http://www.hometextilestoday.com Fri, 24 May 2013 04:05:01 MDT Jennifer Marks has been Editor-in-Chief of Home Textiles Today since 2000. Prior to joining HTT, she was Editor of DSN Retailing Today. eng Copyright 2013 Sandow Media LLC. Subject to its Terms of Use (http://www.hometextilestoday.com/info/terms-and-conditions.php) http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43485-Leadership.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43485-Leadership.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 13 May 2013 15:24:47 GMT Say what you want about the bad old mill days in the home textiles business - and they sure had their bad parts - but there were also some good things about the way the industry functioned... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43484-Goodbye_to_all_that.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43484-Goodbye_to_all_that.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 13 May 2013 14:56:15 GMT Last week, Ross Stores and TJX Companies released their final monthly sales reports - following a steady procession of other retailers that over the past several months have also concluded there's... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43463-Home_Very_Goods.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43463-Home_Very_Goods.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:20:27 GMT They opened a new Home Goods store down the road from me last week.You'd think it was the second coming of Sam Walton, R.H. Macy and Sol Price rolled into one.The store was jammed on opening... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43462-The_World_Beyond.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43462-The_World_Beyond.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:17:25 GMT The U.S. market and the manufacturers that serve it - not the mention the trade journalists who cover it - are so bound up in the dominance of big box retailers that we often have only a hazy... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43435-Ron_Johnson_Wasn_t_Wrong_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43435-Ron_Johnson_Wasn_t_Wrong_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:27:20 GMT But that doesn't mean he was right, either.Say whatever you want about Johnson's failed attempt to reinvent JC Penney. And it doesn't matter whether you thought he was a brilliant visionary or an... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43433-Transformation_Part_Deux.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43433-Transformation_Part_Deux.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:22:58 GMT There's the $100 million in Martha Stewart merchandise JCPenney reportedly has riding on the water or parked in warehouses in hopes of a favorable ruling in the Macy's lawsuit. There's the $1.6... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43434-Transformation_Part_Deux.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43434-Transformation_Part_Deux.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:22:58 GMT There's the $100 million in Martha Stewart merchandise JCPenney reportedly has riding on the water or parked in warehouses in hopes of a favorable ruling in the Macy's lawsuit. There's the $1.6... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43410-Feeling_the_Pressure.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43410-Feeling_the_Pressure.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:17:57 GMT It's not often retail issues go viral on the Internet, but last week a photo posted on Reddit by an Australian consumer went flying around the web, generating a lot of discussion about showrooming... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43409-Can_the_Internet_Save_the_Home_Textiles_Industry_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43409-Can_the_Internet_Save_the_Home_Textiles_Industry_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 01 Apr 2013 14:01:02 GMT At first it was just a random comment or two, and then the topic started to show up more frequently and by the end of the week, it was the single most mentioned theme of all the conversations I... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43386-Make_New_Friends_But_Keep_the_Old.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43386-Make_New_Friends_But_Keep_the_Old.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:03:23 GMT One of the most remarkable aspects of the last New York Home Fashions Market was the pronounced pivot away from the Boomer customer toward the Millennials. I wonder if this week we might see some... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43385-New_Blood_Old_Sweat_the_Usual_Tears.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43385-New_Blood_Old_Sweat_the_Usual_Tears.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:00:39 GMT So, assuming you've made it through another season (and sadly, some of our friends have not), you're back in beautiful downtown textilesland for New York market week. As usual, there is the look... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43371-Martha_Macy_s_and_the_Plano_Truth.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43371-Martha_Macy_s_and_the_Plano_Truth.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:47:52 GMT Say this about our lovely Miss Martha: She is always predictable.Her testimony last week in the trial trying to figure out the rights to her brand between Macy's and JCPenney was classic Martha:... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43370-Fresh_Air.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43370-Fresh_Air.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:45:46 GMT Everybody expected JCPenney's fourth-quarter and fiscal year numbers to stink, and they did. Nonetheless, an interesting tidbit emerged from ceo Ron Johnson's Feb. 27 webcast following the release... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43346-There_s_Something_About_Martha.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43346-There_s_Something_About_Martha.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:57:29 GMT As opening arguments began last week in Macy's lawsuit against Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and JCPenney, associates in JCP stores were already setting up portions of the new home department... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43345-Mirror_Mirror_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43345-Mirror_Mirror_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:51:22 GMT If you've been following the recent news coming out of Bangladesh about deplorable working conditions in textiles factories and the fires that have caused hundreds of deaths there, you no doubt... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43320-The_Retail_Cliff.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43320-The_Retail_Cliff.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:02:33 GMT Add JCP (the retailer formerly known as J.C. Penney, aka The Penney Company) to the ever-growing list of entities teetering on the cliff.No, the company is not going bankrupt, much less out of... