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Eclipse Acquires Marvel Supply Eclipse[TM] Blind Systems, Inc., Ravenna, OH, has purchased Marvel Supply Inc. of Kearney, NJ, to serve as a distribution unit for the Northeast. Marvel Supply is located at 160 Passaic Ave., Kearney, NJ. It became part of the Eclipse Group effective May 1, 1998. The acquisition of Marvel Supply was made to improve service to Eclipse's East Coast customers providing them with lower freight costs, faster delivery and an opportunity to reduce inventory levels, according to a company statement. Premiere Expands into Shutter Fabrication Premiere Window Fashions, Inc., Atlanta, GA, plans to open a shutter fabrication facility in Dallas, TX, in response to the growth and potential the area represents, the company says. Premiere was founded in 1993 by Bob Gunsallus. Company spokesman Mike Gunsallus says the plantation shutters market represents the company's strongest area of growth. Premiere manufactures custom window products including two-inch wood, PVC and aluminum blinds and two- and three-inch faux wood blinds. More Suppliers Go On-line Comfortex Window Fashions, Maplewood, NY, has launched a site on the World Wide Web to communicate a variety of product and company information to consumers, customers and prospects worldwide. Found at www.Comfortex.com, the new site provides a wealth of information about the company, its products and promotional programs. Dealers will be assigned a special password to allow them to browse pricing and discount grids, fabrication information and details on its Composer Retail Fabrication Program. Web surfers can read about the company's history and corporate philosophy, take a tour through its product line or read about policies and procedures. Comfortex is a sponser of the Draperies & Window Coverings Web site, located at www.dwcdesignet.com Visitors to www.astrup.com will find the new site for The Astrup Co., Cleveland, OH, dedicated to showcasing the company's products and services. Highlights of the site include awning and marine fabric product descriptions and a listing of the brand names and major products available from Astrup's 12 distribution centers. The site also includes a copy of the company's semiannual newsletter, Astrup Today. This section posts customer application stories with accompanying photographs and useful how-to information. ITA Unveils Meridian Home Brand ITA Inc., Baltimore, MD, has launched its first national brand, Meridian Home[TM]. For the past 11 years ITA has represented a few selected brands in the home products industry, supplying materials and components to fabricators and retailers throughout the United States and international markets. Meridian Home was created to encompass a diverse collection of window fashion fabrics and products for shades, blinds and alternate treatments. "Meridian Home allows us to service our customers with the products they wanted, but we were not currently representing," says Bill Harris, president and principal. New Comfortex Product Debuts Comfortex Window Fashions, Maplewood, NY, premiered a new product and showed its support of the Chicago-land Drapery Workroom Association (CDWA) as an exhibitor at CDWA's recent Source Night event. Represented by Larry Silberman, territory manager for Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, the company debuted its Shangri-la window shading, its newest product introduction. Verosol Introduces Two New Product Lines Verosol Window Fashions, Pittsburgh, PA, has added two new product lines, a horizontal sheer window shading and a new collection of cellular shades. Vienna, similar to a horizontal blind but with soft fabric vanes layered between two translucent sheers, debuted at the International Window Coverings Expo in Baltimore, MD, in March. Verosol was expected to begin distributing Vienna shadings through several of its existing distribution and fabrication partners across the country by late April. The Marquis Collection of cellular shades, which also debuted in Baltimore in March, includes the company's Imperial[TM] double honeycomb shades, Monarch[TM] single cellular shades, Duchess[TM] Soft Touch double honeycomb shades and Palace[TM] Perfect Pleat cellular shades. The Marquis Collection will offer a range of shade options and specialty shapes. Prym-Dritz Adds Rufflette Drapery Tape Prym-Dritz Corp., Spartanburg, SC, has teamed with Rufflette, a large European manufacturer of drapery tapes, to create a new collection of tapes available for the first time in the United States. Six new Interior Expressions[TM] drapery tapes by Rufflette have been added to the Dritz Home Collection reflecting some of the latest trends in window coverings. The collection includes three specialty sew-in tapes and three sheer sew-in tapes. Robert Allen/Ametex Renamed Robert Allen/Ametex, New York, NY, has changed its name to The Robert Allen Group to better reflect its four distinctive brands: Beacon Hill, Robert Allen, Ametex and Robert Allen & Ametex Contract. Each division will focus on a key segment of the market, according to Ron Kass, president and CEO. Each brand within the group will have its own design team, sales force and unique product identity including new graphics. Cone Mills to Retain John Wolf Cone Mills Corp., Greensboro, NC, says it is committed to continuing the operation of John Wolf Decorative Fabrics. The company has begun a restructuring program for John Wolf, which includes aggressive marketing and merchandising efforts and cost reduction programs necessary to return the division to profitability. Waverly, Norton & Son Reach Licensing Agreement Waverly, New York, NY, plans to launch an exclusive line of interior paint-Waverly Waterborne Paint-as a further extension of its lifestyle product offering. Norton & Son, a manufacturer of high-quality interior paint since 1894, will produce the paint under the Waverly brand. The collection will encompass more than 200 colors exclusively selected to complement Waverly products. The line will include custom and ready-mixed colors organized into four groupings: Beautiful Things, Town and Country, Past Perfect and Modern Living. The paint collection is expected to be available at retailers this month. Showtime-West Scheduled Showtime-West, the third annual expo featuring suppliers to upholstered furniture and bedding manufacturers, is slated for November 5 to 7, 1998, at the Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA. More than 200 companies and product lines are expected to cover 40,000 square feet of exhibit space displaying all the products needed to make upholstered furniture, bedding and furnishings from fabric and foam to hardware and sewing machines. Showtime-West is sponsored by the Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers® (AWFS) and its chapter, the West Coast Furniture Fabric Club. For more information, contact the show management at (714) 888-1155, or AWFS at (800) 946-AWFS (2937). Home Textiles Show 'Largest' Ever The 13th semi-annual New York Home Textiles Show[TM] held April 4 to 5, 1998, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, NY, was reported as the largest and most diverse show in its history. The show housed 389 total exhibiting companies, 89 internationally based, in 700 total booths covering 72,000 net square feet of space. Total attendance reached 4,800. Several new product awards were presented at the show. Peacock Alley received top honors in the bedding category with its "cheque" blanket made of 100 percent Egyptian cotton with woven chevron binding. Foreign Accents was singled out in the home accessories category for its machine-made area rug featuring breakthrough technology resulting in high density pile. Best of Show honors were presented to Earthworks for its Venus pillow sham made from cruelty-free silk created in a traditional manner. The next New York Home Textiles Show is scheduled for October 2 to 5, 1998, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY. For more information, contact George Little Management, Inc. at (914) 421-3297; fax: (914) 948-6180. Attendee information is available by calling (800) 272-SHOW (7469), or (914) 421-3206. Surtex® Winner Announced Victoria Moore, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, England, has won the Surtex 1998 International Student Design Competition. In keeping with this year's theme, Suite Dreams, Moore designed a master bedroom suite incorporating a variety of surface designs used on bedding, carpeting, flooring, draperies, linens and accessories demonstrating both woven and dyed techniques. For her first prize entry, Moore will receive a trip to Surtex98, $500 and a one-week internship with WestPoint Stevens, Inc., New York, NY. The second prize winner was Penny Smyth, Winchester School of Art, Winchester, Hampshire, England. She will receive $250. Third prize went to Ruth Weinstock, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, England. She will receive $150. Each year Surtex asks students to submit a professional design to be applied to a targeted industry. A total of 155 entries were received, representing the United States, six foreign countries and 17 schools.