Mar 29, 2011

7W Kicked Off Spring With Captivating Shows & Events

(New York, NY- ) March was a busy month at 7 W New York® with a series of events that far exceeded expectations. The showrooms at 7 W 34th Street, the home textiles and bath destination marketplace, had a stellar week during Home Fashions Market, March 14 – 18, 2011. While the market was wrapping up at the building, 7 W extended their reach to The Architectural Digest Home Design Show, March 17 – 20, 2011 (AD Show) with a specially curated booth highlighting products from design focused 7 W suites. A very well received 7 W / IFDA / NKBA co-sponsored Designer Day on March 17, also on-site at the AD Show, added to the excitement.

According to Chris Collins, VP and General Manager, 7 W New York, “Home Fashions Market Week continues to exceed expectations with significant increases in attendance and a high level of satisfaction from our tenants. The number of key and major retail buyers who attended 7 W during this critical market week has been on a steady increase for the last several years. The quality of buyer and overall attendee also continues to improve. This has become an amazingly successful week for our tenants and the building. We are very excited about the continued growth of this category and this market week”.

7 W’s Home Fashions Market Week, March 14-18, was one for the books with multiple suites celebrating openings, new product lines, and company milestones. Carpet specialist Surya toasted 35 years of business, Hallmart Collectibles Inc. introduced their exciting new Trump bedding, Royale Linens debuted their much-anticipated For Your Home collection by PBS star Vicki Payne, and linen expert Safdie International, Inc. boasted a new collection of juvenile wraps from Warner Brothers.

Both exhibitors and buyers had positive experiences with the market. Joe Barkley, Executive VP of Kaleen Rugs, remarked, “This is our first market as a permanent showroom. The business we did when we were a temporary was promising enough to prompt us to make the move to 7 W, which has a great location and amenities.” Vicki Payne was in Royale Linens showroom for the unveiling of her collection and commented, “I’ve been really thrilled with the buyers coming in. 7 W has proven to be a great place to launch my line.”

Buyers were pleased with their visit to the building and felt it was valuable to their businesses. Jennifer Vitale, of Subdireccion Almacenes, in Colombia, explained, “Last market we had a very good experience, so we made a point to return. We have a full schedule of appointments for this show.” Beth Freeman from Trend, a store in Verona, NJ, added, “It’s easy shopping here. The building is not overwhelming and they have some really great lines.”

At the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, 7 W, the NKBA and IFDA’s co-sponsored presentation on “Designing for the ‘A’ Word” was enlightening, insightful and attracted a packed audience. Florence Perchuk, IFDA, NKBA, CAPS, CKD, and co-author of The Complete Book of Kitchen Design for Consumer Reports magazine, moderated four seasoned and multi-certified panelists who provided their thoughts on the timely topic of “Practice and Profitability: The Silver Lining of the Aging Market.”

The panelists agreed that designing for an aging market is really a part of a larger movement towards “universal design,” which is all about enhancing a lifestyle, not just about addressing age or disability. They also astutely pointed out that the design industry is one of the few industries out there that is at the forefront of serving the aging and disabled community in a dynamic way; and the panelists, as well as many of their colleagues, have certainly been addressing their needs with grace and acuity. Interior designers and architects are taking a holistic approach to their clients’ needs, even going so far as meeting with physical therapists and physicians in order to get the full picture and to deliver an accessible and well-designed end result. Manufacturers are following their lead. Not only are they designing more age and disability conscious products, but they are offering more elegant options in these categories.

Not far from the AD show stage where the informative lecture took place, 7 W’s booth also drew a crowd, featuring products from 7 W showrooms including, AA importing, Inc., Spruce, (RJS Global Resource & Design), Art Addiction, Barreveld International, MegaVision, Inc., and Ecoarts / Tranconnection Corporation. The space was a great representation of the building and many designers were excited about discovering that 7 W can be their “finishing touch design resource”.

Overall, the week started and ended on a high-note and 7 W continues to move forward, gearing up for their next big market, 7 W New York Tabletop Week, April 12-15, 2011.

For complete and continually updated information about 7 W New York, keep visiting www.7wnewyork.com. You can also find 7 W on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

7 W NEW YORK™ is a wholesale mart building, catering to the buyers of Home Décor, Table Top, Giftware, Textiles, Decorative Accessories, Fine Arts and related industries. Located at 7W 34th Street, its daily hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm with extended hours during special market weeks. 7 W New York is a trademark of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI).

MMPI is the world’s leading owner and operator of showroom buildings and trade show facilities, bringing buyers and sellers together in more than 300 market events, trade and consumer shows and conferences each year.

MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Federal Center Southwest in Washington D.C.

VORNADO REALTY TRUST, owners of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.