“Atlanta Market’s positioning as the gift industry’s premier sourcing destination continues into 2024 with the expansion of diverse resources available at Market,” said Dorothy Belshaw, Andmore executive vice president, chief growth officer. “With an unparalleled breadth and depth of gift products, Atlanta Market delivers the newest designs and innovations, as well as reliable best sellers for buyers – there’s literally something for everyone at AmericasMart.”

New and Expanded Resources Accelerate Gift Growth

Atlanta Market’s gift offerings are available across 19 floors in Buildings 1, 2 and 3. In addition to general gift, Atlanta Market offers products in the tabletop, housewares, gourmet, outdoor living and seasonal categories. January 2024 updates include six new showrooms and 17 expanded showrooms.

Six new showrooms are Guardian Packaging (custom gift packaging); Home Malone (handmade jewelry and local art); Kadra Kitchenware (flatware and formal dinnerware); Le Creuset (cookware and Dutch ovens); Pro Global (music boxes); and VIP Home & Garden (everyday, outdoor and seasonal gift).

Some 17 showrooms expand in Winter 2024, including Avanti (greeting cards); Alpine Corporation (garden décor);Campo de’ Fiori (terra cotta planters); Creative Co-Op (home and seasonal décor); December Diamonds (seasonal and holiday décor); Harold Imports (housewares and cooking tools); K & K Interiors (everyday interior and garden décor); Kalalou (home accents and garden décor); La Ribbons (wrapping paper and ribbon);Lotus International (pottery and glazed planters); Old World Christmas (Christmas ornaments and accessories); Portmeirion (dinnerware, gifts and homeware); Revolution – Papersalt (books and pop culture merchandise); Rosse & Associates (tabletop and kitchenware); Shishi (Norwegian-Estonian vases and home décor and); Two Lumps of Sugar (kitchen accessories and totes);and William Yeoward Crystal (crystal bowls and barware).

Beyond permanent showrooms, Atlanta Market offers 1,400 temporary gift and home exhibitors in 30+ categories across five tradeshow floors at AmericasMart Atlanta. Temporary exhibits are open Wednesday, January 17 – Sunday, January 21, 2024.

A full list of Atlanta Market resources is at AtlantaMarket.com/exhibitor/exhibitor-directory.

Atlanta Market is a dynamic and immersive wholesale sourcing destination housing the nation’s largest product mix for gift complemented by a broad selection of home décor, furnishings, apparel and the nation’s largest outdoor living presentation. It features three buildings with 51 floors of showrooms and temporary exhibits with thousands of brands that attract retailers and designers from every U.S. state and more than 50 countries. The winter 2024 edition runs January 16-22, at AmericasMart Atlanta. For information, visit AtlantaMarket.com.

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“As we continue to develop educational programming for our new Designer Theatre at Market, we are eager to launch this collaboration with Science in Design this fall,” said Kenzi Reddick, vice president of marketing, interior design and brand management for Hooker Furnishings. “Representing leading design firms and educational institutions from across the country, this series will offer tools and insights that our partners can use to make positive impacts on their businesses.”

Taking place in Hooker Furnishings’ showroom located on the third floor of Showplace, the events include two educational sessions presented by Science in Design faculty members as well as the debut of an exclusive experiential event, called iMotions, that uses biosensors to analyze emotional reactions to an interior space.

“A first at High Point Market, our iMotions technology experience center will provide visitors with the opportunity to interact with cutting edge tools that can help guide their design process,” said Mike Peterson founder of Science in Design. “Through the use of eye tracking and facial expression analysis, iMotions provides an ‘emotional spellcheck’ for not only interior spaces, but also renderings and marketing materials.”

“Leading consumer brands are using this technology to better understand customer experiences and product performance by measuring visual attention to key messages in product advertisements, placement and branding, package design, visual merchandising and more,” added Linda Kafka, co-founder of Science in Design.

