Showroom Spotlight: Werner Frank By Jess Schmidt

{Sponsored} An original tenant of what was then called the Atlanta Merchandise Mart, Werner Frank is one of the few vendors that has maintained a showroom at the venue since 1964. In that time, the ownership has changed from the founder to his daughters, Jessie Frank and Michele Frank Rapp. We sat down with Jessie Frank, president of the rep group, to hear about the showroom and some of their best-sellers.

Werner Frank is a gift and home line that was founded over 75 years ago and maintains a large road-warrior sales force in addition to their showroom at AmericasMart. They know that buyers visit Werner Frank to do business, and they strive to have an upbeat atmosphere while keeping things relatively serious in the showroom.

Buyer Favorites

Top-selling lines both for Werner Frank and retailers that stock them range in product type and styles from tabletop to photo frames, candles to garden.

Sales of Casafina have been up 100% during the pandemic for the showroom, and their lovely tabletop and gift line has a great deal of breadth in product type and aesthetic. They also now offer a home fragrance line with bright, colorful designs and aromatherapeutic scents.

Pampa Bay offers elegant ceramic serving vessels with a metallic look via vacuum-sealed titanium plating. The products in the line are dishwasher-safe,

making clean-up after a dinner party much easier. Their offerings are perfect for parties as well as family dinners since they’re so versatile.

The oldest candle company in the U.S., Root Candles, offers jar, taper and pillar candles with tasteful designs. Their latest release includes aromatherapy line Seeking Balance with colors and scents to match specific moods, plus the Elements Collection, with a more masculine look which has sold very well.

The Garlic-A-Peel from Kitchen Innovations is something that seems to never stop flying out the showroom door. It allows cooks to peel and chop multiple cloves of garlic at once without the need to touch raw garlic or clean out the garlic press frequently. The line of thoughtful kitchen gadgets ranges from whimsical to ultra-practical.

Galassi’s photo frames are gaining momentum after the category was less popular in recent years. “Photo frames are exploding,” Jessie said. The new releases the line launched in January match the high-end aesthetic of the rest of the brand’s range.

For whimsical garden art, look to SPI and their line of frogs enjoying human activities such as studying nature through binoculars, skateboarding and

zenning out to yoga. They also offer a line of sea life sculptures Frank says are popular in coastal areas. All are verdigris metal, which ages to a soft green shade and are the perfect addition to any garden space.

Bees Wrap, a popular green product, offers reusable food wraps in a variety of cotton patterns. They’ve recently introduced new patterns as well as a vegan line of wraps. “Their new introductions have been doing really well, particularly more colorful patterns,” Jessie said.

For the ultimate “green” gift, stock Greener Valley. The line is made from reclaimed tree stumps, with carved designs that complement the natural grain of the wood. The wine holders carved to seem like they have grown around wine bottles are extremely popular.

Why AmericasMart?

Buyers should shop Atlanta Market at AmericasMart for the experience that you can’t get when browsing a catalog. “There’s something about the shopping experience and nothing like seeing products in person. Touching, feeling weight, feeling texture, understanding size, fragrance, anything that has to do with it, these are things you can’t experience in any other way than in person,” Jessie said.

Atlanta Market offers everything that gift boutiques need to keep shoppers coming back in these unique times, all in one place. It’s a convenient way to stock up for the season or year and being able to be present with the product instills confidence: it’s the peace of mind knowing exactly what you’re ordering because you’ve held it in your hands.

July Atlanta Market will be open:

Showrooms

Tuesday, July 13 – Monday, July 19

Temporaries

Wednesday, July 14 – Sunday, July 18

To register as a buyer for July 2021 Atlanta Market, visit atlantamarket.com.

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