Top Stories

• Arden closes NE Indiana plant
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 7, 2012
  A manufacturer of outdoor furniture cushions has announced plans to close its Kendallville factory, putting 46 people out of work by the end of June.
  
• Robb & Stucky International building Naples showroom
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 7, 2012
  Robb & Stucky International is expanding to Naples after opening its flagship showroom in Fort Myers in January 2012.
  
• Marvin Burstein retiring after 40+ seasons
  
  Cinde W Ingram, May 7, 2012
  As he prepares for his May 8 retirement date, Marvin Burstein hasn't had a chance to reflect on his more than 40-year career in the casual furniture industry.
  
• Perennial Wood honors ASU student designers
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 7, 2012
  Twelve talented furniture design students from Appalachian State University recently competed for prizes and shared their work on a national stage at High Point Market after being chosen finalists in the Perennial Wood Appalachian State Design Studio. Last week, two students received top honors as winners of the Grand Prize and the People's Choice award.
  
• Council debuts outdoor line
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 4, 2012
  At the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) May 19-22, Derek Chen's premium furniture brand, Council, will exhibit a new line of outdoor furniture by award-winning designer Eric Pfeiffer and made of a new material - Perennial Wood.
  
• By Design student winners announced
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 3, 2012
  Groovystuff has recognized Janice Kammler from The University of Idaho and Rachel Jones from Auburn University for their innovative contributions to the home furnishings industry by placing first in their categories in the Groovystuff Design Challenge at The High Point Market Apr. 21-26, 2012.
  
• Sandow acquires Fred Segal brand
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 3, 2012
  Sandow Media, parent company of Casual Living magazine and the Furniture/Today Group, announces its recent acquisition of the worldwide rights to the iconic, 50-plus year old Fred Segal brand.
  
• Fortunoff Backyard Furniture expands to 13 stores in Tri-State area
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 3, 2012
  Fortunoff Backyard Furniture Stores is moving into three new neighborhoods in 2012 with the announcement of three new stores - Nanuet and Staten Island, N.Y. and Lawrenceville, N.J. The additional stores bring the total to 13 since the brand re-opened in 2010.
  
• Apollo Award nominations due May 4
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 2, 2012
  The Friday, May 4, deadline to nominate retailers for the International Casual Furnishings Association's 2012 Apollo Awards is drawing near. All ICFA members have the opportunity to select the retail members they think represent the casual furnishings industry's best.
  
• TUUCI debuts shade structure at Milan Furniture Fair
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 2, 2012
  With furniture manufacturers from around the world seeking cutting-edge innovation from big-name designers, it could have been easy to overlook a relatively small U.S. manufacturer whose chief designer began his career as a day-laborer in a Miami boat yard.
  
• HD Asia launches June 18-20 in Hong Kong
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 2, 2012
  This June, the Hospitality Design Group will bring its leading expertise overseas with the launch of HD Asia, taking place at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong June 18 - June 20, 2012.
  
• BrylaneHome gets ready for summer with new outdoor furniture, gazebos and patio umbrellas
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 1, 2012
  BrylaneHome, the home and lifestyles brand in the portfolio of Redcats' OneStopPlus Group, has rolled out a selection of outdoor furniture, gazebos and patio umbrellas designed to turn outdoor space into an oasis, all at lower price points.
  
• National Hardware kicks off
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 1, 2012
  Big brands, big name buyers and big opportunities -- this year's National Hardware Show kicked off today with an opening ceremony featuring the Metropolitan Club Orchestra taking place at 8:45 a.m. on the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) Village Stage located in the Central Hall Lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
  The National Hardware Show will run from Tuesday, May 1 through Thursday, May 3.
  
• Product of the Day
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 1, 2012
    SilverState fabrics invites designers to refresh and renew with Artisan Tribe, their latest performance Sunbrella collection.
  
• Tell us about your store and register to win a $100 gift card
  
  Casual Living Staff, May 1, 2012
  Casual Living is gathering information from retailers concerning your store's operational practices and merchandise mix.
  
• Young adult spending power losing its punch
  
  Casual Living Staff, April 30, 2012
  Millennial shoppers, those ages 18-34, now represent the highest percentage of Americans who do not have enough money to cover their basic needs according to WSL/Strategic Retail, a leading authority on shopper behavior and retail trends.
  
• Oriental Weavers makes debut at National Hardware Show
  
  Casual Living Staff, April 30, 2012
  Oriental Weavers will be showing for the first time at this year's National Hardware Show, May 1-3 at the Las Vegas Convention center in Las Vegas.
  
• Remodeling recovery strengthens
  
  Casual Living Staff, April 30, 2012
  After two years of bouncing around a bottom, remodeling activity is expected to pick up later this year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.
  
• Petra Michael joins Jane Hamley Wells
  
  Casual Living Staff, April 30, 2012
  Jane Hamley Wells expanded its sales force with the hiring of industry veteran Petra Michael.
  
• Zenith Global Logistics opens hub in Maryland, adds to fleet
  
  Casual Living Staff, April 30, 2012
  Zenith Global Logistics has opened a new freight hub in Elkton, Md., and added 25 trucks and 50 trailers to its fleet to meet increased demand for its services in the Northeast.