Page 56 - MM July2018

When Richard W. Morgan arrives in Atlanta this time next year, it’ll mark, by his own estimation, his 100th Market at AmericasMart. But that milestone is just one marker on the road to success.
His first market trip, in July 1969, was to buy inventory for the store he planned to open later that year. The store, Morgan Imports, was to be a gift and home furnishings store specializing in imported goods that he’d discovered during his
trips overseas as a member of the Marine Corps. Opening in a 4,000-square-foot space in Durham, North Carolina, it carried teak and bamboo furniture, silk screens, porcelain items, teak housewares, baskets, and other goods imported from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and other Far East locales. In a nod to the interests of the young people at the time, the store also carried black light posters, scented candles, inflatable chairs, and other paraphernalia for the Woodstock generation.
Growing market
resources in Atlanta
As for the Market, Morgan recalls that at the time, it was only one building—what’s now Building One—and was not nearly as comprehensive as it is today. Among his first industry contacts were Don Dugan and Vern Bliss, then salespeople, but now partners in their own showroom and sales rep firm, Dugan Bliss & Associates.
It was also a highly regional market. Morgan says that from Atlanta, he’d head to gift shows in California and Dallas,
to ensure that he was finding the best assortment of products for his store.
A curated variety
of merchandise
Today, Morgan Imports comprises
25 different departments, including kitchenware, jewelry, stationery, furniture, kids’ products, executive gifts, garden items, and more. With thousands of apartments within the four-block radius
of the store’s downtown location, furniture and housewares are always in demand; the store sells futons and even a small murphy bed.
“What we hear all the time from people who come into the store is that they see things here they haven’t seen anywhere else.”
JACQUELINE MORGAN
“It’s very diverse,” says Jacqueline Morgan. Jacqueline met Richard when she rented
a space for a dance studio in a building
he owned, and they were married in 1981. She attended her first Atlanta Gift Market with Richard in 1979 and quickly became involved in the store, developing
a reputation as a savvy buyer.
Her goal is to develop an assortment that’s unique and unexpected. “What we hear
all the time from people who come into
the store is that they see things here they haven’t seen anywhere else,” she says.
Broad selection
encourages loyalty
Direct imports have become less of a focus in the store, particularly since the offerings available through domestic sources have become so interesting.
“Because of our name, people think we
\[still\] carry a lot of imports, but we’re nothing like an import store,”
says Jacqueline.
At 12,500 square feet of retail space, today the store is three times the size
of its original location. It’s in the former laundry facilities for Duke University, and the space retains its industrial details, such as a soaring skylight and metal pipes repurposed as railings. The company settled into the space in 1991, after several moves, a devastating fire, and even a period of operating multiple locations. Within the copious offerings, there are several standouts of strong sellers, many of which are sourced from showrooms in Atlanta. Jacqueline says decorative wooden tulips rank among
the store’s hottest sellers, and the store’s Frank Lloyd Wright lamps also often
get attention, although at $2,500
they only get purchased occasionally.
The ultimate retail resource
Fifty years later, the Atlanta Gift Market— now AmericasMart—is still an essential resource for Morgan Imports. “It’s easy to get there, and we’ve found great showrooms and vendors,” says Richard.
“In the last 10 years or so, (other gift markets) have become less important and you can get almost everything you need in Atlanta.” >
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