NEW YORK -- As NY Now organizers reposition the semi-annual event to be like the "Maison & Objet of the U.S.", area rug vendors showcased eye-catching designs for retailers and designers walking the aisles earlier this month.
NY Now debuted a rejuvenated format this winter with the tagline "Retail Renaissance" targeting mid- to higher-end retailers and showcasing a more lifestyle driven approach. And participating area rug vendors surveyed by RugNews.com were impressed with the results.
NY Now is repositioning the show with a focus on higher-end products for designers and independent retailers.
"They are positioning the show as more upscale ... more like [French home furnishings fair] Maison & Objet," said long-time show exhibitor Ori Wilbush, founder of New Jersey-based hand-knot rug maker S&H Rugs. He noted that organizers told him they had turned away hundreds of exhibitors that didn't make the cut.
TV personality Marcus Lemonis from the show The Profit stops by the S&H Rugs booth to admire a recreated Mamluk (SH444226), and poses for a photo-op with S&H's Maria Vasquez.
"The show was very good for us. Our designs, color combinations, quality, service and prices are simply the best," said Wilbush, noting that the company's relocated booth, adjacent to the new "Transcend Talks" seminars boosted walk-in traffic. "We are really happy with our new location that is bringing us more clients." In fact, S&H sold a rainbow-colored Mamluk recreation hanging on an exterior booth wall to three attendees.
Apadana Fine Rugs also had plenty of interest, with one lifestyle retailer expressing interest in buying the entire rug assortment on show. "We were really pushing our vintage rugs at the show and one customer wanted to buy the whole booth," said owner Michael Alidadi of Apadana, which returned to the show after a short hiatus. "We met so many different kinds of people, especially lifestyle retailers. Boho is doing amazing."
Other area rug makers that participated in NY Now include Auskin, Creative Touch, Eliko, F.J. Kashanian, Kalaty, which exhibited for the first time, and Pasargad. Also, new to NY Now was Robin Baron Design, which presented its custom rug program to show audiences.
Robin Baron, the celebrity designer behind her eponymous studio, served as the brand ambassador for the winter fair, yet another feature of the revamped NY Now. She participated in presenting seminars and curating the Transcend Spaces, a series of cross-category lifestyle vignettes that featured not only Baron's designs and rugs, but others including one by designer Francis Toumbakaris that featured a Nourison rug (read more).
NY celebrity designer Robin Baron was selected as NY Now's winter 2019 brand ambassador.
Another popular feature added to the re-formatted NY Now, formerly known as the New York International Gift Fair, was Holiday House NY -- a series of rooms designed by featured interior designers and curated by Holiday House NYC founder Iris Dankner.
"The retail renaissance has seen the meteoric rise of independent retailers who present an inspirational discovery experience to buyers," stated NY Now organizers. "These stores feature unique, innovative and distinctive items displayed in a creative, ever-changing format that delight Millennial and Gen Z buyers hungry for a different, better in-store shopping experience. These premiere retailers are growing 40x faster than 'balanced' retailers."
The award-winning NY Now 'Transcend Space' created Francis Toumbakaris featured a vibrant Prismatic rug by Nourison.
By the end of the first day overall attendance was up 34 percent over the previous NY NOW winter event and the show attracted more than 3,500 new premiere retailers who had not attended prior editions, the show organizer said. Expected for the summer installment are an even grander on-floor Transcend Experience presentation, an enlarged Holiday House,and more Transcend Talks.
Below, RugNews.com presents the area rug industry's only tour of area rugs on display at the Retail Renaissance @NY Now. As NY Now repositions its show to be like the Maison & Objet of independent American retailers, area rugs and on-point color were back in a big way.
Creative Touches' inky hand-knotted Sandy collection design, inspired by Japanese Shibori, stopped market-goers in their tracks.
Kalaty's growing hand-knot pillow collection continues to grow in popularity and buyers were attracted to the Southwest and tribal looks from the Soumak pillow assortment.
PASARGAD
Pasargad's booth featured a mix of furnishings and rugs, including this mountain design from the Cosmo collection, which sold right away.
New York's Pasargad relocated to a better space for the winter 2019 edition of the semi-annual show, and highlighted its contemporary area rugs and furniture collections. "It's been a good show," said the company's Edward Verdiev, noting that Pasargad meets mostly with designers at NY Now.
ROBIN BARON
Designer Robin Baron debuted at NY Now and introduced market-goers to her custom rug program.
S&H RUGS
S&H's hand-knotted Mamluk recreation with vibrant multi-color motifs made of sari silk and oxidized wool sold immediately.
S&H Rugs, based in nearby New Jersey, brought a selection of updated traditional designs and contemporary looks to NY Now. The retailer said the show was incredibly busy with existing clients stopping by to see what was new and new customers browsing the company's assortment. It didn't hurt that the S&H's booth was located right next to the space where NY Now hosted a series of designer "talks" that were very well-attended.
"Color, Color, Color," said Ori Wilbush, president of the rug atelier. He noted that designers were most interested in rugs that feature a neutral ground paired with delicate motifs in a rainbow of colors. Among the show's top sellers was a multi-colored Mamluk (SH444226), pictured above, and a cypress and willow tree design, made of silk and oxidized wool, in a palette of cool grays and blues.
S&H's Avi Erlich and Maria Vasquez show New Jersey-based designers Staci Pearlstein of Staci Meryl Design, center left, and Julie Ferrara of Janet Sandler Interiors, far right, the latest hand-knots.