BASSETT PREPARES TO WELCOME DESIGNERS TO HIGH POINT SHOWROOM
BASSETT, Virginia–As Bassett Furniture (NASDAQ: BSET) puts the finishing touches on its new showroom at the High Point Market, the company is preparing to present a new expression of the brand and to throw open wide its doors to the interior design community.
Bassett moved to IHFC Space M-101 to be positioned at the center of the Market’s designer traffic patterns, but the elevated experience the community will encounter will be unlike any offered by its neighbors. The modern, 44,000-square-foot space accessed by a grand staircase, flooded with natural light, featuring a welcoming hospitality area and set apart with a gazebo inside has in many ways been created with the needs of the design community, specifically in mind.
“We’re making a significant investment in the design community experience,” said Robert Spilman, III, vice president of sales, “and I believe that when interior designers get to know Bassett, they will find that we offer one of the most competitive trade programs in the entire industry.”
Anne Spilman Souter —who serves dual roles as the company’s creative director, as well as vice president of product development—intimately understands what today’s interior designers really need from a manufacturing partner. Prior to joining the family business six years ago, Anne Spilman Souter worked for design firms Circa, Inc., and Katie Ridder Designs, before ultimately founding her own design firm in New York.
“Bassett is really an undiscovered gem for many working designers,” said Anne Spilman Souter, “starting with our extensive customization capabilities. We offer them access to more than 450 designer fabrics and over 45 leathers, in addition to COM, as well as detail choices and handcrafted options built to specific project dimensions and finish requests.”
The company also offers designers professional assistance to streamline ordering and project execution for both residential and commercial spaces. “But one of the things that I find always impresses designers who haven’t worked with us,” Spilman Souter said, “is our speed to delivery.”
Thanks to Bassett’s domestic manufacturing capabilities, custom upholstered furniture and handcrafted, solid wood BenchMade case goods are consistently delivered with a four to six-week turnaround time.
The trade program connecting all of this is built to match. Designers working with Bassett have access to competitive discounts and commissions, with no minimum order required to set up an account, making it as easy for a designer handling a single piece as it is for one managing a full-scale project.
Spilman Souter curates Bassett’s product line using the nuanced lens of a working designer with a full slate of introductions in the works for October, including a major collection announcement due ahead of Market.
“Bassett already offers hundreds of truly unique products ideal for design projects, and I am certain that when we open the doors to the new showroom this fall, it will be a revelatory experience for many in the interior design community. Our hope is that they’ll find the showroom, shopping experience and welcoming hospitality has truly been designed for them.”
Bassett Furniture Industries, Inc. was founded in 1902 by J.D. Bassett and his brother, C.C. Bassett is one of the longest continually operating furniture manufacturers in the United States, operating five plants totaling 830,000 square feet of production space. The brand has a rich heritage spanning five generations and continues to set industry standards in design and production while delivering personalized solutions to customers. Bassett is the omnichannel leader, with a wide range of distribution types, in domestically produced, high-quality upholstery, solid wood and outdoor furniture, serving residential, contract and hospitality markets. Bassett sells approximately 60% of its products through its network of 87 company- and licensee-owned stores. Bassett also has a significant traditional wholesale business with more than 1,000 open market accounts. Most of the open market sales are through Bassett Design Centers and Bassett Custom Studios which function as a store within a multi-line store featuring the company’s custom furniture capabilities. The wholesale business, including the Lane Venture outdoor brand, also services general furniture stores and a growing number of interior design firms. Bassett products are also directly available to consumers at www.bassettfurniture.com. (BSET-E).
Kimberley Wray
Steinreich Communications
(212) 491-1600
