Feb 12, 2015

LA Mart’s Winter Market Delighted Buyers with Fresh Offerings and Experiences

Continuing to provide an unparalleled selection of fresh and exciting merchandise, an easy and productive buying experience and enjoyable ways to relax and network with others are among the many reasons buyers and showrooms say they love the LA Mart Market experience. The just-ended Winter Market delighted buyers who were introduced to 38,000 square feet of new showrooms and expansions as well as their go-to favorites.

More buyers than ever (in fact, an increase of 38 percent of buyers from last year) attended this year’s Winter Market and were greeted with new introductions such as The Grommet, best known for their well-curated selected of undiscovered everyday products by maker entrepreneurs. The company debuted their presence at the Winter Market with a 300 square foot booth in the main lobby and helped buyers source some of the newest and most imaginative products for their stores through its convenient, organized and curated platform.

Two’s Company used the lobby area to debut its new 2-Chic Lux, an apparel line, to great acclaim by buyers seeking to add more apparel to their offerings.

Buyers like Leonardo Kulunga of Grandlunds in Yucipa, California, admitted he was happy to return to the LA Mart: “I’m glad I came back. I’ve seen merchandise that I haven’t seen anywhere else including Vegas!”

Lennette Clark, manager and buyer with The Market by Capische in Wailea, Hawaii, was thrilled to return to the LA Mart after a brief hiatus: “Wow, there is fantastic new energy here at the LA Mart! I have not been able to be here for a couple of years and it is like a whole new Market. The hallways are really busy, and it is clear that this mart and marketplace has been totally revitalized. I love the showrooms. They are so beautiful and filled with such a great assortment of lines here that you don’t see anywhere else. If you are looking for unique and different product the LA Mart is the absolute best place to shop!”

Even regulars like Sheila Lasky of The Things, Etc. in Tarzana, California, found this market to be one of the best she’s seen: “We have been coming twice a year since 1974. The best show in five years. We are happy with the new selections and merchandise this year!”

“For the last 37 years we have based our entire buying schedule around the LA Mart Markets,” adds Pamela Giffin of Folkways in Eugene, Oregon. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Showrooms were just as pleased as the buyers, many of whom reported strong orders and record number of new accounts.

“We had a terrific winter show here at the LA Mart!” says Tom Mitchell, one of the principals of the Lynn Mitchell Group. “We have been very busy and we are on track to have a significant increase over last year’s numbers. In addition, we have seen a lot of new accounts especially from out of this region. Buyers are very happy with the renewed energy here at the LA Mart, and have really enjoyed the show experience.”

“We killed it at the LA Mart!” exclaims Cathy Campbell, vice president of Gifts of Nature. “We get so excited before each show, to learn how much better we did from the last. We are still entering orders. Best show ever!”

It wasn’t all about work, though. Fun-filled happy hours on Thursday and Friday with bars on each floor and food throughout the showrooms helped keep the mood light and the vibe fun. A wildly successful Los Angeles Market party on Saturday night at the LA Live Lucky Strike nightclub allowed for hundreds of attendees to relax and network in a fun environment.

During Market, 12 new and expanded showrooms celebrated with ribbon cuttings. Susan Cardosi-Albert, retail manager of the Kidspace Children’s Museum, helped organize a roundtable for the Western States Chapter of the Museum Store Association.

“We greatly appreciate our loyal buyers and are delighted to see a surge in younger buyers this market. It is wonderful to see the next generation of buyers coming to the LA Mart and forging many new relationships with our showrooms,” says Frank Joens, Frank Joens, Sr. Vice President, General Manager of the LA Mart. “We have long been the champions for all gift & home businesses, but especially support the smaller business people that search to find those products that are unique to California which in turn, create a distinctive look for their stores. LA Mart supports the home-town stores and are pleased that our buyers choose Los Angeles as their home-town wholesale destination.”

Buyers won’t want to miss the following upcoming markets: March 29-31 (Spring), July 15-20 (Summer) and September 27-29 (Fall). To learn more about the markets at the LA Mart, visit LAMart.com.

About the L.A. Mart®

LA Mart contains the West Coast’s most comprehensive collection of fine regional and national showrooms available to the trade and consumer buying communities 5 days a week. Encompassing 500,000 square feet of gift, home, furniture, and lifestyle lines, the LA Mart Gift + Home + Design Center features thousands of premium product lines, from custom manufactured to nationally branded merchandise, represented in our permanent showrooms.