Details for the event series can be found below:

iMotions Technology Experience Center

• Saturday, October 14 through Tuesday, October 17, 8am – 7pm
• Location: M showroom inside Hooker Furnishings Showroom, Showplace (3rd Floor)
• About: Using iMotions biosensor technology, visitors can analyze their own emotional reaction to an interior space designed in partnership with Angela Harris, CEO of TRIO, a renowned interior architecture firm.
• No appointment necessary, drop-ins are welcome.

Science in Design: Where are we headed?

• Saturday, October 14: 10am – 11am
• Location: Designer’s Theatre @ Hooker Furnishings Showroom, Showplace (3rd Floor)
• Speaker(s): Don Ruggles (Architect), Ann Sussman (Author), Mike Peterson (Founder of SID)
• Interviewer: Linda Kafka (Co-Founder, SID)
• About: Founder of Science in Design, Mike Peterson, will be joined by authors and architects Don Ruggles and Ann Sussman to discuss the future of science’s impact on home furnishings and interior design. What role will neuroaesthetics play in design? What are the new technologies that will guide the design process? Is our need for nature a fundamental design consideration? Linda Kafka, Co-Founder of Science in Design, will moderate this extraordinary panel.

Science in Design: Color in Culture

• Monday, October 16: 10am – 11am
• Location: Designer’s Theatre @ Hooker Furnishings Showroom, Showplace (3rd Floor)
• Speakers: Roz Kavander, Expert Color Design and Trend Consultant
• Interviewer: Linda Kafka (Founder of SID)
• About: In “The Color of Culture,” Roz Kavander, principal of Roomworks, delves into the intricate relationship between cultural nuances and color choices in design spaces. With a focus on health and well-being, Roz argues that understanding the cultural background of an occupants’ space is pivotal for making color choices that resonate emotionally and psychologically. Culture is not one thing, it is about many different influences and colors have varying symbolism and impact across these different cultures. Color influences mood, mental health, and even productivity.

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Inside showroom C1544, the DreamFit team is making plans to present fresh marketing assets that include a collection of educational videos and social media materials designed to alleviate some of the burden on retailers as they gear up for the second half. Additionally, the company is showcasing interactive displays, refreshed point-of-purchase (POP) materials, and dynamic QR codes that will provide both retail sales associates (RSAs) and shoppers with additional content to make an informed purchase.

“DreamFit delivers the sought-after high-quality products that consumers desire and our focus this year is on taking it a step further in terms of promoting the brand to our dealers’ advantage. We have worked hard on creating tools to support their RSA’s and eliminate some of their daily stressors. Our mission is to be the vendor they want to do business with and provide an elevated experience,” said DreamFit Vice President of Marketing Rachel Gomez.

DreamFit is also working to simplify and streamline its product offerings and ordering process by embracing the power of five classic colors in all fabrics across all sheet sets. By focusing on a carefully selected palette, the company is making it easier for both retailers and customers to navigate the product range.

            “This market is all about simplicity. We want to help our authorized retailers raise the bar by giving them even stronger tools and a heightened degree of seamlessness in their presentations to their guests. We’ve simplified our ordering system, and we’ve unified our color palette and standardized the names of our colors across all of our fabrics and product options,“ said DreamFit Senior Vice President of Sales Chris Taheny.

Indeed, he noted, “Our patented sheet sets will now be available in five classic colors—White, Ivory, Gray, Sage and Blue, and in all sizes, including split-head options to help our retailers provide the bedding compatibility their guests need. We’re also excited about our upcoming dealer locator on our website to help support more foot traffic for our key partners. This is an additional testament to how important we see the partnerships we have with them.”

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With an embedded lending platform, you can easily provide your customers with frictionless  access to multiple lenders

Point-of-sale (POS) financing has become essential for furniture retailers, especially over the past 12 months, as consumers have felt the pinch in their wallets. Not only has POS financing become a more important tool than ever to close a sale, but it is also an effective way to attract customers – to both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar stores.

This creates a challenge for furniture retailers. To meet the needs of customers across the credit spectrum, and in different locations, you need to offer financing from multiple lenders. However, managing multiple lenders is not only a burden for your sales and operations team but also results in a terrible customer experience as customers who are declined for financing are forced to reapply to different lenders until being approved, or have no choice but to abandon their cart.

