Twenty-Seven New Exhibitors Accepted Into The Handmade® Division At The Seattle Gift Show®—January 26-30, 2002

Furniture World News

The Handmade® division of the Seattle Gift Show® has accepted 27 new companies for the January 26-30, 2002 market, bringing the total number of Handmade® participants to 70. This division will occupy approximately 100 booths on the 4th Floor of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center’s beautiful north hall expansion area. Throughout more than 4,800 net square feet, Handmade will offer collections of contemporary, ethnic and traditional crafted merchandise. Many product categories will be represented and will include functional and decorative home accents, glassware, textiles, furniture, stationery, jewelry plus an array of other unique craft objects. "The artisans featured in the Handmade® division of the Seattle Gift Show® bring a true Northwest flavor to this expanding market. It gives retailers in this area a completely new dimension of design and a variety of products that can only be found at this market," said Paula Bertolotti, divisional manager. "Retailers in Seattle continue to embrace independent craftspeople by featuring their one-of-a-kind products. The Seattle Gift Show® is the perfect venue for Handmade® and the exhibiting companies that have secured booth space," continued Bertolotti. To ensure that each exhibitor brings a new dimension to the marketplace, the Handmade® selection process remains highly competitive. After a review of applications, photos, slides, catalogs, company backgrounds and additional support materials, exhibitors are selected on the basis of originality, authenticity and appropriateness for the gift market, with an emphasis on how the product is made. The Seattle Gift Show® is co-produced by Western Exhibitors, LLC and George Little Management, LLC, and features over 900 exhibiting companies in a variety of product categories including giftware, tabletop items, home and decorative accessories, stationery, licensed products, collectibles, souvenir and resort items, pre-packaged gourmet food, fashion and fine jewelry, multi-cultural merchandise and antique and vintage goods. The 143rd semi-annual Seattle Gift Show will take place January 26-30, 2002 at the expanded Washington State Convention & Trade Center. This market is expected to attract approximately 16,000 buyers. Retailers will find 12 product divisions: At Home, FoodFocus, GardenStyle, General Gift, Handmade®, The Jewelry Vaultsm, Northwest Craft Gallery, Northwest Directions (a reformatted tourist and resort merchandise division), Personal Style, Stationery & Trend, Village Arts and The Vintage Collection. For exhibitor information about the Handmade division, contact Paula Bertolotti, divisional manager, at George Little Management, LLC, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954. Telephone 914.421.3395. Fax: 914.948.6493; e-mail: paula_bertolotti@glmshows.com. For attendee information, contact Western Exhibitors, LLC, at 415.346.6666; fax 415.346.4965; e-mail showinfo@weshows.com.