Jul 24, 2013

New Resources Please Retailers Shopping The Summer Gift & Home Market at The California Market Center

New showrooms, new lines, and non-stop hospitality greeted local and national buyers attending Market held at the California Market Center (CMC)—the West Coast’s epicenter for fashion, gift, home and children’s resources.

“New” was the by-word of the show, as retailers searched for products to fill their shelves for the critical fourth quarter season. Several hundred fresh gift, fashion, kids, gourmet, and upscale home lines—including such well-known brands as Godinger Silversmiths, Raj Lotus Imports, Phillip Whitney, and Bunnies by the Bay—joined the list of CMC’s growing resources for Summer 2013.

Carol Lang, co-founder of nationally known sales representative firm California Marketing Associates (CMA), Suite C1300, said: “Buyers at this show were eager to see new products, and we were excited we have so many new lines to show them!”

Lang observed that retailers showed much enthusiasm for gourmet products, including Robert Rothschild’s new “Made in America” food line of sauces, mustards, spreads, and jams, as well as major continuing growth in well-priced fashion accessories collections such as Amanda Blu’s decorated ballet flats, jewelry and scarves.

Long-time sales representative agency Rosalie and Friends Incorporated, Suite C1298, was also pleased by growing buyer attendance at the show. “We saw lots of customers we haven’t seen attend a market in a long time! Traffic was steady all through the show, and we offered many new lines which were very well received,” commented founder Rosalie Kaplan. “More and more retailers are ‘discovering’ CMC as a vital resource for their buying needs, and we couldn’t be more pleased to be located here.”

The July edition of the CMC Gift & Home Market also attracted such national retailers as Mary Liz Curtin, the award-winning owner of the Michigan-based store Leon & Lulu. “Leon & Lulu has recently started to sell fashion accessories along side of our furniture and home décor lines, and this product category is doing very well for us. I came to the California Market Center both for the Spring Gift & Home Market in March, as well as the summer show specifically because I am easily able to find beautiful, marketable fashion and other products that I can’t find at the other shows I attend” enthuses Curtin.

Other major retailers in attendance included Fred Segal, multiple Hallmark locations, Kohls, Knott’s Berry Farm, Kaiser Permanente Gift Shop, Las Vegas Hilton, UCLA Store, USC Norris Cancer Hospital, Pechanga Resort & Casino, Adventure City, The Gift Box, Los Angeles Arboretum Gift Shop, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Goods, Just Browsing, David M. Brian, Explorastore California Science Center, Ace Home Center, UCSD Bookstore, Lorimar Vineyards & Winery, The Huntington Library Bookstore, and South Coast Toyota, plus many more.

Buyers attending the market were also greeted by new showrooms, including Big Buddha’s popular collection of fashionable handbags in Suite A1083, NRB Originals high-end home furnishings and accessories in Suite C1125, and Morgan & Milo, representing an ensemble of children’s accessories and clothing in Suite A660. Raj Lotus, a supplier of exotic, handmade furniture, home and fashion accessories, celebrated its showroom opening with a ribbon cutting, and a lively party in its new space in the B Plaza.

The California Market Center’s next scheduled series of Gift & Home Markets will be held October 13-16, 2013 (running concurrently with the LA Fashion Market) and the Winter 2014 Gift & Home Market, scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 through Monday, January 27, 2014.

For additional information about Gift & Home at the CMC, please contact Alyson Bender, Calfornia Market Center, 110 East 9th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90079, (213) 630-3616.
Website: www.californiamarketcenter.com/giftandhome