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Providence Home to 1999 Boston Curtain & Drapery Show The 51st Annual Boston Curtain & Drapery Show will be held March 5 to 7, 1999, at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI. The exhibit hall will be open March 6 to 7 with a seminar program scheduled for March 5 to 6. In keeping with the show's northeastern target audience, organizers Messe Frankfurt, Inc. and Window Fashions magazine decided the change in location from Boston, MA, to Providence would draw additional attendees from Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. Providence is easily accessible from Boston or Providence airports, and exhibitors and attendees can drive on major thoroughfares to the convention center. The Rhode Island Convention Center is connected to the Westin Hotel and is one block from the historic Biltmore Hotel. Additionally, Providence is considered New England's best-kept secret boasting first-class restaurants, historical sites and museums. Special art exhibits associated with the Rhode Island School of Design are a perfect backdrop for the show's design appeal. Exhibit product categories for the show include hard and soft window treatments, blinds, shades, motorization products, workroom supplies and equipment, decorative hardware, fabric, area rugs and textile finished goods. Co-sponsored by the Boston Curtain & Drapery Club, this event is the longest running trade show of its kind. With its long history and loyal following, the show has found its niche in the world of home fashion for the northeastern United States. For more information, please contact Messe Frankfurt, Inc., Attn: Rick Frederick, 1600 Parkwood Circle, Ste. 515, Atlanta, GA 30339; (770) 984-8016; fax: (770) 984-8023; e-mail: info@usa.messefrankfurt.com; www.usa.messefrankfurt.com; or Window Fashions magazine: (651) 293-1544; fax: (651) 653-4308. Novo, Allied Combine East Coast Distribution Novo Industries, LP, Houston, TX, and Allied All-Teck, Coral Springs, FL, have joined in a new East Coast distribution center to supply vertical blind components and track systems, Novo and Laserlite PVC, Laserlite Executive Series valance and plantation two-inch horizontal PVC foam products. The new Novo/Allied East Coast Distribution Center is part of the Royal Window Covering Group and began combined operations February 1, 1999. The facility is located at 23 J-K Commerce Rd., Fairfield, NJ 07004; (973) 808-5900; (800) 368-6686; fax: (973) 808-5656. The two companies announced a similar consolidation in the Chicago, IL, market in November 1998. Superior Fabrics Expands Manufacturing Superior Fabrics, Inc., Pompano Beach, FL, has broken ground for construction of a new manufacturing facility adjacent to the three existing Superior buildings. The new facility will encompass 125,000 square feet of space increasing the company's total manufacturing area to 400,000 square feet. The company's expanded fabric production will include a new complete Octir non-wovens line consisting of opening, storage and card feeding equipment plus additional stitchbonding and warp knit tricot machines, which will be installed in the new facility and greatly increase the company's overall fabric production. Superior Fabrics, a major producer of warp knit tricot and stitchbond fabrics, has grown at a steady pace and has expanded the markets for its fabrics to include mattress ticking, outdoor furniture, roofing material, apparel interlining, athletic footwear, window fashions, as well as industrial fabrics for coating and laminating. "Our company operates a modern vertically integrated manufacturing and warehousing facility where warping, carding, fabric forming, dyeing, finishing and foam coating are done under one roof. It gives us the control over quality that is so important today, " said Robert Fryburg, president. 3 Day Blinds Launches Third Safety Contest 3 Day Blinds, the Anaheim, CA-based manufacturer and retailer of window coverings, has launched its third national kids' contest to collect "Simon Safety's Top 10 Safety Tips." Children from around the country will be able to enter by submitting up to three of their best safety tips for a chance to be a top 10 winner of a new Apple iMac computer. Simon Safety is 3 Day Blinds' Ambassador of Child Safety. He is a life-sized character who travels throughout the country to promote child safety in the home and at play. Simon Safety will take part in the presentation of the top five prizes to winners at their schools. "The children's game 'Simon Says' has endured for generations, and since we now have our very own Simon, we think it will be fun and educational for kids to modify the game somewhat with their safety tips for home and play. They can enter up to three safety tips each. The overall objective of the contest is to compile the best 'Top 10 Safety Tips' in the country, and then use them in our ongoing educational and marketing programs, " said Kelly Reed, vice president of marketing for 3 Day Blinds. All entries in this year's contest must be mailed or received by 3 Day Blinds by March 5, 1999. Official entry forms