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Industry News

Source Night Success The Chicagoland Drapery Workroom Association held its seventh annual Source Night March 11, 1998, with its largest number of exhibitors and attendees. Each year industry suppliers set up tabletop displays and meet with existing and potential customers in the design community. A buffet dinner is part of the evening's activities. The event has been growing steadily since its inception to become an important industry event, according to the association. Funds raised by Source Night make it possible for the association to host speakers at its general meetings and to hire professional management help for computer and general office tasks. Industry Suppliers On the Web The popularity of the Internet and the World Wide Web continues growing as more industry suppliers go on-line. Rowley Co., Gastonia, NC, has launched its site: www.rowley.com. At the site visitors can find information on the company's decorator and workroom products, tools and fasteners for the fabricaton and installation of window treatments. Rowley also is a sponsor of the Draperies & Window Coverings Web site: www.dwcdesignet.com. M'Fay Patterns, Charlotte, NC, lists all of its patterns separated by category on its site: www.mfay.com. Information can be found on patterns for swags, valances, shades, accessory pilows and rosettes. The company also makes available workroom aids. Sewing notions can be found at the site for Prym-Dritz Corp.: www.dritz.com. The full range of the company's decorative hardware and trims along with window treatment ideas, sewing and quilting tips and projects can be accessed. The Geon Co., Avon Lake, OH, has launched an independent Web site to link worldwide buyers to surplus PVC compounds: www.pvcsurplus.com. The site provides an inventory list comprising surplus prime and offgrade (wide spec) PVC compounds on a first come, first served basis. E-Z Decorator System Wins Award The E-Z Decorator System, Los Angeles, CA, recently was named a 1997 ADEX Award winner. The company's design aid was honored for excellence in the category of Interior Design Tools by Santa Monica, CA-based Design Journal magazine. The system, which took four years to develop, is available in more than 15 countries to designers, retailers and workrooms in the window coverings industry. Hunter Douglas' Motorization Honored The Duette® PowerRise® from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, was named among the Top 50 Editor's Picks by Popular Home Automation magazine. The company's remote control motorized system for honeycomb shades was selected from 500 entries in all. It will be featured in the magazine's April/May 1998 issue. Trunk Show Hits the Road Window Wares, Inc., Omaha, NE, has begun its fourth season of traveling trunk shows. "It's Showtime '98" made its first stops through Iowa during the week of May 11, 1998. Furture show dates will accommodate accounts in Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Each of the five-hour shows displays custom and stock interior window fashions. The staff at each show includes the territory sales executive as well as management representatives from sales, marketing, public relations and customer service. Joining Window Wares at selected venues are Kirsch, Seabrook Wallcoverings, Inc., E & E Showcase, JaDecor Natural Wallcoverings and Lifestyle Drapery Service. Imperial Home Decor Group Formed The combination of Borden Decorative Products and Imperial Wallcoverings into the Imperial Home Decor Group (IHDG) has been completed. The two companies were combined by lead IHDG investor Blackstone Capital Partners III, an affiliate of The Blackstone Group, a New York-based private investment fund. Based on 1996 net sales by Imperial and Borden Decorative, IHDG becomes the largest producer and marketer of residential wall coverings at a combined $540 million. The company plans to centralize marketing, sales, customer service and credit organizations. It also plans global capital expenditures in excess of $100 million during the next three years in the areas of manufacturing, distribution technology and marketing, according to a company statement. Design operations for Imperial and Borden Decorative Products will remain separate with design studios in Cleveland, OH, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada, respectively. A new IHDG studio is planned for New York later this year. Brands manufactured by IHDG include Crown, Sunworthy, Imperial, Katzenbach & Warren, Sterling, Albert Van Luit, United, Westmount, Birge, Foremost, Shelbourne, Hunting Valley, Milbrook, Magnolia Hill, Shand Kydd and Storeys. Window Concepts Relocates Window Concepts, Inc. has relocated its corporate headquarters to Wilson, NC. The address is: 1801 Quality Dr. N.E., Wilson, NC 27893; (919) 291-4905; fax: (919) 291-6477. The relocation consolidates corporate finance, operations, sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution into one facility. The company's Wilson plant has been in operation since 1993. In North Carolina the company manufactures and distributes vertical and horizontal blinds for several national retailers. American Flamecoat Expands American Flamecoat, Inc., Charlotte, NC, has expanded its business into Minnesota with a new office located in Duluth, MN. The office is located at 2320 W. 2nd. St., Duluth, MN 55811; (218) 727-2575; fax: (218) 720-3828. American Flamecoat provides an exclusive line of fire retardants. Its technicians are trained to apply flame retardants to interior and exterior surfaces including fabrics, draperies, furniture, carpets, rugs and structural and dimensional lumber. New Brand, Product Line Added American Hardwood Co., Gardena, CA, has announced the release of a new brand name for its existing line of premium wood blind components. American Classics[TM] is made of 100 percent non-rain forest bass and poplar hardwoods. The company also has announced a new collection of wood blind components, The Sundance Collection, two-inch wood blind components available in three- to nine-foot lengths. Custom Software for Shutters Terry Hinge & Hardware Co., Van Nuys, CA, is helping to automate the custom shutter industry through the promotion of ShutterPro software, a comprehensive program that handles inventory control, waste factors, scheduling, direct costs and other items to increase efficiency and reduce errors. The DOS-based program handles wood or vinyl shutters. Decorating Firm Offers Franchise Decor & You, an interior decorating firm in Southbury, CT, announces the availability of a franchise program. The program offers the structure, systems, resources and marketing tools necessary to operate a full-service interior decorating business, the company says. "The program is designed for individuals with an interest in interior design who want individual flexibility along with the assurance of a business structure," says Karen Powell, CEO. "All training needed to succeed is supplied as part of the franchise package," says Josie Cicerale, the company's chief operating officer. The program offers a training program to fully develop the skills necessary for working with customers in creating a customized decor plan. Three-tiered support is provided by other franchisees, regional managers and the corporate office. The program offers career opportunities at several levels based on each person's goals and interests from individual decorating businesses to regional management.