July Atlanta International Area Rug Market Sets the Stage for January 2009
ATLANTA, JULY 2008—New programs and services introduced in the July 2008 edition of the Atlanta International Area Rug Market® mark the path to January 2009, when new Market timing, new alignment with home furnishings and furniture and the brand-new Building Two West Wing will take the market and the area rug industry to a new level of energy and opportunity.
While the effects of the economy and general housing downturn were clearly evidenced in July, most major retailers were here to do business in the Market where the area rug business does its business. Exclusive product introductions fueled steady order-writing activity among major retailers and independents, among them a large number of furniture and home furnishings stores and interior designers.
Hosts to Educational Events Living Green Pavilion for Eco-products Grows
(Chapel Hill, NC) – July 23, 2008 – The Sustainable Furniture Council hosts a full slate of free public seminars during the Las Vegas summer market as it oversees Living Green Pavilion’s expansion and ongoing development.
SFC offers six Educational seminars with the support of World Market Center, GE Money, and Con-Tech Lighting. Each is open to market attendees and the public at no charge. The idea is to keep the green movement very much in the buyer’s eye, providing worthwhile educational content along with specific direction on where to go shopping for sustainable products while at market.
Lotfy & Sons recently announced the launch of its newly designed Web site, www.lotfyandsons.com. Featuring state-of-the-art , high resolution catalog photos, visitors can zoom images to view carpets in detail. Easy to navigate and user friendly, the site has also been updated to showcase all of their current collections and designs as well as special
offers and new arrivals, which include
many 'one-of-a-kind' pieces. For more information call: 201-867-7733, and visit www.lotfyandsons.com.
Tufenkian Foundation Goes Live
Leading Venture Philanthropy Group Launches New Website
NEW YORK—The Tufenkian Foundation, one of the leading philanthropies working toward a just, democratic, and vibrant Armenia, has launched a new website at www.TufenkianFoundation.org. The website offers background information on the Foundation, its history, and its guiding principles; it also provides the latest news from the Foundation and its partners, as well as up-to-date reports on every project it has in active development.
“We have anywhere from 10 to 20 projects going at a time,” says Antranig Kasbarian, the Foundation’s director of development. “So it can be hard to keep our friends consistently up-to-date on everything we do and learn on the ground.”
Industry veteran, Chuck Coloian, joins 828 International as Account Manager for Ohio, reporting directly to Tom Morris. In his new position, Coloian will focus on increasing 828’s sales and market share by working with existing dealers and building new business with specialty retailers.
Coloian has more than 40 years experience in the floor covering industry. During his career, he’s been a buyer for Higbee’s in Cleveland and for Crowley’s in Detroit, MI. He also spent 16 years as an Account Manager for Oriental Weavers covering Michigan, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Today, he utilizes his expertise in area rugs as an independent agent for several companies.
Momeni Wins “Supplier of the Year” Award from Rugs-direct.com
During the July Atlanta Rug Market, Momeni was awarded the prestigious award of “Supplier of the Year” from Rugs-direct.com, one of the premier internet sites for area rugs. The award is given based upon outstanding delivery and service throughout the year; criteria ranges from consistent on-time delivery to exceptional customer service and on-hand stock positions. For more information, call: 201-549 -7220 or visit www.momeni.com.
Rizzy to Offer CUSTOM SIZE Program at Las Vegas Market
SUMMER MARKET WATCH
Rugs like the Pandora Collection above are part of CUSTOM SIZE Rug Program.
Management at RIZZY, leading producers of Rizzy Rugs and Rizzy Home, has announced the introductino of a new CUSTOM SIZE Rug Program in its new 8th floor World Market Center, C Building, next week. The CUSTOM SIZE Rug Program pertains to all the company’s hand-knotted and hand tufted collections and enables dealers to special order for its customers any rug in the size that will work for the consumer in any room of their home. The company is able to commit to 30-60 days production time for custom orders from its tufted collections, while knotted rugs will be shipped on an order-by-order basis. All custom orders will ship from the company’s Calhoun, GA distribution center.
According to VP of Sales, Mark Ferullo, “Our CUSTOM SIZE program is yet another vehicle that we are offering our customers to help them make their respective rug departments a profit center. It’s very powerful for a store to be in a position provide its customers any rug in a special gallery presentation in their store, in a size that is custom made for each consumer.”
Safavieh Doubles Las Vegas Showroom, Expands for Growth in Rugs and Furniture Divisions
SUMMER MARKET WATCH
The Germaine Loveseat from the Regency Collection with hand carved
wooden frame, nailhead trim and
silk fabric with contrasting fringed pillows. The Nora dining table from Safavieh’s Modern Collection features honed white Italian marble and a brushed stainless steel base.
