-By Kristin V. Montalvo

This month, we've gathered together a collection of new tabletop designs and patterns that evoke natural themes -- incorporating ecologically friendly colors, irregular patterns and earthy textures to bring a sense of understated, organic style to the table.


Named after his sister, Cindy, the Cynthia Glass Decoupage Plates are new for designer Christopher Jagmin. This is one of a series of black and white, hand-made decoupage plates. Inspired by the plant life of the Sonoran desert, this fantastical plate can be used as a small platter or placed next to your own floral arrangement. At 6 x 10, this glass plate brings the desert to your home. Only 150 produced. Each plate is signed and numbered by the artist. MSRP is $140. For more information, call 602-381-9908 or visit www.christopherjagmin.com.


Erasable ceramic by PlaceTile Designs reduces the use of paper and saves trees. PlaceTile place cards are reusable and functional ceramic products which eliminate the need for single-use paper labels or place cards when entertaining. With more than 40 styles to choose from, PlaceTile products make special gifts for hostesses, Mother's Day, a housewarming or weddings. Shown here is the Leaf PlaceTile with built-in bud vase, s/6 gift boxed, MSRP $34.95. For more information, visit www.placetile.com.


The Walt Disney Signature tabletop collection by Zak Designs is inspired by Walt Disney's creativity and the accoutrements in his home and his life. The ensemble of home products -- which include sophisticated tableware, serveware and drinkware -- celebrates the inspiration behind the man. The Kingswell Decorated line (shown here) takes advantage of a square shape and strong lines to evoke a masculine and contemporary feel. The line showcases the power that results from nothing more than a piece of charcoal and paper. With strong pencil strokes and subtle shifts in value, the tree from Sleeping Beauty is featured on the dinnerware and serveware, adding texture, shape and dimension. MSRP: $4.99–$14.99. To view the rest of the collection, visit www.zak.com.


Gibson introduces a series of new tabletop designs that draw on natural themes and refines them further to achieve a sense of "organic luxury." The Assemblage pattern incorporates earth shades that invoke the comfort of the natural world -- achieving a fine balance of simple design and richness. Reactive-glaze ceramics. MSRP of $59.99. For more information, visit www.gibsonusa.com.


A piping hot design from Ritzenhoff and designer Markus Binz is steaming up the wonderful world of tea. A woman's face amid a field of green ivy and luscious red lips cover the surface of Binz's teacup and saucer set. Comes with a tea strainer and drip bowl. MSRP: $60. For more information, call 630-305-7377 or visit www.ritzenhoffusa.com.


April Cornell's Fantasia features sophisticated floral hand-painted ceramic dinnerware and serveware in warm earth tone colors with coordinating, beautifully embossed solid color accessories. MSRP ranges from $7.99–$99.99. For more information, call Certified International Corp at 914-741-1332 or visit www.certifiedinternational.com.

The Dish Revised 41 Madison NY Tabletop Show Dates Announced
The tabletop industry has spoken. It said: "No more weekends. Shorter market days." This was the widely held consensus among tableware buyers and tenants of 7 West 34th Street and Forty One Madison, following the Spring Tabletop Show.

"It was clear the buying groups, department and chain stores chose to attend the market during the week with the independents remaining split on the issue. There was very little traffic on Saturday and virtually none on Sunday. Following the show, we revised the dates to better serve the needs of retailers and our tenants. Beginning this fall, the New York Tabletop Show will run Wednesday to Friday, and from 2009–2011, Tuesday to Friday," explained Carole Dixon, sr. VP director of Forty One Madison.

The revised New York Tabletop Market dates are:

Fall 2008
Wednesday, October 22 – Friday, October 24

2009
Spring
Tuesday, April 21 – Friday, April 24
Fall
Tuesday, October 13 – Friday, October 16

2010
Spring
Tuesday, April 13 – Friday, April 16
Fall
Tuesday, October 12 – Friday, October 15

2011
Spring
Tuesday, April 12 – Friday, April 15
Fall
Tuesday, October 25 – Friday, October 28


Dallas Market Center has promoted Jane R. Robertson to executive vice president of marketing. Robertson will continue to lead the marketing department including communications, special events, retail development and international development. As an EVP, Robertson will join the Dallas Market Center Executive Committee.