are available at any 3 Day Blinds and 3 Day Blinds & More showroom throughout the United States, many elementary schools, or by visiting the 3 Day Blinds Web site at www.3day.com. In addition to the new Apple iMac computer for the top 10 winners, parents will receive a $500 shopping spree at any of the company's showrooms across the country. Covington Acquires Rapier-Cambridge Mills Covington Industries, Inc., New York, NY, has entered into an agreement to purchase substantially all of the assets of Rapier-Cambridge Mills, Inc., the High Point, NC-based producer of woven fabrics for the furniture and home furnishings industries. Rapier-Cambridge will form the core of a new division combining its product and the non-contract product line of Covington Industries' Fame Fabrics division. The new division will be headed by Bob Ellsweig, president of Rapier-Cambridge Mills and grandson of its founder. Erick Ellsweig, Bob Ellsweig's son and the current vice president of Rapier-Cambridge, will serve as vice president of the new division. The acquisition will "offer both companies significant opportunities to broaden their product ranges and expand their customer bases," said Abby Gilmore, Covington president and CEO. Founded in 1930 as Empire Textile Corp. in New York, NY, Rapier-Cambridge Mills emerged in 1970 as a primary upholstery weaving resource. With mills located in Townville, SC, and Elberton, GA, it services major furniture manufacturers, wholesale fabric distributors, recreational van and vehicle producers, other decorative trades, and a variety of customers throughout the world. Student Design Competition Announced Surtex® has announced "Bon Appetit" as the theme for its 1999 International Student Design Competition. Surtex, the North American surface design trade show, will be held May 16 to 18, 1999, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. Students will be challenged to design a complete restaurant interior for a fictional client. The competition encourages students to use a combination of design techniques within an innovative and dramatic interior layout. Judging criteria will focus on the use of a variety of surface designs within the overall scheme including floor coverings, window and wall treatments, seating, linens, flatware and glassware. Worldwide, 114 schools have been invited to participate in this year's competition with more than 160 project entries anticipated for final judging. For more information on the design competition, contact Becky Hade, George Little Management, Inc., (914) 421-3253; fax: (914) 948-6088. Art Murals Fund Boys and Girls Club A marathon painting session took place recently at the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, Bronx, NY, as part of the world's largest paint-by-numbers murals, according to the Guiness Book of World Records. Marv Hopkins, CEO of Hunter Douglas, Upper Saddle River, NJ, sat side-by-side with other captains of industry and 120 children to paint one of the 192 squares in the murals collectively titled, "Art Can't Hurt You." The murals depict cheerful scenes from the Bronx and the rest of New York City and is part of a fund-raising project for the club, where the murals will become a permanent fixture. All proceeds from the event will go to the Rella MacDougall Scholarship Fund. Designed by noted New York muralist Joel Allen, the murals measure over six feet tall and 20 feet long. They were unveiled on November 18, 1998, at a gala on the Upper East Side, sponsored by Hunter Douglas. Frankel's Announces Restructuring Frankel's Home Furnishings, Inc., Port Washington, NY, has announced a major corporate restructuring plan. Effective immediately three divisions will operate under the Frankel's Home Furnishings corporate umbrella, including Frankel's specialty stores, leased flooring division and leased linens/domestics division. Frankel's is a home furnishings specialty retailer and operator of leased departments. "With the recent acquisition of the Dean Floor Covering Co. and the expansion of the leased department segment of our business, it was necessary to structure the company in a way that would allow us to provide equal focus on each specialty," said Joseph Nusim, chairman and CEO. Each division will be headed by a senior vice president, who will oversee a staff including a director of operations and a staff of buyers, regional managers, district managers and store managers as appropriate. Each division also will have an independent advertising and merchandising program. Successful Showtime-West Fall 98 More than 2,000 registered to attend the November 1998 Fall Showtime-West 98 at Long Beach, CA, an increase of 57 percent, according to show organizers. The show featured the Furnishings Supply Expo and the Fabric Expo. Some 2,100 people registered for the event, and more than 150 exhibitors from the top names in upholstered furniture supplies and fabric lines participated. This was the third year for the show; previous shows were held in Pasadena and Los Angeles, CA. "We were delighted by the turnout and interest in Showtime-West," remarked Mike Antenesse, chairman "Once