Port Washington, NY – Safavieh has doubled its showroom space at the World Market Center in Las Vegas from 7500 to 15,000 square feet in time for the July, 2008 Las Vegas Furniture Market, July 28 to August 1. The expansion is the result of growth in Safavieh area rugs and the wholesale furniture division marketed as Safavieh Home.
At prior Las Vegas markets, the company’s furniture and rugs were interspersed throughout the original space, World Market Center Suite 101. “The newly acquired space 125 will be used exclusively for furniture,” said Michael Yaraghi, principal of Safavieh. “This showroom is visible from the main lobby and is accessible to guests through a lobby entrance,” he explained. The new space shares a 75-foot common wall with the original Safavieh showroom, which also has visibility from the main entrance hall.
Couristan to Host Vegas Showroom Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Open House Celebration
SUMMER MARKET WATCH
Company Will Offer a Grand Prize Drawing, Special Savings Packages and Sneak Peaks at New Products
To celebrate the opening of its new showroom located in Building C (C854/856) of the World Market Center Las Vegas, Fort Lee, NJ-based Couristan will host a Ribbon Cutting event on Monday, July 28th at 11:30 AM. Following the ceremony, guests are invited to join Couristan for a champagne toast and a catered lunch. In addition, Couristan is co-sponsoring an Open House on Tuesday, July 29th from 2 PM – 6 PM. During the Open House, Couristan will offer hot deals and cool refreshments, featuring cocktails and an exotic dessert station with flambéed ice cream and an assortment of fresh Caribbean fruits. All registered buyers and members of the media are invited to attend these exciting events.
“The opening of our showroom at the World Market Center in Las Vegas marks an important milestone for Couristan and we are really looking forward to celebrating this achievement with our customers and other industry players attending the market,” stated Ron Couri, President and CEO of Couristan. “We feel that it is vitally important to maintain a positive, upbeat attitude during these challenging economic times and what better way to do that than to serve up some fun in Las Vegas.”
On the heels of its 2008 America’s Magnificent Carpets Awards win for Best Contemporary rug, American Cottage will offer its winning design, Orchid Vine, in a number of new colorways: silver/blue, celery, coffee/ sage and coffee/blue. The design is a handmade cut-and-loop construction in wool, which comes in sizes 2x3 to 8x10. Also ask about the new earth tone color now available on the Kaleidoscope, Tunnel, Log Cabin, Sandstone, and Swedish Stripe designs.
In other news, the company welcomes the following new reps: Jerry Wall (NE territory); Anne Holton (NYC, Long Island, eastern PA); Andrew Vafakas, owner of Victory Marketing (MI, IL); and Elaine and Don Germain (NC, SC). For more information, visit: www.americancottagerugs.com. Call: (877) 263-7268.
Home Comfort Launches Holiday 2008
‘Tis the season to think about holiday 2008. Home Comfort has three new holiday-themed Jellybean™ brand rugs that may fill your needs. Winter Cardinal features a classic red cardinal on a deep blue sky, surrounded by winter foliage. A more whimsical offering is Christmas Scottie, sure to be a hit with dog lovers. Pine Cones features rich dark tones that make it a perfect addition to winter decorating. Each of the new designs comes in size 22”x34”.
Also ask about the company’s new display unit, which is handcrafted with a natural wood finish and heavy-duty locking wheels, making it easy to move throughout a retail store. The entire unit takes up just 2’x3’ of floor space, a plus for smaller retailers. For more information, visit: www.homecomfortrugs.com. Call: (800) 782-1198
The Nation's Premier Area Rug, Furniture Retailers Honored at the 2008 Roy Awards
ATLANTA, JULY 2008—The extraordinary achievement of the nation’s
premier area rug and furniture retailers was honored during the July
Atlanta International Area Rug Market®’s signature event—the Retailer
of the Year (ROY) Awards—on Monday, July 14, at the Georgia Aquarium.
Presented by AmericasMart and the Oriental Rug Retailers of America
(ORRA), the ceremony recognized leaders making a significant impact on
the entire industry. The ROY nominees were selected by AmericasMart
area rug exhibitors and were voted on by an independent panel of
industry experts.
2008 July Las Vegas Market Plays Host to the World
SUMMER MARKET WATCH
More Than 154 Exhibitors From Across the Globe Showing at Las Vegas Market; World Market Center Las Vegas Introduces Educational Tools to Support Overseas Buyers as well as Exhibitors Looking to Expand Internationally
(LAS VEGAS)—July 10, 2008— Further broadening its global footprint, World Market Center Las Vegas will be host to 154 international exhibitors during its 2008 July Las Vegas Market, scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 1. These international companies will come from nearly 20 different countries including as Italy, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, China and Indonesia.
