Page 185 - AmericasMart: Market Magazine July 2018

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Home furnishings rental services are a
hot business in Atlanta and the Southeast, thanks to its growing television and
movie production industry, its coterie
of wealthy denizens eager to plan memorable parties, and the meetings and conferences hosted by many Fortune 500 corporations that call the region home.
So it comes as no surprise to learn that some of the buyers walking the halls of AmericasMart are not shopping for home furnishings stores, but to beef up their inventory for prop houses and event rental companies.
These buyers are seeking area rugs, furniture, lighting and accessories that can give unique and comfortable seating at a corporate meeting, create elegant conversation areas at a wedding, or turn a stark soundstage into a homey set.
Defining demand
One such buyer is Lois Bourne, general manager of Collection Event Furnishings. Collection supplies home furnishings to the movie industry, to realtors for staging, and for special events ranging from celebrity parties to corporate meetings.
Bourne says she goes to The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market® to get ideas and inspiration for home furnishings trends and core pieces she’d like to add to her inventory, and also visits some of her key suppliers between shows.
“Years ago, we started seeing a trend where people wanted soft seating at events and conferences,” says Bourne. “At first we were just doing high-end luxury lounge groupings and modern furniture. But then people started going after the Restoration and West Elm look. From there it evolved into more of a residential country
French look.”
“You can have a great furniture grouping, but for it to really pop at an event, it’s important to define it with an area rug, it gives a good foundation to the
whole arrangement.” LOIS BOURNE
She does a lot of work with Pasha, Zentique and Blue Ocean Trading, but she’s always looking for suppliers who have good price points and flexible minimums. As for style, neutral palettes are always important.
“We’re just starting to branch into colored furniture; we have tons of requests for emerald green or navy,” she says. Most important is that pieces can be mixed and matched. “We might buy five or six different styles, along with chairs and coffee tables that can complement them.”
Understanding necessities
Area rugs also are an important part of Collection’s inventory. Larger sizes are more in demand, and sisal options or neutral patterns are among the most popular looks.
“You can have a great furniture grouping, but for it to really pop at an event, it’s important to define it with an area rug, it gives a good foundation to the whole arrangement,” says Bourne.
Karen McIntyre of Gallimore Fine Rugs
has built up a business renting area rugs for weddings and special events. After enjoying planning her daughter’s wedding, McIntyre found a way to combine her love for event planning with the knowledge she’s picked up by proxy while watching her husband and his business partner build the retail rug businesses they manage at Woodstock Outlet in Acworth, Ga., and Heritage Rug Gallery in Dalton, Ga.
McIntyre has shopped AmericasMart
for more than two decades, scouring showrooms for the most current color
and design trends that brides and other event hosts demand. Typically during her market visits, she’s working on specific projects. “And I am always looking for that special antique handmade rug that is made available to the newlyweds so that it may become a memorable family heirloom,”
she says. >
FURNITURE, RUG & HOME ACCENTS
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