The good news is that there is an easier way to take care of your customers’ financing needs. Discover how you can seamlessly offer multiple lending options from a network of lenders of your choice and benefit from a better customer experience, approval rates, and increased AOV.

A Multiple Lender Offer – Opportunities and Challenges

Consumers increasingly expect a choice of payment options at the moment of purchase, including suitable financing. As today’s financing providers specialize in a specific lending product and type of customer (such as prime, near-prime, or subprime), and even geography, you need to integrate more than one lender into your consumer financing offering. However, this presents significant challenges:

• Integrating lenders is complicated and time-consuming.
• Customers must make multiple applications, each with its own interface and requirements, resulting in a frustrating experience.
• Managing a book of business, refunds, and reconciliation for multiple lenders is complicated.
• You need to train your staff how to use multiple application methods.
• You are left without alternatives if a lender adjusts their terms or goes out of business.

Furniture retailers that overcome these challenges experience a reduction in operational and financial overload, never have to worry about compliance or change in regulation processes, and streamline their customers’ financing experience with one single application, resulting in improved approval rates, increased average order value, and customer loyalty.

What Furniture Retailers Need From a Multi-Lender Financing Platform

You need a consumer financing solution that frees you up to focus on the day-to-day running of your business and provides your customers with the best possible experience. Your financing solution should:

• Offer a seamless and smooth experience for your customer – through a single application that is embedded within their buying journey.
• Be omnichannel so customers can receive pre-approval online and then head to your store to complete their purchase for a great experience.
• Generate high approval rates, resulting in higher conversion.
• Support end-to-end lending activity, including reconciliation, disputes, customized reports, and communication with lenders.
• Be risk-free and eliminate balance sheet liabilities or fraud risk.

The most efficient way to overcome these challenges is to embed a multi-lender point-of-sale (POS) financing platform within the customer journey that offers a seamless financing experience.

Why ChargeAfter is the Leading Platform for Furniture Retailers

ChargeAfter is the only platform that connects retailers, lenders, and customers, seamlessly embedding financing into the customer journey at any point of sale. ChargeAfter provides a network of over 30 lenders that covers the full customer credit spectrum from prime to subprime and lenders that specialize in B2B financing.

Customers complete a quick application online or in-store by scanning a simple QR code, and the platform searches for the best financing offer/s using a waterfall method. Within seconds, your customer is offered the best financing option/s based on their unique credit needs and preferences.

The platform offers the easiest and most efficient solution for you too. It is quick to integrate and easy to use and enables end-to-end management of the entire financing process, including post-sales management and financing data that can help you increase loyalty and repeat purchases. Its built-in analytics offers true visibility and insights that help you optimize your financing offers.

Benefits of ChargeAfter

• It is quick and easy to integrate
• You have immediate access to multiple lenders, covering the entire credit spectrum
• It provides an omnichannel financing experience, embedded into the customer journey
• It is easy to manage – making it simple to settle and manage refunds, reconciliations and disputes, explore client transactions, create reports, and optimize lenders.
• It is customizable with a white-label option available

Provide your customers with an exceptional financing experience

About ChargeAfter

ChargeAfter is the leading multi-lender white-labeled point-of-sale consumer financing platform and lender network for merchants, and  financial institutions. Powered by a data-driven decisioning engine and network of lenders, ChargeAfter streamlines the distribution of credit into a single platform that merchants can implement rapidly online, in-store, and across any point of sale.

ChargeAfter investors include Visa, Citi Ventures, Synchrony Financial, Banco Bradesco, MUFG, BBVA, PICO Venture Partners, Propel Venture Partners, The Phoenix, and Plug and Play VC. ChargeAfter is headquartered in New York and has a research and development center in Tel Aviv. For more information, visit https://chargeafter.com

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imagine.io operates with a singular vision: To make 3D simple and accessible to all. Today, the company has grown to nearly 100 employees around the world and has given hundreds of enterprise clients the ability to create visual content, including lifestyle imagery, silhouettes, digital prototypes, video, product configurators and more in minutes, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional studio photography. 