again, it demonstrates the need for a West Coast show featuring fabrics and supplies for upholstered furniture and bedding." According to demographic statistics of the attendees 42 percent indicated they were furniture manufacturers, 10 percent were bedding manufacturers and 48 percent were fabric buyers, retailers and jobbers. Showtime-West is sponsored by the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS) and its chapter, West Coast Furniture New Web Sites Launched A number of industry-related developments involving the Internet and sites on the World Wide Web have been announced. Geared both to designers and consumers, the interactive sites and services are bound to get Net surfers to take mouse in hand and begin clicking away. • Somfy Systems, Inc., Cranbury, NJ, designer and manufacturer of tubular and specialty motors and electronic controls, has launched its new Web site: www.somfysystems.com. There visitors can find the latest product information in all of the company's markets: rolling shutters, awnings, interior window treatments and other applications. A variety of application photographs and technical, product and literature information can be found at the site, and visitors can learn how motorized rolling shutters protect home owners from the elements and provide peace of mind. The user-friendly site also features motion, such as retractable awnings, pleated shades and rolling shutters that roll up and down and in and out to illustrate the convenience of motorization. • Blonder Wallcoverings, Cleveland, OH, has developed what it calls an intriguing Web presence for a number of different audiences including retailers, consumers, do-it-yourselfers and installers. The site is located at www.blonderwall.com. Created by Digital Navigation, Cleveland, OH, the site romances wall coverings to the hilt, but also contains an array of practical links including a search feature that offers the shopper the location of the nearest store carrying Blonder products. A Dealer's Corner provides an easy way to track orders delivered through UPS or Federal Express. The theme of the site is "Bring the World Home with Wallpaper" with such subtleties as "Rendezvous for Espresso," "Feel the Passion of France" and "Catch a Caribbean Breeze." The site invites visitors to take a journey through its wall covering samples for ideas on how to transform their homes into a personal expression of their favorite wonders of the world. A showcase of room settings from collections marketed by Blonder backs up this theme, and shoppers can go into each setting, click on the wallpaper, and see a bigger sample of this design. The site also features a glossary of wallpaper terms. "This site really manages to broadcast the message that wall coverings are the way to go for intensely personal, interesting rooms," said Susan St. Onge, director of marketing. • Frankel's Home Furnishings, Inc., Port Washington, NY, has developed an e-commerce partnership with ValueAmerica, the on-line storefront at www.valueamerica.com. Frankel's will be the site's exclusive provider of linens and domestics. The ValueAmerica site features an array of product categories, including office, computer and software, jewelry, housewares, home improvement, health and beauty, home furnishings and home electronics. "As on-line shopping becomes more widely accessible and accepted among consumers, it is imperative that we be there to provide quality product and services," said Joseph Nusim, Frankel's chairman and CEO. • A new Web site from Visual Applications, Inc. (VisApp), North Kansas City, MO, gives users unlimited possibilities for completing their home remodeling projects. VisApp has launched cMyVision (www.cmyvision.com), a free interactive design Web site and Web-enabled software that allows users to experimentally make changes to any digital photograph of a home, room or yard to create a new look. "cMyVision answers questions like, 'How will this tile match my kitchen?' or, 'Is that paint too bright for my bedroom?' by letting users see it for themselves," said Bobbie Dreis-Ayers, VisApp president. "It's a fun way to picture all of the possibilities and avoid expensive mistakes." The cMyVision site will initially focus on the home remodeling/furnishings arena, but ultimately will expand to include apparel. It includes a free Web-enabled software application available for downloading from the cMyVision site. Background images-which can be supplied from the cMyVision site, or brought into cMyVision from another Web location or from a personal photograph-create a decorating palette. Home decorators then can drag and drop different paints, doors, trim, plants, siding, flooring, etc., into their chosen image. A regularly-updated cMyVision catalog of more than 6,000 products allows users to experiment with multiple combinations and looks. "cMyVision not only helps consumers visualize answers to their home design questions, it also expands their visual horizons," said Dreis-Ayers. Users soon will be able to purchase items needed to fulfill their personal vision through the Web site's secure, interactive shopping component.