09 January 10, 2009 - ObserverXtra

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 10, 2009 BUSINESS | 13
BUSINESS »
»FURNISHING TRENDS
Nesting appears to weather the economic storm
Home Furniture store dealers converge on St. Jacobs to check out what’s hot for 2009
JONI MILTENBURG
With the recession word
on everyone’s lips and
the January doldrums
looming, shoppers are
on the hunt for bargains
as retailers slash prices.
One place where the bottom
dollar doesn’t hold
sway is the furniture
store.
“You’d think they’d be
looking for the cheapest
thing possible, but not
really. We find that the
better product sells when
the economy softens,”
said Morgan McCabe,
merchandise manager
for Home Furniture.
“When we look back at
some of our best sellers
in the last half of 2008,
it’s not the promo products
that are our best
sellers, it’s the better
product. The proof is always
in the numbers.”
McCabe said customers
would prefer not to
spend money at all, but
if they have to, they
want something that
will last, and they don’t
mind paying fair dollar
to get it.
This week, the Home
Hardware distribution
centre in St Jacobs
played host to dealers
from Home Furniture
stores across the country
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looking to get a handle
on trends for 2009. The
three-day “Live and in
Colour” show drew buyers
from three-quarters
of the 78 Home Furniture
stores.
One of the big trends for
2009 is eco-friendly furniture,
made from used
and reclaimed wood,
chromium-free leather
and soy foam. McCabe
said they’re also rolling
out a program in Brazil
where pieces are made
without glues and chemicals
that are harmful to
the environment.
Mark and Elizabeth
Coyles, owners of Kitchener
Home Furniture,
said they’re starting to
see a little demand for
eco-friendly furniture,
but even more people
are looking for a “Made
in Canada” tag.
“A lot of customers ask
where it’s made,” said
Elizabeth Coyles. “It’s
nice we can say a lot of
this product is Canadian-made.”
McCabe said the same
is true of stores across
the country.
“They have had consumers
that are coming
in specifically and asking
if it’s Canadian. The
big thing, probably most
of all at this market, is
more and more Cana-
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THE COMFORTS OF HOME Mark and Elizabeth Coyles, owners of Kitchener Home Furniture, test out an
eco-friendly couch at the Live and In Colour furniture show in St. Jacobs. Jan. 8.
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PHOTO | JONI MILTENBURG
dian products. Which is
good, the Canadian dollar
being what it is.”
With the turmoil in
international markets,
Home Furniture has
shifted some of its buying
back home. Now, 95
per cent of their products
are North American-made.
On the style front, the
pieces showcased in the
show’s 22,000-squarefoot
display space are
smaller and more functional.
“People don‘t want
large, overstuffed furniture,”
McCabe said. “A
lot of the sofas we used
to see were what I would
call on steroids; they’ve
certainly shrunk down
considerably.
“When you get into the
larger urban areas like
the GTA, you’re looking
at smaller spaces. Some
of these condos are under
1,000 square feet,
they can’t handle these
big furniture products.”
Dark woods are still
popular, and distressed
finishes are getting rave
reviews from the dealers.
“We have a dinette feature
that the dealers
are going crazy over – it
looks like it’s been sitting
in a garage for 20
years.”
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