 “Over time, we have helped so many companies build brands. Now it’s time for our own brand to better reflect who we are and who we serve,” said Preet Singh, company co-founder. “While our platform was originally built for furniture and home furnishings, demand for our solution has spread across verticals to electronics, appliances, beauty and others. Our new name—imagine.io—positions the technology for what it is today and what it will be in the years ahead.”

 “We wanted to ensure this new brand represents where we’ve come from, but with a bold new look that enables us to go even further. To show the true scope of who we are and what we’re capable of, and we think the imagine.io brand is a beautiful departure that continues to pay homage to our origins,” he added. 

The mission has always been to build a large community of creators who can leverage the platform and its capabilities – without any 3D or engineering skills. “imagine.io represents a more inclusive product, suitable for everyone, from freelance designers and photographers, to SMBs and enterprise clients across a range of industry verticals,” said Singh. “We want to remove all barriers to entry and make 3D accessible for all – just imagine the possibilities.”

imagine.io is a 3D technology platform democratizing content creation by making 3D simple—helping companies save time and money while producing stunning visuals proven to outperform studio photography. The SaaS cloud-based rendering software is available to use for free, with a pay-per-image model, or through a paid subscription that allows customers to take advantage of unlimited renders for the life of their subscription. Built for the home furnishings industry, the company is swiftly moving into other verticals. For more information or to book a demo, visit imagine.io.

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Among the key hires, Live Furnish has recently appointed Oli Chalmers as its director of product design. He worked for seven years as a senior designer at Sony Music Entertainment UK where he was responsible for conceptualizing, designing, and building web applications and digital products for a wide range of artists. He is now leading Live Furnish’s UI/UX, spearheading new product onboarding and increasing usage and retention of the platform.

Chalmers received his bachelor’s degree from London’s Leeds Beckett University in contemporary creative practice with a focus on graphic design.

Jason Guerette has also joined Live Furnish as its digital stylist. He most recently spent five years as a 3D stylist at Wayfair for exclusive brands including Joss & Main, Birch Lane, AllModern and Perigold. He comes from an extensive background in photography.

He received his bachelor’s degree from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he majored in fine arts.

“We are hyper-focused on improving our user experience to make 3D content creation easier than ever, delivering new features to increase the value of our product offering, and working to ensure a smoother onboarding process to get organizations up and running on the application as seamlessly as possible,” said Preet Sahil Singh, co-founder and chief executive office of Live Furnish. “We are seeing a tremendous interest by talented high tech and design professionals to join our company and be a part of our exciting revolutionary change in this industry.”

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During the inaugural development event at the Winnsboro, S.C. factory, Drs. Joe Betz and Don Hirsh of the ICA toured the 650,000-square-foot facility, observed the production and testing of mattresses, and consulted about proper standing and sleeping posture to address some of the most common issues related to spinal alignment and sleep quality.

“The most common complaint in America in visits to medical doctors and chiropractors are low back, neck, and shoulder pain, and if the bed is designed properly for the patient, that alone can make a significant difference to mitigate their issues,” said Dr. Hirsh.

Dr. Betz’s tour experience led him to believe Mlily has a distinct advantage over other mattress manufacturers thanks to its vertically integrated U.S. operations.

“It comes down to their ability to manufacture and pour their own foam and make exactly what they need the way that they want to be combined with the way that (the ICA) want(s). Mlily also make their own coils here in the U.S.A., and they have good quality control to stand the test of time,” he said.

A short video capturing the collaboration event is available on the Mlily website at https://mlilyusa.com/retailer/.

The long-term development partnership with the ICA inked earlier this year is vital to Mlily’s innovation initiative as the company heads into 2023 and the next phase of its strategic growth plan. The company expects to introduce new co-developed products in early 2023.

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Hayley Gaines, an Interior Architecture student at Marywood University, received the Jena and Stephen Hall Scholarship, a scholarship given to students who show promise for innovation in business. 

Gaines said her goal is to create spaces that foster diversity and inclusivity, something that’s quite important to her as a biracial person.