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43319-Renaissance_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43319-Renaissance_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:55:58 GMT Despite the impact of JCPenney's overhaul, despite the sluggish pace of economic expansion and despite the slow recovery of the job market, a few signs point to the possibility of a fairly decent... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43285-Heimtextale.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43285-Heimtextale.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:31:30 GMT So, after yet another rock'em-sock'em week in beautiful downtown Heimtextil earlier this month, the logical question is exactly what is the story with the global home textiles market?Let's face... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43284-Heimtextil_in_Hindsight.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43284-Heimtextil_in_Hindsight.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:20:45 GMT Holiday 2012 sales may have fallen a bit short of expectations (up 3.0% versus an expected gain of 4.1%), but at the Heimtextil international home textiles show in early January, most suppliers I... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43272-Ghosts_of_Christmas_Ads_Past.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43272-Ghosts_of_Christmas_Ads_Past.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:04:57 GMT Assuming we're still within the statue of limitations, it's a fascinating exercise to see how some of the retailers in the business handled their holiday advertising and marketing. The campaigns... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43271-That_s_how_it_s_Done.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43271-That_s_how_it_s_Done.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:01:52 GMT Late in the afternoon on opening day of Heimtextil last week, the gentleman to my right and I were ambling through Hall 11 when we heard a thumping bass and noticed a throng of people pressing... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43257-Diving_into_2013.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43257-Diving_into_2013.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:17:06 GMT Now the busy season begins - the trade shows, the spring retail resets, the year-end financial results.The coming four months offer a number of events that bear watching.1. The debt ceiling fight... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43256-What_a_Difference_a_Year_Makes.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43256-What_a_Difference_a_Year_Makes.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 20:16:17 GMT If it's January, it must be Heimtextil, the traditional start of the new textiles year and the moment when everyone in the industry takes stock of business - theirs, their competitors and the... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43246-Triskaidekaphobia.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43246-Triskaidekaphobia.php?rssid=20971 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:21:43 GMT Fear of the number 13 is a fairly common malady and that's likely to surface with more frequency next year.But as they say, the only thing you have to fear is fear itself ... unless you happen to... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43245-The_Hasbro_Model.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43245-The_Hasbro_Model.php?rssid=20971 Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:20:35 GMT There were a number of interesting presentations during Lenzing's celebration of the 20th anniversary of its Tencel fiber earlier this month in New Orleans. As far as consumers were concerned -... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43231-Presents_of_Mine.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43231-Presents_of_Mine.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:23:16 GMT My, how time flies when you're in the textiles business. Faster than you can say, "Well, you doesn't have to call me Mr. Johnson," it's the most wonderful time of the year again, when our thoughts... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43230-Whoda_Thunk_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43230-Whoda_Thunk_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 17 Dec 2012 18:19:33 GMT Apparently, old habits die hard. It was not much of a surprise that Amazon topped the list of consumers' favorite retail brands on a recent ranking by New Media Metrics, which tracks the emotional... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43214-Hear_Ye_Hear_Ye.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43214-Hear_Ye_Hear_Ye.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:25:55 GMT Tis the season. No, not the one you're thinking about.‘Tis the season to face the fact that the opening volley of winter trade shows is mere weeks away.In case you haven't seen the many emails... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43213-Merry_M_Mas.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43213-Merry_M_Mas.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 03 Dec 2012 18:18:13 GMT In the military, there's a saying that generals are always getting ready to fight the last war. It's the same thing in retailing. As we clear the dust - not to mention the smoke and mirrors - from... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43194-A_Tweak_Or_a_Twist_.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43194-A_Tweak_Or_a_Twist_.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:01:21 GMT Let me start with this: I am rooting for Ron Johnson and the JCPenney/JCP ceo's strategy.I hope he does transform the company. I hope he does create a breathtaking, 21st century format for... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43193-Trade_offs.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43193-Trade_offs.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:48:30 GMT The delicate balance that has been the Asian sourcing model for most American companies in the home textiles business is about to change...again.And this one is a biggie.There are of course some... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43184-50_Shades_of_Black.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43184-50_Shades_of_Black.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:53:25 GMT So much has happened over the past few weeks: A presidential election, a monster storm in the Northeast, the World Series, a man named Angus being elected to the United States Senate.So, of... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43183-Give_a_Hoot.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43183-Give_a_Hoot.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 09 Nov 2012 20:35:11 GMT Hurricane Sandy may have disappeared from news in most of the country, but it is still very much a factor in the lives of tens of thousands of people still without power as I write this nine days... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43149-Changing_Times.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43149-Changing_Times.