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Hardwood Record — Veneer & Panel Section 



January 10. 1922 



Chicago Market Opens Favorably 



The first week of the annual Chicago furniture market, which 

 closed Saturday, January 7, while comparatively quiet, as is cus- 

 tomary, revealed much that was gratifying to both buyers and 

 sellers. There was present among all concerned the feeling that 

 the furniture trade, which had been blown far out of its course by 

 the depression typhoon, has largely recovered from this heavy 

 weather and is now traveling snugly along the old course with a 

 good wind behind. Of course, not all the damage done by the 

 "storm" has been repaired, but there is no doubt that very sub- 

 stantial progress has been made, and that another year will see the 

 industry again established on a normal and healthy basis. 



It is the custom of the majority of the buyers to spend the first 

 week or so of the market period at Grand Rapids and then come on 

 to Chicago. Therefore, very little business is counted on during 

 the first week in Chicago. But some business is always done the 

 first week, and it has been much better this time than for the last 

 two markets. The sales managers of the furniture factories exhib- 

 iting at **13I9'* and other places, are very much pleased with the 

 showing. But they are much better satisfied with what they believe 

 w^ill begin the second week. They expect a buying spurt then, 

 w^hich will continue in reasonable proportions until the end of the 

 market. Conditions in the trade assure this, they say. The buyers 

 coming on the market are leaving display floors and ware rooms 

 that were never so bare of furniture. Many of them have been 

 losing business because they have permitted their stocks to become 

 so broken up that they could not meet the ordinary demands of 

 their trade. They must buy to replenish these stocks or virtually 

 go ou tof business. Furthermore, they are in a better position to 

 buy than for over a year. Their firms have in nearly all cases 

 completed liquidation. They have cut expenses and reduced stock 

 and concentrated on collections until they are again in a whole- 

 some financial condition and prepare to buy what furniture their 

 trade demands. To these reasons there may be added the fact 

 that there has been a widespread revival of the building industry 

 since the July market. This revival is expected to continue 

 throughout 1 922, and, in fact, to be considerably improved upon 

 this year. The general business situation is also considered good, 

 together with the world situation. 



The buyers are shopping and selecting carefully. But they are 

 very plainly out to do some real buying, and a great deal of this is 

 going to be of high grade furniture. 



The exhibitors are full prepared to meet their demands. The 

 case goods, chair, upholstered furniture and other lines are show- 

 ing many new designs, the new^ ones far outnumbering the old 

 designs left over from the July or other markets. The new designs 

 in general reveal a more conscientious effort to produce substan- 

 tial values. One manufacturer, commenting on this, said that the 

 makers of furniture have had more time during the last few^ months 

 to devote to the construction of their products than they did during 

 the boom period and the melancholy year thereafter. Walnut 

 again evidences a tremendous increase in its popularity. Some 

 lines are showing as high as 90 per cent walnut. Mahogany is 

 still much in evidence, however, and virtual all designs are offered 

 in mahogany as wrell as walnut. 



One feature of the market is the number of w^ell constructed, 

 really fine, medium priced bedroom and dining room suites. These 

 are evidently prepared by the manufacturers to meet the demand 

 or the public for good values at conservative prices. All manu- 

 facturers presenting this quality of designs report a favorable re- 

 ception from the buyers. Among these was the Niemann Table 

 Company, w^hich is offering a small dining room suite in the Italian 

 Renaissance style; and the Klamer lines of Evansville, Ind., showing 

 a dining room suite in a very pure design of the same period. Both 

 or these offerings may be made up in v^^alnut or mahogany, in the 

 standard finishes or in the renaissance or Italian grey. Each line 

 reports a good business in these in the walnut, renaissance finish. 



The Niemann people are offering a line of solid walnut, mahog- 

 any and oak tables, and report a good business. 



The Klamer Lines are offering a French renaissance bed room 

 suite, in mahogany or walnut, w^hich is distinctive and demonstrates 

 the prevailing tendency to present fresh new^ designs. 



The experience of the Showers Brothers Company is always a 

 good barometer of the Chicago market, and this year the barometer 

 registers "fair." ' R. C. Hamilton, the sales manager of this com- 

 pany, said that he anticipated a very satisfactory business. Buying, 

 so far as they are concerned, will not be as tremendous at it was 

 on the last market, Mr. Hamilton said, because then they have beat 

 the other firms to liquidation and caught the market just right. 

 But this time that unusual feature will be eliminated as the other 

 lines have now completed the same process that they attended to 

 earlier. He stated that retailers* stocks were never so low and 

 that they must buy substantially, for they are now unable to meet 

 the demand of their trade. General business conditions, too, are 

 favorable, he said. 



.Another sales manager who is confident of a good market is 

 S. V. Walker of the Kroehler Manufacturing Company, one of the 

 largest makers of upholstered furniture in the country. "1 am 

 optimistic," he said, "we will do a good business. The buyers are 

 coming in and giving small orders for rush shipment and then 

 placing larger orders for stock. This means that their stocks are 

 badly depleted. I expect business to open with a boom on Mon- 

 day." While the writer of this article was talking to Mr. Walker 

 the latter pointed out a buyer who had given an order for imme- 

 diate shipment and since had bought $50,000 Vk'orth of furniture 

 for stock. 



These cases are typical of the situation the first week of the 

 market and all point to a good, sober market, with an amount of 

 trading that will insure a normal activity of the furniture plants of 

 the country for months to come. 



Evansville's Outlook Is Optimistic 



Furniture, chair, desk and table manufacturers at Evansville, 

 Ind.. Jasper, Ind., Tell City, Ind., Henderson, Ky., and Owens- 

 boro, Ky., are looking forward to the new year with a good deal 

 of hope and anticipation and most of the manufacturers express 

 the belief that trade is going to pick up right along now and that 

 1922 will prove a better trade year than 1921. At Evansville the 

 factories have been operating on an average of 80 and 85 per 

 cent normal and it is believed that the plants a little later on will 

 run on still a better schedule. There is more optimism in the 

 trade than there was a year ago this time and reports from other 

 furniture centers are encouraging. There are fewer men out of 

 employment than there were a year ago, although in some cities 

 and towns the problem is still quite serious. Evansville manu- 

 facturers continue to make arrangements for their semi-annual 

 furniture and stove market, that will be held in that city late in 

 March or early in April. The executive committee of the Evans- 

 ville Furniture Manufacturers' Association will shortly fix a date 

 for the coming market and John C. Keller, secretary of the asso- 

 ciation, will soon start sending out several thousand invitations 

 to retail stove and furniture dealers in practically all the states in 

 the Union and Canada, Cuba and Mexico. It is believed that the 

 attendance and sales at the market will be larger than they were 

 at the market given a year ago which was the first market for 

 Evansville, and the second market, that was given six months ago. 

 Leading furniture manufacturers at Evansville say that they believe 

 the market will have a most stimulating effect upon the retail trade 

 in the states of the central west. They point out that retailers 

 now feel that the prices of furniture have been stabilized and that 

 they are not afraid to buy. 