“I want to create environments that cultivate empathy and community as well as promote self-discovery and growth. I think this can be made possible by crafting spaces that … that embody human emotions and experiences,” Gaines said. “This representation is discussed with regards to television, movies, and other forms of media, but … If we can’t find ourselves in our interior spaces, how are we supposed to find ourselves outside of them?”

The judges were hard-pressed to choose scholarship recipients and said that every application presented them with an ideal candidate.

“The scholarship committee wants each applicant to know that their effort was seen and appreciated. It was a pleasure to read through diverse, quality applications from such worthy students. The future of the furniture industry is full of knowledgeable, hardworking and innovative professionals,” commented Paris Gholston, WithIt’s vice president of Scholarship and Customer Relations Coordinator for the Mattress Recycling Council.

The 2022 recipients are Anastasia Avlonitis, Interior Design, High Point University; Pooja Desai, Industrial Design, University of Houston; Betsy Fernandez, Interior Design, Randolph Community College; Hayley Gaines, Interior Architecture, Marywood University; Stephanie Golden, Interior Architecture, Marywood University; Emily Johnson, Interior Design, Appalachian State University; Shayleigh Larsen, Textile Design, NC State University; Marina Latto, Industrial Design, University of Houston; Jacqueline Lerner, Interior Architecture, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Katja Peereboom, Furniture Design, Appalachian State University; Abigail Ritch, MBA Supply Chain, University of Tennessee; Lucy Wang, Interior Design, Marywood University; Victoria Wilmoth, Interior Design, Randolph Community College; and Jordan Wright, Interior Design, Oregon State University. 

The students received awards in varying amounts.

To date, WithIt’s foundation has awarded over $217,500 in tuition scholarships to qualified young women and men in universities across the U.S. who are pursuing majors that impact the home and furnishings industries. Additionally, 98% of all WithIt scholarship awardees are in the home furnishings industry.

This year’s donation of $40,000 from the Heritage Home Group’s Charitable Trust was used to fund the tuition scholarships and conference attendance.

For more information about the scholarship selection process and scholarship eligibility, visit https://www.withit.org/ScholarshipApplication.asp.

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The $2,500 awards are for the 2022-23 academic year. Eight of the scholarships were presented based on financial need and academic merit. Four were presented based on academic merit alone. It is the only scholarship program in the industry dedicated to helping the students of industry workers.

The scholarship fund is supported by the annual Solution Partners Education Golf Tournament. The 31st annual tournament is slated for September 28, 2022, at Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, N.C. More information on the tournament is at www.ahfa.us/events.

The 2022 scholarship winners are:

+ Taylor Cotie, Greensboro, N.C., daughter of Tina Hinshaw, an employee of Legacy Classic Furniture

+ Madeline de la Parra, Sherman, Conn., daughter of Mary de la Parra, an employee of Ethan Allen

+ Kirsten Harrison, Morganton, N.C., daughter of Bobby Harrison, an employee of Motioncraft by Sherrill

+Valeria Hernandez-Pena, Newton, N.C., daughter of Enrique Hernandez Del-Rio, an employee of Bassett Furniture

+ Isabella Holloway, Bethlehem, N.C., daughter of Calvin Trull, an employee of McCreary Modern;

+ Emma Lail, Hickory, N.C., daughter of Eric Lail, an employee of Lee Industries.

+ Kate Miller, Greensboro, N.C., daughter of Bradley Miller, an employee of Hooker Furniture

+ Macy Penland, Connelly Springs, N.C., daughter of Junior Penland, an employee of Century Furniture

+ Kathryn Perry, Newton, N.C., daughter of Wallace Perry, an employee of Hanes Inds.

+ Gabriela Rosales Moreno, Galax, Va., daughter of Maria Espinoza, an employee of Vanguard

+ Abigail Strickland, Winston-Salem, N.C., daughter of David Strickland, an employee of Culp

+ Tamya Washington, Tupelo, Miss., daughter of Leonis Hughes, HM Richards.

Students may reapply for the scholarship each year they are in school, provided a parent remains employed full time at a company that is a member of the American Home Furnishings Alliance.