Nambé announced the appointment of Glenn Cunningham as chief financial officer, a newly created position within the Nambé organization. After a notable career in retail sales, online management and financial planning, Cunningham joins Nambé as an expert in financial management, helping to drive the company toward future growth.

Planet Dog, the well-known designer of award-winning and socially responsible products for dogs, has received two major awards in the last several months. They have been honored with the Maine Governor's Award for Business Excellence and have been named to Outside Magazine's "Best Places To Work List." Both of these awards are a testament to the last decade of contributions by Stephanie Volo, Planet Dog's "Top Dog." As such, Volo, who has helped grow the company since its founding in 1997, is being recognized for her contributions with an expanded ownership stake in Planet Dog.

Andrea by Sadek, a wholesale supplier to the gift, tableware and home furnishings industries, announced the launch of its improved, more comprehensive Web site, www.sadek.com. The site's new design caters to the needs of time-pressed customers, while providing a more aesthetically pleasing online shopping experience. Visitors to Sadek.com can view the company's entire inventory in a number of ways. They can browse an image library to look for ideas and inspiration; they can flip through individual catalogs by collection; or they can easily search across the site for individual items with the site's search engine.

Show Previews
The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market
More new product, more variety, more selection and more introductions make AmericasMart Atlanta the marketplace of necessity with its July 2008 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market. The landmark July market --prelude to January 2009's AmericasMart Building Two West Wing opening --delivers the world's largest single gift, home, area rug and apparel product collection in an environment of incomparable size and scale, including: 2,000 showrooms; 4,400 temporary booths; 11 specialty product centers; 24 temporary collections; tens of thousands of product lines; and 6.2 million square feet of enclosed space housing 4.2 million square feet of product.

Leading the July Markets product lineup is the burgeoning Home mix with more than two million square feet of furniture and home furnishings merchandise in:
Furniture & Accessories: upholstery and case goods, plus lighting, wall décor and more. Home Accents & Fine Linens: the nation's single largest collection of luxe linens and decorative accessories. Living. Outdoor/Indoor The Gardens: the very best in outdoor/indoor garden-themed accessories, gifts and decorations to enhance the casual lifestyle. Home Décor/Holiday Floral: the world's largest collection of floral, seasonal and home décor.
Extending the AmericasMart home product mix is the largest single collection of Gift product on the planet, including:
General Gift: the nation's largest and most comprehensive selection of gift and accessories product. Gift & Resort: home to the nation's premier gift, resort and souvenir exhibitors. Tabletop & Fine Gift: unmatched selection in tableware, gift and home décor. Gourmet & Housewares: product from the biggest names in the gourmet, specialty foods and housewares business. AmericasMart's Children's World: the world's largest single collection of kids' gift and home product with more than 1,000 lines of apparel and accessories, juvenile product, toys, games, books, gifts and more.
For more information and a complete list of seminars and events, visit www.americasmart.com.

Show Dates & Hours:
Permanent Showrooms:
July 8–10, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
July 11–12, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
July 13–16, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Temporary Booths
July 11–14, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
July 15, 2008
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF)
With a focus on sustainability, design trends and smart retail strategies, a comprehensive schedule of educational programming will roll out during the 155th semi-annual edition of the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF), August 16–21, 2008, at New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Metropolitan Pavilion and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94. In addition, several after-hours networking events and exciting promotions will be offered, including a night on Broadway and the annual Retailer Excellence Awards.

Educational Seminars
Beginning on August 16 with an "NYIGF Orientation," over a dozen educational sessions will be offered addressing a wide variety of topics affecting retailers. Individual sessions will cover trend forecasts in color, design and beauty products, while others will present market research on home accessory consumers and the juvenile market.

