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Astro Textile Acquires Bomar Astro Textile Holdings, Inc., Calhoun, GA, has acquired Bomar Industries, Inc., Lake Worth, FL. Under the Astro corporate structure, Bomar joins Astro Dye Works, Inc., Calhoun, a manufacturer of space-dyed yarn to the home furnishings, apparel and automotive markets. Since its inception in 1989, Bomar has become a leading U.S. supplier of fringes, cords, bullion and tassles. Its customers include retailers, decorative jobbers and furniture manufacturers. Astro Textile Holdings, Inc. was formed in 1997 by Ardshiel, Inc., a New York-based investment firm, and GE Investments. New Corporate Structure at Schumacher F. Schumacher & Co., New York, NY, has reALIGNed its corporate structure into three distinct groups, each designed to address a specific market segment. The three new business units are: Interior Design Group, Retail/Lifestyle Group and Home Improvement Group. The Interior Design Group will be responsible for the marketing and distribution of the company's products to the interior design trade and for developing products under the Schumacher and Greeff labels. The Retail/Lifestyle Group will be responsible for the expansion of the Waverly brand of decorative fabrics, wallpaper and home fashions and for extending the brand through licensing agreements in complementary product categories. The Home Improvement Group will be responsible for the company's brands in the home improvement and decorating retail segment including independent paint and wallpaper stores, home decor retailers and large home improvement chains. "We believe we need to be even more market driven than we have been in the past and position ourselves to pursue marketplace opportunities as they arise. This reALIGNment is responsive to the market segments we serve and the customers in those markets," said Gerald W. Puschel, president and chief operating officer. Product Seminar Offered Rose Webb, sales administrator of Window Fashions, Inc., Cheswick, PA, will hold a seminar offered in conjunction with the Paint & Decorating Show, November 19, 1998, at the Hotel Inter-Continental, Chicago, IL. Featured will be new Graber® and Nanik products, and guest speakers, all product experts from Graber, will be present. To register for the free seminar, contact Window Fashions, Inc. at (800) 245-6353. Hunter Douglas Goes to Work for HHI Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, Upper Saddle River, NJ, organized its fourth annual work day in conjunction with the Paterson, NJ, Habitat for Humanity's Corporate Challenge. Fifteen Hunter Douglas employees cut sheet rock, pushed wheelbarrows full of soil, and assisted with landscaping at two sites. Their efforts went toward providing housing for families that each contributed 500 hours at a Habitat work site. A national sponsor for Habitat for Humanity International (HHI), Hunter Douglas donates window treatments for privacy areas of all houses built in North America. The company has provided more than 15,000 blinds in 4,000 homes during its five-year association with HHI. Infinity Doubles Production Facilities Effective mid-September 1998, Infinity Cornice & Lighting, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has doubled the size of its production facilities. The increase was necessary to accommodate increased demand for its three-dimensional cornices, according to a company statement. The Infinity facility is located at 10 Planchet Rd., Ste. 2, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada L4K 2C8; (905) 761-6758; fax: (905) 761-6761. Decosol Exhibits at Miami Beach Show The latest in window coverings and decorative items suitable for home and office environments were on display to the general public at the recently held Home Design and Remodeling Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL. Prominent among the exhibitors was Decosol, an authorized retailer of Vertilux Window Coverings, which showcased many products from the Vertilux Collection. Over the past few years Decosol has been one of the largest and most professionally displayed booths at the annual show. Those who attended had the opportunity to meet and discuss their home remodeling projects with Maria Malala Belsol, Decosol CEO. Kravet Launches Incentive Program Kravet, Bethpage, NY, has introduced Rewards of Style, a sales incentive program for interior designers and architects. The program offers customers the opportunity to earn travel packages, airline miles and selected gifts for accumulated purchases of Kravet fabrics, furniture and trimmings. Designers with a Kravet account may register for the program by calling their sales representative or by visiting any of the company's showrooms in the United States and Canada. Decorlux Moves to Designers Walk Decorlux, a member of the International Wallcoverings Group, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, has relocated its showroom in Toronto. The showroom has been moved from the Ontario Design Centre to Designers Walk, 160 Pears St., Ste. 311, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Toronto's downtown core, Designers Walk is Canada's only design trade center of its kind. Totaling 160,000 square feet, the center serves all of Canada and northern U.S. markets and is home to showrooms selling exclusive products to the interior design trade ranging from carpet and fabric to furniture and accessories. "Our customers are highly supportive of the relocation. The showroom will display creations from North American as well as European designers," said Pierre Cousineau, Decorlux vice president. Home Makeover Winners Announced Donna and Walter Neals, Winter Park, FL, are enjoying their newly redecorated home as winners of the $50,000 Whole House Makeover Contest from Decorating Den Interiors (DDI), Montgomery Village, MD. A team of decorators from DDI's north Florida region completed the makeover, which touched on all aspects of home design: draperies, flooring, upholstery, casegoods, accessories, artwork and carpentry. The contest rules were announced in the December 31, 1997, issue of Woman's World magazine. Readers were asked to submit an essay on why their homes deserved a makeover. The Neals' 1,900-square-foot home was selected from more than 10,000 entries, according to Carol Donayre Bugg, DDI vice president of design. THH Receives ISO Registration Terry Hinge & Hardware Co. (THH), Van Nuys, CA, has been approved to international quality standard ISO 9002 by Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance, a leading international certification body. THH becomes one of the first U.S. hardware manufacturers to gain this approval, which demonstrates its commitment to supplying customers with a consistent level of high quality service, the company says. Additional benefits of gaining ISO certification, according to the company, have been improvement in internal quality standards, increased customer satisfaction, and improved employee morale, motivation and team work skills. Bobbin World 2001 Announced The next Bobbin World, the International Sewn Products Expo, will be held in Orlando, FL, in 2001, the first time in more than 22 years the primary Bobbin show has moved from Atlanta, GA. Show producer, Miller Freeman, Inc., has yet to release the exact date. Bobbin World is a triennial show, co-sponsored by the American Apparel Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and the Sewn Products Equipment Suppliers Association (SPESA). The inaugural Bobbin World was held this year, September 10 to 13, at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA (for more on the show see Kitty Stein's "Workroom Operations," page 56 in this issue). WFCA Offers Installation Training The World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), Anaheim, CA, has condensed key elements of its week-long RITE® training program into a one-day seminar focusing on installation problems. Realizing that installation problems can start right at the point of sale, WFCA is offering this training to retail and wholesale counter and sales personnel so they will be better versed on the process. "While there are numerous training programs for installation personnel, we know of no one conducting an intense, one-day course designed to provide information for those who come in contact with customers prior to the actual installation," said D. Christopher Davis, WFCA CEO. The installation seminar will cover measuring, planning and estimating, writing a work order, installation tools and uses, professionalism, stretch-in installations and hot-melt seaming. Dick Bray, WFCA technical services manager, will teach the seminar. For details, contact Bray at (800) 624-6880, ext. 19.