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:28:53 GMT After previewing the New York Home Fashions Market week last month, one of the big take-aways was the market pivot to the Millennial generation. We've since seen more evidence of the trend. ... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43148-Quotations_from_the_Chairmen.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43148-Quotations_from_the_Chairmen.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 19 Oct 2012 15:27:33 GMT So, if you're a student of world history you'll know this statement I heard recently on a news report about China. It referred to the late Chairman Mao and one of the key tactics he used to take... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43146-Material_Matters.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43146-Material_Matters.php?rssid=20971 Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:54:15 GMT Home furnishings suppliers have come a long way since they first engaged in outsourcing. And while there is an earnest effort underway to bring some of manufacturing back into America, one of the... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43143-High_Point_Glitters_Glistens_and_Glows.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43143-High_Point_Glitters_Glistens_and_Glows.php?rssid=20971 Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:37:11 GMT As soon as the doors opened to Market showrooms here Saturday, it was abundantly clear that suppliers of all stripes - whether of home textiles, furniture, accessories or lifestyle collections -... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43120-Q4.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43120-Q4.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:12:32 GMT So, it's the start of the fourth quarter, do you know where your customers are? For that matter, do you know where your margins are, where your products are and where your competitors are, not to... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43119-Deja_Vu.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43119-Deja_Vu.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:09:44 GMT In remarks at the Fashion Group International luncheon last week, JCPenney ceo Ron Johnson seemed to confirm what we were hearing during last month's New York Home Fashions Market: some of the... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43101-A_Turning_Point.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43101-A_Turning_Point.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:04:35 GMT   For my money, the New York Home Fashions Market earlier this month was one of the most interesting - and pivotal - in years. You could say spring market of 2000 was the last in which the big... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43100-The_I_Went_to_New_York_Market_and_All_I_Got_Was_A_T_shirt_Column.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43100-The_I_Went_to_New_York_Market_and_All_I_Got_Was_A_T_shirt_Column.php?rssid=20971 Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:01:12 GMT  Well, we all seem to have made it through another New York market week, but I'm quite sure what souvenir T-shirt you came back with varied wildly depending on your products, your customer base... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43085-Look_Beyond_the_Show_to_Find_a_Show.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43085-Look_Beyond_the_Show_to_Find_a_Show.php?rssid=20971 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 17:47:15 GMT What is so extraordinary about Maison & Objet here in Paris is that it serves as a magnet for a number of other events related directly to M&O, yet different in context and consequence. Most... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43077-Home_Textiles_Trends_from_Maison_Objet.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43077-Home_Textiles_Trends_from_Maison_Objet.php?rssid=20971 Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:01:27 GMT Just when I thought I had observed somewhat slower traffic at this season's show, I found myself engulfed by a titanic wave of bodies at the local RER train headed for the Maison & Objet... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43072-Two_Who_Set_the_Tone.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43072-Two_Who_Set_the_Tone.php?rssid=20971 Sat, 08 Sep 2012 22:03:21 GMT Retailers, I'm going to let you in on something. Nearly every new brand you see this week - and you will be seeing a lot of them - has been designed to win over one of two accounts: Bed Bath &... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43071-Unchained.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43071-Unchained.php?rssid=20971 Sat, 08 Sep 2012 22:00:22 GMT The classic supply chain of the global home textiles industry is crumbling right before our eyes...and that's not necessarily a bad thing.Having just returned from the Intertextile Shanghai show... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43070-The_Vintage_Inspiration.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43070-The_Vintage_Inspiration.php?rssid=20971 Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:25:35 GMT The colors, graphical allusions to the past and techniques, such as embroidery, patchwork, tucking , shirring pleating and overstitching are present in many a collection of household linens at... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43067-Luxury_s_Surprise_Showing.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43067-Luxury_s_Surprise_Showing.php?rssid=20971 Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:39:20 GMT Since I have had the luxury (no pun intended) of being in Paris a few days before the start of Maison & Objet tomorrow, let me get you into the mood of the city that never disappoints.My... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43062-Warming_up_to_Maison_Object.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Trend_Tracker/43062-Warming_up_to_Maison_Object.php?rssid=20971 Wed, 05 Sep 2012 17:43:38 GMT Arrived in Paris on a crisp day, a good 10-15 degrees cooler than when I left home and the shocking recognition that fall is in the air as trees here are already turning. In preparation for Maison... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43056-A_Middling_Muddle.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/The_Thread/43056-A_Middling_Muddle.php?rssid=20971 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:59:30 GMT A question: How is home doing at retail these days?Answer: That depends on the retailer.During the years of the housing bubble, home textiles - and home furnishings generally - were hot pretty... http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43055-Boxed_In_Boxed_Out.php?rssid=20971 http://www.hometextilestoday.com/blog/Home_Alone_3/43055-Boxed_In_Boxed_Out.php?rssid=20971 Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:57:38 GMT After the rise of the national discounter, which signaled the demise of most regional mass merchants, and before the onset of e-commerce changed all the rules of retailing, the most important...