Hot News from High Point

Our Sarasota shopping editor reports from the furniture fair.

By Carol Tisch

Just last year a High Point Market attendee badge from Florida was considered a badge of courage, since very few Floridians (let alone Florida-based publications) braved the trek to North Carolina during the peak of the state’s real estate crisis. “I thought Florida had dropped into the ocean,” said one exhibitor of sophisticated coastal home accessories at last week’s fall furniture market. “But we’ve seen so many designers and buyers from Florida, that we’re hopeful the worst is over,” she added, spotting my Sarasota badge.

I bumped into Marcus Anast of Sarasota Collection Home Store in the Rosemary District on his way to meet with Calvin Klein Home Couture executives at their C&D Building showroom. Sarasota Collection is already previewing its Calvin Klein boutique in the Sarasota store, and plans to hold a grand opening after the first of the year of a total Calvin Klein home environment shop on the store’s second floor. After that, Anast had one more stealth visit to negotiate a new line (I’m sworn to secrecy, but it’s going to be great for our town if it happens).

So, I’m breaking in my new Bruno Magli shoes from Reason’s during market and can’t walk at all (just call me dumb and dumber). Luckily, the Market provides “Go Anywhere” vans (High Point is really spread out) and I used this life-saving service like never before. Judy Eidge spots my Sarasota badge on the bus line and tells me she loves the magazine and has been featured on our pages when she owned Custom Arts Company Inc. When Sarasota’s real estate (and therefore home decorating) markets were flourishing, Judy’s business was a consortium of 22 artists who did murals, faux finishing, and gold leafing for John Cannon and a host of local interior designers.

Judy Eidge (right) spotted my Sarasota badge on the bus line at High Point Market and I got the scoop on her new design business.

A fine artist for years in our town (www.eidgefineart.com), Eidge is about to open a new interior decorating and home furnishings boutique and was shopping for new stuff in High Point. The business is called Recreate Your Living Spaces, and Judy says she’s been planning the concept for years. Now that her kids are out of college, all systems are go.

Next, I’m on my way to Hickory Chair on the 8^th floor of IHFC (more about that in the next blog) and Dora the Explorer of Nickelodeon accosts me in the elevator. I don’t know who Dora is, but in the close quarters of an elevator everyone offers an explanation—adding that the new Nickelodeon children’s furniture from Lea is the hottest introduction at market. It’s on the 9^th floor, so I take a detour and ask for a press tour, after which I get a huge stuffed SpongeBob SquarePants for my trouble (and my photo taken with the characters).

I'm surrounded by real live characters, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Actually the furniture is incredible. It’s based on extensive focus group research with kids and moms, and it revolutionizes this category. The collection is called Nickelodeon My Room, and is divided into three age groups: the Nick line is for three to seven-year-olds, a TweenNick group for ages 8 to 11, and a techy, Hollywood looking TeenNick for teens and up.

Panels like this come with your furniture: Dora for girls, Diego for boys. Everything, including glow in the dark slime, is removable.

What’s great is that the Nickelodeon characters and imagery come on panels that can be removed as the child grows up or becomes partial to a new character. And the storage is amazing, because that’s what parents asked for. Can’t wait to see this line in Sarasota stores.

In Nickelodeon's research, moms said they would buy furniture with graphics, if the art were removable as in this Bob Squared Chest

The Slime Time five-draw chest, left, oozes glow in the dark slime and has green slim draw pulls. Right, SpongeBob bubbles and graphics glow in the dark on the Bikini Bottom 6-drawer chest for Tweens.

Posted: 10/27/2009 8:59:29 PM | 0 comments

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