New Showrooms and Increased Accessibility at AmericasMart Atlanta
AmericasMart’s HOME & RUG exhibitors are enthusiastically preparing for The Atlanta International Area Rug Market® featuring the National Oriental Rug Show sponsored by The Oriental Rug Importers Association (ORIA) (Showrooms: January 7-10, 2015 Temporaries: January 8-10, 2015)with new showrooms, collection expansions and updates across the Marketplace. AmericasMart adds to the excitement with the launch of a new enclosed bridge connecting the Home & Rug collection in Building 1 to the Gift collection on Floor 6 of Building 2.
“It’s an exciting time to be a part of Home & Rug,” says Kevin Malkiewicz, vice president of Leasing for the collection. “New, diverse lines are bringing a renewed energy to floors while established collections are updating, renovating and reimagining their spaces in a way we’ve never seen before. Buyers will not be able to miss this contagious energy at the Market.”
New showrooms are joining the collection in a big way. On Floor 5 Devgiri Exportsopens12,000-square-foot showroom while ELK Group International opens a 10,000-plus square foot showroom to showcase its family of home décor, home accents, furniture and lighting lines – Dimond, Lazy Susan and Sterling – together for the first time. Also new to the collection are Light Garden showcasing a wide assortment of innovative, versatile lighting concepts and home décor, and Rizzy Home with handmade and machine made rugs on Floor 6 and exclusively designed Oriental rugs by Neman International on Floor 3.
Expanded showrooms include Couristan, Inc. (Floor 6), Kashee & Sons, Inc (Floor 4) and Pasargad Carpets (Floor 3). Capel Rugs, Shalom and Smyrna Trading relocate to Floor 3.
Adding to the excitement is the relocated Market Club Lounge on Floor 6. Opened in July 2014, the lounge is a handsome new destination for AmericasMart’s top buyers – those representing buying companies that have attended at least five Markets in the past five years.
AmericasMart® Atlanta again celebrates the creativity, artistry and passion of the Area Rug industry at its annual America’s Magnificent Carpets® Awards on Friday, January 9 at 6 p.m. in the Peachtree Ballroom at the Westin Peachtree Plaza.
Industry leaders will gather for a cocktail reception and light entertainment followed by the much-anticipated awards ceremony. Thirteen winners will be named in the hand-hooked/hand-tufted, hand-knotted, flat weave, machine-made and outdoor rugs categories as decided by a panel of industry experts.
All rugs in consideration for the Awards will hang in the Museum of Introductions on Building 1, Floor 4 from January 7 through January 10. On Saturday, January 10 at 10 a.m. buyers are invited to personally view the winning rugs and meet the designers at the Breakfast of Champions.
AmericasMart’s Market programming for HOME and RUG buyers offers diverse and exciting educational opportunities. Highlights of the January 2015 programming includes Pantone presenting color trends and the methodology of its color of the year; Stylebeat blogger Marisa Marcantonio leading a discussion of building home brands in the digital world; creating emotional design environments with Jamie Durie of HGTV’s “The Outdoor Room;” and home decorating tips from celebrity wedding and entertainment expert David Tutera. Oriental Rug Retailers of America (ORRA) again presents exclusive at-Market programming including a discussion of the future of the rug industry, educational programs and walking tours of the Market.
