Buyers crowd World Market Center winter session

As the furnishings design industry descended on the World Market Center for opening day of the winter 2012 Las Vegas Market, center CEO Bob Maricich said the fastest-growing segment is gifts.

Nationally, home gifts is a $60 billion industry, and Maricich sees an opportunity to add to the Las Vegas Market’s product mix, which is heavy with furniture, sleep products and home decor.

"There are seven small, regional markets for gifts West of the Mississippi and they’re all failing. There’s really a demand to have one regional market," Maricich said. "Our research tells us that should be Las Vegas. We’re putting a lot of resources into that."

Maricich said he thinks he can grow the gift business "dramatically" in coming years. He said that in the last six months he’s been able to secure eight new gift tenants for the World Market Center.

Winter market runs through Friday in 5.1 million square feet of showroom, event and seminar space. The World Market Center does not release attendance, but company representatives said it’s up a "couple of percentage points," based on opening day traffic. Maricich said most buyers come for three days at a time.

About 800 permanent tenants are exhibiting and about 200 are renting space during market. In all, 50 permanent, new showrooms opened with the winter market, but the center doesn’t list closures that might balance the newcomers.

"That’s by far the most new showroom openings we’ve had," Maricich said.

The 200 renting exhibitors come in, pay for a booth during the show, then leave, as at most trade shows. The rest are signed to a three- to five-year showroom lease, which is a fundamental difference between a market and a trade show.

In past years the outlook for interior design hasn’t been so bright; cost-cutting and layoffs were more the norm.

"It’s been a brutal recession in the furnishings space," Maricich said. "Even a small uptick has people investing in inventory and buying."

While banking on hope, there are sales figures to back up those tingly feelings.

The Las Vegas Market is the first furniture show of 2012, and retail furniture sales in December were strong. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported $7.7 million in December retail sales for furniture and home furnishings stores, up 5.6 percent year-over-year.

"I think we’re really feeling that," Maricich said.

At the First Look trends session Monday morning, buyers were told to look out for vivid oranges and eye-popping blues, which are highly prevalent in showrooms, mixed with varying arrays of beachy, tropical-inspired looks.

Monica Pedersen, a designer on HGTV, and Julie Smith Vincenti, home trends editor for Nine Muses Media, led the session. The duo mentioned the Emma at Home line, with 25 new pillow designs, as one to watch.

Emma at Home President Patrick McDarrah said his line, which also features rugs, debuted in Las Vegas in August.

"We find the Las Vegas Market buyer is good for us," he said, adding that Emma at Home partnered with 15 dealers as a result of the August market.

"The traction we got here was great," McDarrah said.

Pedersen and Vincenti also told their audience that ikat designs have gone mainstream, as have Southwest loom styles reminiscent of traditional Native American patterns.

"These are also on the trend radar for 2012," Vincenti said.

Worth noting was the streamlined look of Palliser’s male-driven designs that incorporate black leather sofas and chic charcoal gray reclining sectionals.

"It’s a very lovely collection," Vincenti said.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.