Since the first scholarships were awarded in 2000, 160 checks have been presented to 136 different students. Altogether 61 AHFA member companies have had an employee with a student who received an award. Applications are due January 31 each year and the awards are announced in the spring for the following school year. (Information and applications are
available here: https://www.ahfa.us/member-resources/scholarship-program.)

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Stanoff, an artisan and multigenerational entrepreneur, founded her eponymous design studio and home décor brand with a focus on pieces that embody deliberate luxury. Santiago, an industry ambassador and founder of Casa Santi Interior Design, is an award-winning designer and gifted vocalist whose Strictly Santi brand was created to be as diverse as his repertoire of talents.

“The creative energy of Aviva and David are evident in their designs, their lives and their abilities to entertain,” says Caroline Hipple, president of the Foundation board of directors and president of Norwalk Furniture. “We look forward to a delightful and inspiring evening celebrating the 2022 class of Hall of Fame inductees as they receive the industry’s most prestigious honor. As we pay tribute to those who have defined the home furnishings industry, we all become encourages and inspired by the industry’s greatest networking event.”

As a child of Japanese and Russian immigrants, Stanoff honors her multicultural upbringing in her work. She began her career in textile arts with an internship at Calvin Klein Home while earning her MFA. By graduation, her designs for Calvin Klein were on store shelves and had earned her a mention in Vogue as well as commissions from Christian Dior, Givenchy Couture and Donna Karan.

In 2004, she launched her own line of home accessories in Brooklyn, New York. Her textiles, which are made in the USA, are featured in luxurious hospitality properties, including Nobu, The Cosmopolitan, the Ritz Carlton and The Plaza. Her Forest Chandelier for Currey & Company won the 2017 ARTS Award for Lighting Fixtures, and she won the 2019 Arts Award in Home Textiles. She has received numerous Textile Vendor of the Year awards from ABC Carpet & Home, and her work is featured in the permanent collection of
the Brooklyn Museum of Decorative Arts. She has been known to pop up everywhere from the United Nations to corporate and trade events, as well as in her son’s classrooms. She prioritizes philanthropy and community service as an integral part of her identity as a “Sparkletunity Ambassador.”

Santiago, who established Casa Santi in 2011, has collections with American Brass & Crystal Lighting and developed The Passport Collection for Bijou wallcoverings. His product lines cater to both the hospitality and residential markets. He continues to grow as a brand ambassador and gives back through multiple media platforms, including appearances as a guest designer on the NBC hit television
series George to the Rescue and as a lifestyle correspondent for The Donna Drake Show on CBS NY. He is the artistic director for MyFace.org, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and adults with facial differences. Santiago also is an accomplished classical opera singer and an alumnus of Mannes College of Music. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the New York City Opera, among others. He serves as the development and cultural outreach officer for Teatro Grattacielo.

Santiago says, “The expressions on my face speak volumes that reveal the essence of my true feelings – and usually it’s exuberance.”

Sophia, the world’s first humanoid celebrity, will be the keynote speaker for the Induction Celebration, which will be held at the Sheraton Greensboro Four Seasons. To become a Foundation member, to purchase 2022 Induction Celebration tickets or to become
a sponsor in support of an inductee, visit www.masterthechallenge2022.com.

The Hall of Fame is supported by sponsors of the 2022 Induction Celebration:
• Presenting Sponsor:  Surya
• Dinner Table Sponsor:  Nourison Industries
• Inductee Video Sponsor: Surya
• Cocktail Sponsor:  International Market Centers
• After Party Sponsor:  Klaussner Furniture Industries
• Step and Repeat Sponsor: Tempur Sealy International, Inc.
• Leadership Institute Sponsor: La-Z-Boy, Inc.
• At the Hall Sponsor: AICO/Amini Innovation Corp.
• Future Leaders Event Sponsor: International Market Centers; Liberty Furniture Industry Inc.
• Platinum Sponsors: Carpenter Company; Global Views; Southern Motion; Springs Creative; and Bill
and Julia Wittenberg
• Gold Sponsors: Jerome’s Furniture; Gat Creek

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