As a result of increasing Forty One Madison's presence and activities over the past three New York Gift Shows, the building has seen a steady increase in buyer traffic and showroom participation, according to Laurie Burns, senior vice president, director.

"We experienced an uptick in preregistrations and have seen steady traffic, including buyers from Canada. Several of our high-end showrooms, notably L'Objet and William Yeoward Crystal, had appointments on Saturday. Regional shows that preceded New York reported good traffic and an upbeat tenor, which has been carried out here. We were happy to be able to offer passes for the Museum of Contemporary Art and provide buyers with comfortable, luxury shuttle vans that ran exclusively between '41' and Javits. Increasingly, buyers shop our building to find distinctive and specialty items they won't find elsewhere."

Eight lobby displays highlighted specialty items unique to Forty One Madison and reflective of gift industry trends. Products included: personalized and customized porcelain and stemware from Pickard; custom-order collectible figurine from Royal Doulton retailing at $34,500; dramatic "Black Cut" crystal by John Rocha for Waterford; jewel-encrusted tableware from Prouna; designer names including Ralph Lauren and John Rocha; hand-painted gift and tableware from Certified International; and from Lenox China: fine china and coordinating stemware decorated with precious metals in the Gilded Tapestry pattern.