attendees at Market will also notice a few cosmetic improvements to the building, including freshly painted elevator lobbies on floors 2, 4 & 5; fresh paint on the loading dock; green plants that highlight the entrances of the buildings; and amenities such as lotion, facial tissue and automatic towel dispensers in select restrooms. The Mart has also invested in new state of the art camera system on perimeter of both buildings and extended life safety compartmentalization on the 4th and 5th floors. The San Francisco Furniture Market is one of the easiest and most productive Markets around. The Mart is dedicated to making a buyer’s trip easy and affordable, evidenced by hotel discounts, free shuttles, free refreshments, free breakfast, one badge for all buildings, festive social events, and fast & easy on-line registration. The City itself is also a fabulous resource for merchandising ideas, trends and inspiration. Plus, attendees can enjoy San Francisco – Conde Nast Traveler’s #1 destination in the world and Bon Appetit’s #1 city for dining out. For more information about the San Francisco Furniture Market, visit www.sfmart.com or call 415-552-2311.