The 2008 July Las Vegas Market will feature the largest collection of international exhibitors to date — and unlike previous Markets; they will be housed entirely on World Market Center’s 5 million square foot campus, including the new Building C.
LA STORIESby Chris Gigley Los Angeles
hums along as if there are no problems. Gas prices approach $4, but
gridlock still grips the freeways. The L.A. Times documents an economic
downturn, yet billboards everywhere tout the latest films as if
disposable income is overflowing. The same goes for rug sales. The
housing market in Southern California is the same as it is everywhere
else — imploding — yet interior designers are still fully booked and
looking for the latest home decor to put in their clients’ homes. That
has pushed both vendors and dealers to keep the new product coming...
Click here to read the whole story in our INSIDERS' GROUP Exclusives, log in or join today.
Tufenkian Launches Collaboration with Mark Pollack
“We started with my textile designs as a jumping off point, but even
though the fibers were familiar, the techniques used to knot a carpet
are quite different from the techniques used to weave a fabric. The
different set of possibilities and constraints ended up giving the
design a new character and life, a new personality.” – Mark Pollack on
collaborating with Tufenkian
Renowned Textile Designer Joins Designers’ Reserve Collection
NEW YORK, NY—Tufenkian, a leading designer and supplier of handmade Tibetan and Armenian rugs, has added textiles giant Mark Pollack to its Designers’ Reserve Collection. Known for his sophisticated, meticulously-crafted fabrics, Pollack has worked with Tufenkian to use his textile designs as a starting point for eight innovative carpets in bold colorways. Pollack is the first designer to be added to the Designers’ Reserve since 2001. Tufenkian founder James Tufenkian felt that Pollack’s experience working in a different medium with the same natural fibers that Tufenkian uses in its carpets would allow him to bring an interesting perspective to a collaboration.
The resulting designs feature contemporary geometry while displaying a classical sensibility. Being evolutions of Pollack’s fabric designs, they also offer the design community an opportunity for new coordinations of style and texture.
D&K Wholesale will debut two new items in time for Metro Market Week 2008. The Heritage Collection™ features a low pile twist in a densely tufted quality. The fine wool pile is tightly and permanently twisted providing an exceptional textured finish. The Heritage Collection is available in four stunning colorways: ivory, aqua, brown and peach. Sizes range from 4x6 to 10x14 including runners and rounds.
Also look for recent expansions in their Antique Dreams™ Soumak line with the addition of a new allover design. The soft tones provide a subtlety of color unusual for this type of weave. Available in ivory, liight blue, light green, chocolate and rust colorways in sizes 4x6, 5x8, 8x10, 9x12, 10x14 and runners.
SUMMER MARKET WATCH
Safavieh is preparing for summer markets at Atlanta and Las Vegas with products designed to meet the needs of the full complement of area rug retail distribution channels. For the first time the company will be showing a range that extends from Persian styled hand-hooked polypropylene indoor rugs for starter and vacation homes, to hand-woven silk and cashmere blends for high-end luxury residences.
“Handmade rugs have become a basic stock keeping category in every channel from big box stores to house wares specialists; they are no longer sold only at specialty rug stores as was the case in the past,” said Arash Yaraghi, principal of Safavieh. Yaraghi attributed the change to better educated consumers who have learned about the quality of handmade rugs on the internet, through decorating magazines and TV shows.
“The challenge to the rug industry is to design for sophisticated consumers at every price point, and to develop products that deliver value in both quality and fashion,” Yaraghi said. To that point, Safavieh has created the new Care-Free collection of maintenance-free polypropylene rugs that are hand-hooked in trend-right colors and traditional formal Persian designs. The rugs are ideal in entry halls, children’s rooms, kitchens and vacation homes because of their easy care characteristics. The price is $500 for a 6 x 9 rug.
ATLANTA, JULY 2008—New programs and services introduced in the July 2008 edition of the Atlanta International Area Rug Market® mark the path to January 2009, when new Market timing, new alignment with home furnishings and furniture and the brand-new Building Two West Wing will take the market and the area rug industry to a new level of energy and opportunity. 
Hosts to Educational Events Living Green Pavilion for Eco-products Grows
Lotfy & Sons recently announced the launch of its newly designed Web site, 
(LAS VEGAS)—July 10, 2008— Further broadening its global footprint, World Market Center Las Vegas will be host to 154 international exhibitors during its 2008 July Las Vegas Market, scheduled for July 28 through Aug. 1. These international companies will come from nearly 20 different countries including as Italy, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, Australia, Fiji, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Vietnam, China and Indonesia.