To help orient newcomers to the Fair, GLM has also partnered with Giftware News magazine to offer an "NYIGF Orientation" each morning to offer new retailers ideas to help them shop the Fair most efficiently and effectively.

Market demographics will be presented in "Sneak Preview! HGTV Viewer Survey Results," sponsored by Home Accents Today, and "Mom Style. Kid Culture," presented by Cookie magazine. Retail strategies for gourmet products will be covered in "Six Steps to Successful Selling – For Kitchenware and More!" presented by The Gourmet Retailer.

Sustainability and environmental issues will be the unifying theme in several programs, including "Doing Well & Doing Good – Sustainable Sourcing and Product Development," "Global SustainAbility Standards – Worldwide Efforts and the Impact on the U.S.," moderated by Metropolis magazine, and "Stop the Greenwash – How to Verify SustainAbility," moderated by Treehugger.com.

In connection with Home Textiles Market Week, two home-fashion-focused seminars are scheduled: "Fashioning the Color Forecasts," sponsored by IFDA (International Furnishings & Design Association); and "Product Pulse: Top-Performing Trends for the Home," presented by Accessory Merchandising and Home Fashion Forecast.

Special Events
All NYIGF participants are entitled to join in a number of on-site events and after-hours activities taking place during market week which take advantage of all that New York City has to offer, including "A Night on Broadway," and the opportunity to win New York Mets tickets. Complete program details, schedules, and pricing and registration information are available online at www.nyigf.com/programs.

On August 17 and18, Ina Garten, acclaimed Food Network host of the "Barefoot Contessa," and New York Times top-selling cookbook author, will make a celebrity appearance. From 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., Garten will be offering product tasting from the Barefoot Contessa Pantry line in the Stonewall Kitchen Booth, # 7477.

On Saturday, August 16, at 7:00 p.m., GLM, 7 West 34th Street, 230 Fifth Avenue and House Beautiful will celebrate Home Textiles Market Week with an "ANKASA Open House;" and on Tuesday, August 19, at 8:00 p.m., GLM will offer specially priced tickets for "A Night on Broadway featuring In The Heights."

On Sunday, August 17, the 57th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards ceremony will take place at the Marriott Marquis. Presented by Gifts & Decorative Accessories, these prestigious awards recognize excellence in seven categories of retailing and individual achievement.

Display
SustainAbility: design for a better world, a special display showcasing environmentally conscious and socially responsible products crafted from sustainable, recycled or renewable resources, will return to the Javits Center throughout the NYIGF. The display will be curated by Ilene Shaw of Shaw and Co! Productions.

This August, SustainAbility will examine worldwide efforts that have an immediate and measurable impact on the health of the planet; explore which countries are supporting ecological efforts and which manufacturers have balanced 21st century technology with eco-friendly means and ways; and demonstrate how these humanitarian goals are furthered through commercial design and activity.

A complete schedule is available online at www.nyigf.com.

Show Dates & Hours (by venue):
August 16–20, 2008
Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily; 3:00 p.m. close on August 20
At Home, Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94
At Home featuring Outdoor Living, Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 92
Studio, Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 92
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily; 5:00 p.m. close on August 20
Handmade featuring Handmade in the USA

August 17–20, 2008
Metropolitan Pavilion
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily; 5:00 p.m. close on August 20
New York's Newest, Metropolitan Pavilion

August 17–21, 2008
Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. daily; 12 noon close on August 21
Accent on Design featuring A+ Young Designers' Platform
At Home featuring Home Textiles
EX•TRACTS: New discoveries in beauty and wellness
General Gift featuring Floral & Garden Accessories, Just Kidstuff and
The Museum Source
Personal Accessories featuring Details
Tabletop & Housewares

The Gourmet Retailer Magazine and NYIGF show organizers have partnered to create a special promotional package for Gourmet Retailer readers. The three-night Gift Show Package is available for only $475, and includes accommodations, show badges, special events, and educational programming. For more information, call Editor-in-Chief Michelle Moran at 239-992-2404 or e-mail mmoran@gourmetretailer.com.