Hello....................................
Friday, September 21, 2007
Is anybody out there.
Last day of the International Casual Living and Accessories show.
Hello....................................
Hello....................................
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Hot Child in the City...
running wild and looking pretty! (albeit a little bit slower today after last nights festivities)
Day 3 at the International Casual Living and Accessories show was... well it was day 3 and I'll spare the rant today. But we did meet with a number of really cool retailers that "get it". (see day 2 comments) So there is hope that Maku will still be able to save the world of Casual outdoor furnishings from itself...
Enough with the furniture show how about the parties! My good friends at Burton Snowboards had the grand opening of their new Chicago store last night. A rocking good time was had by all who attended including VIPs like Mr. Chris Bachman retail hero to the Midwest snowboard scene with his store Shred Shop. Here some pics
Is she dancing or checking her pits...?
Day 3 at the International Casual Living and Accessories show was... well it was day 3 and I'll spare the rant today. But we did meet with a number of really cool retailers that "get it". (see day 2 comments) So there is hope that Maku will still be able to save the world of Casual outdoor furnishings from itself...
Enough with the furniture show how about the parties! My good friends at Burton Snowboards had the grand opening of their new Chicago store last night. A rocking good time was had by all who attended including VIPs like Mr. Chris Bachman retail hero to the Midwest snowboard scene with his store Shred Shop. Here some pics
Is she dancing or checking her pits...?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Groundhog Day...
Day 2 at the International Casual Living and accessories show was somewhat like the movie "Groundhog day". Aside from a bit more traffic you would not have known that yesterday was day 2 of what is touted as the "Largest Casual Furnishings Tradeshow in the World"
Liking to have a bit of feel for the marketplace and starting to understand the dynamics of Casual Furniture it is no wonder all of these companies here are whining about how bad specialty retail is and how the big box guys are taking over. Hearth and Home magazine has a number of company profiles in their show edition.
The funny thing, not one of these companies mentions targeting a younger more vibrant consumer. Even more interesting is that only 1 of the companies makes mention of "eco friendly" products as an emerging category.
Maybe I'm way off here but last time I checked Baby Boomers weren't spending a lot of money on their homes, in fact many as they grow older were down sizing or using their disposable income for travel - cruises, RV, or going to see their grandchildren...
Exhibit 1 - 3 "different" wicker and rattan brands pictured below. See if you can tell a difference in the product....
Exhibit 2 - Traditional "Teak" furnishings. Again 3 different companies...
And there are 2 full floors of temporary exhibits as well as 3 floors of permanent showrooms all with the EXACT same products. How can a specialty retailer in any sector of consumer goods be expected to compete with a large national chain when all they are battling over is the same consumer, same pricepoints, and same products...?
A specialty retailer is just that - Specialized. But when an industry of manufacturers all make the same stuff and there is no significant point of differentiation (branding, pricing, products, etc) for the specialty retailer and more importantly the consumer these guys just can't compete.
I just don't get it?
I guess the only plausible answer is Maku! I mentioned in an earlier post that we pretty much stick out like a sore thumb at this show - an oasis of cool in a Kook-e-cutter desert... The good news there are retailers here that "get it" and understand they need more specialized products to attract and retain their customer base. A customer base (Insert Gen x) that is younger, more contemporary, vibrant, and passionate about living but most importantly has a substantial disposable income and wants to take their house and turn it into a home.
Hopefully they will all buy Maku...
Stay tuned for day 3 rantings on the show.
Liking to have a bit of feel for the marketplace and starting to understand the dynamics of Casual Furniture it is no wonder all of these companies here are whining about how bad specialty retail is and how the big box guys are taking over. Hearth and Home magazine has a number of company profiles in their show edition.
The funny thing, not one of these companies mentions targeting a younger more vibrant consumer. Even more interesting is that only 1 of the companies makes mention of "eco friendly" products as an emerging category.
Maybe I'm way off here but last time I checked Baby Boomers weren't spending a lot of money on their homes, in fact many as they grow older were down sizing or using their disposable income for travel - cruises, RV, or going to see their grandchildren...
Exhibit 1 - 3 "different" wicker and rattan brands pictured below. See if you can tell a difference in the product....
Exhibit 2 - Traditional "Teak" furnishings. Again 3 different companies...
And there are 2 full floors of temporary exhibits as well as 3 floors of permanent showrooms all with the EXACT same products. How can a specialty retailer in any sector of consumer goods be expected to compete with a large national chain when all they are battling over is the same consumer, same pricepoints, and same products...?
A specialty retailer is just that - Specialized. But when an industry of manufacturers all make the same stuff and there is no significant point of differentiation (branding, pricing, products, etc) for the specialty retailer and more importantly the consumer these guys just can't compete.
I just don't get it?
I guess the only plausible answer is Maku! I mentioned in an earlier post that we pretty much stick out like a sore thumb at this show - an oasis of cool in a Kook-e-cutter desert... The good news there are retailers here that "get it" and understand they need more specialized products to attract and retain their customer base. A customer base (Insert Gen x) that is younger, more contemporary, vibrant, and passionate about living but most importantly has a substantial disposable income and wants to take their house and turn it into a home.
Hopefully they will all buy Maku...
Stay tuned for day 3 rantings on the show.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
International Casual Living and accesories show!
Making our Debut at the International Casual Living and Accessories show!
Took the redeye into Chicago today, arrived @ 4:30 am (2:30 am PST, departed SD @ 11 pm PST) with a few hours sleep on the plane, my favorite mother in law was kind enough to pick me up at O'Hare that early. Thanks!
A side note and the reason I was on the redeye..., a big congratulations to the Carlsbad Mighty Mite Shining Lancers for a great win on Saturday. As the head coach of the team, I couldn't be more proud of not only my son but the entire team! Great job boys!!!
Went on down to the Merchandise Mart and proceeded to set up our stand. I gotta tell you, I think Maku is a refreshing Oasis of cool in an desert of cookie cutter mass production. Here's a few shots of our stand.
By the way, did you know the only building in the USA larger than the Merchandise Mart is the Pentagon. This place is HUGE!
Took the redeye into Chicago today, arrived @ 4:30 am (2:30 am PST, departed SD @ 11 pm PST) with a few hours sleep on the plane, my favorite mother in law was kind enough to pick me up at O'Hare that early. Thanks!
A side note and the reason I was on the redeye..., a big congratulations to the Carlsbad Mighty Mite Shining Lancers for a great win on Saturday. As the head coach of the team, I couldn't be more proud of not only my son but the entire team! Great job boys!!!
Went on down to the Merchandise Mart and proceeded to set up our stand. I gotta tell you, I think Maku is a refreshing Oasis of cool in an desert of cookie cutter mass production. Here's a few shots of our stand.
By the way, did you know the only building in the USA larger than the Merchandise Mart is the Pentagon. This place is HUGE!
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