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April's
Articles for Giftware News:
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Winter in the Textile
Trade
February 12, 2007
You have to admire an industry that caters so much to the buyer.
Where they are—we will be—one day before and putting
all the bells on too! This past Sunday found me in New York for
Market Week. I started my morning in a cold Vermont and flew on
to a chilly New York. Good news—cold and sunny.
Lunch was a design strategy session with Edward Chu and Rusty
of Homefires—color directions, design, style, customer acceptance—the
true meat and potatoes of the business. The walls around the trendy
Union Café were inspiring, we kept comparing the color palettes
of the daring paintings on the wall to my bundle of swatches—there
was a recurring concentration of both aqua and coral reds. Take
it as a hint. When your lunch has a paper napkin ring with a sketch
of herbs that two of the party put in their pocket and there is
a menu with a sketch of tumbling mushrooms—you know you are
in a place that is meant to inspire. And the food—ooh so
good!
After that hard work I strolled up a few blocks for another adventure.
The afternoon found me in the showroom of C&F at 295 Fifth Avenue—meeting
with Home Textiles Today editor Jennifer Marks (she works Sunday
too!) and also joining in the sales meeting of the C&F team—their
team had flown in from across the country for Market Week—on
Sunday. Sales people arrived one by one, wheeling their on-the-road-life
behind them, full of handshakes and smiles and nods of recognition
for their fellow road warriors—they learned about what was
new at C&F and why it is good.
We did a quick run down on the true value of the product—gorgeous
quilts and cushions, bedksirts and curtains—to the woman
who buys it. How, ultimately, this beautiful stuff is living in
someone's home—changing her rooms and uplifting her life.
The choices those buyers will make—starting Monday the Trade
arrives—are the choices women across America will have available
to choose from too—when I think of the power of those decisions,
I find it quite impressive and a little scary! And I hope in my
mind that the buyers choose not just for price or trend—but
for something that will make the homes of our "sisters"
across the country a haven for their bodies and their spirits—I
think lots of them in one form or another are working Sundays
too!
Oh—and I got to go out for dinner too! A very cute and unusual
restaurant called "Country" that served banana splits
with caramel sauce, grilled cheese with truffles, artisanal cheeses
and Caesar salads with endive—talk about upscale comfort
food. Yumm. Of course we all talked about eating in China—and
the "don't ask what it is" rule of enjoying your food—snakes,
jellyfish and small sparrows should never be identified! Here's
to the trade! Where work happens over beautiful product, great
food, and friendships.
May they keep working Sundays!
April Cornell NYC |
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