Casually Speaking
Cinde W. Ingram: Casually Speaking
Hi, this is Cinde W. Ingram and I'm the Editor in Chief of Casual Living and Garden Decor. Each week I hope to use this blog space to stay in touch with our readers. I want to know what you think about new products, markets, the retail climate and, most of all, Casual Living. Let me know what's going on. Check out my latest below.
Outdoor designs flourish
As we draw closer to this month's HD Expo in Las Vegas and ICFF in New York, I'm not the only one with outdoor designs on my mind.It started early last month at the High Point Market when I moderated a panel of interior designers, who shared their experiences and expertise in designing outdoor spaces. Margi Kyle, last year's Interior Design Society national president, urged other designers to help... Read More
Comments (1)Casual Industry appeal
Retailers and vendors in the casual industry are making efforts to meet the needs of people affected by last Wednesday's severe Southern storms.In the wake of the tornadoes, Summer Classics Vice President Harold Hudson sent out a message noting the widespread damages and deaths in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Ala. He said many homes were completely destroyed and power will not be restored to some ar... Read More
Comments (0)Refresh for Spring Renewal
Just in time for the home furnishings trade show in High Point, Casual Living has spruced up with a fresh design. Regular readers may recognize this redesign shows off the better quality paper stock and slightly larger size we adopted to start the new year.You may notice some of the best-known luxury home magazines also are getting face-lifts this spring. Architectural Digest, for example, has a n... Read More
Comments (9)Your Links to Logistics
Spring is here and with it comes an exciting time of renewal, rebirth and growth. With that in mind, I wanted to personally invite you to a seminar Casual Living is hosting along with Furniture/Today with the purpose of helping you rethink, reenergize and grow a very specific and vital portion of your business - your logistics operations.A few members of our Editorial Advisory Board told me last... Read More
Comments (0)Stepping outside the lines
I'm looking forward to this month's HPBExpo, where the outdoor burn area provides tantalizing aromas and tastes of grilled food. Everyone there will be searching for the next great product - the one that consumers think they must have.A few manufacturers made that search easier for their customers by crossing category lines to provide more complete product offerings for outdoor living. The way the... Read More
Comments (0)Responding to trends
Eating at home rather than dining at restaurants is one of the behavioral changes remaining from the recession that appears to be part of the new normal. You've probably read and heard as much as we have lately about trends such as this one. We suspect it had its start even before the stock market crash and economic slowdown because we've watched the national interest in entertaining outdoors and... Read More
Comments (1)Ready for spring yet?
Homeowners who are weary of the wintry weather that pummeled most of the nation this week are the same ones who say they're ready to shake off the recent recession.Despite the current cold weather and the slow economic recovery, an outdoor grilling/living area continues to be one of the top desires for consumers who want to make sure they include such an area in their new or existing home.That dis... Read More
Comments (4)Expanding the comfort of home
Record-breaking cold temperatures were gripping the nation as 2010 came to an end. Two feet of snow covered the Northeast and Midwest, collapsing the Vikings' Metrodome in Minneapolis, while citrus growers in Florida worried about frozen fruit. At the same time, record-breaking heat baked the Southwest.Economic uncertainties faced around the world for the past two years appeared to be settling rat... Read More
Comments (1)Going gray and green
Casual furniture retailers haven't held back on placing early buy orders over the past four months. Like the improved stock market, these healthy order numbers are a positive economic indicator for the season ahead.Both retailers and manufacturers expect that having the orders in early will prevent some of the problems faced this season with shipping delays and inventory shortages. Those early ord... Read More
Comments (0)Tips for Sales Success
Robert J. Schuetz, owner of FloatStorage.com, added more advice for sales success to those recently shared in our September and October issues. In the hope that his words of wisdom will be helpful to others in the industry, take a look at his comments: I enjoyed the series of interviews with leading manufacturers to discuss strategies for survival during tough economic times. These Outdoor Insig... Read More
Comments (0)Market mania
Heading into the High Point Market along with thousands of indoor furniture players from around the world, my mind is still full of the excitement experienced at the Casual Market.A new exhibitor described that four-day show as one of the most vibrant he had seen lately. One sales manager I talked with in Chicago had wondered aloud if all the hype would actually translate into orders and a healthy... Read More
Comments (0)Step out, it’s Showtime
Dining out in restaurants may be less frequent than in years past, but people are planning on more outdoor dining and entertaining at home.That trend was confirmed by the latest Casual Living and HGTV Survey results, which are detailed in our September issue. More than 9,000 consumers shared their buying plans for outdoor furnishings. They spoke out about how they research products before they buy... Read More
Comments (2)
