High Point, N.C. – When Maxine Clark talks about her company’s new furniture collection for kids, she acts like an excited 9-year-old. She scoots up onto a bunk bed, gets on her knees to pull out a deep toy drawer, and almost giggles when she lifts a shelf to expose a secret hiding place.
Clark is founder and chief executive of Build-A-Bear Workshop. The chain has partnered with Pulaski Furniture to create and market a new line of youth furniture.
Industry insiders say the four new collections – two for girls, one for boys and one offering modular storage – is part of one of the hottest retail furniture categories.
Youth furniture has become so important during the biannual High Point Market that it was the focus of an opening day event last month.
Jack Richardson of Lea Industries, a company that specializes in youth furniture, said the market is expected to grow about 15 percent a year for the next four or five years. “It is by far the fastest growing category in the industry.”
Robin Campbell of Stanley Furniture, the leading youth manufacturer, said American youngsters are recognizing and requesting brand names by age 3. And it’s not just parents who respond: “Grandparents spend $35 million a year on their grandchildren.”
Furniture makers also know kids’ needs and tastes change as they grow. A Build-A-Bear crib, for instance, converts easily to a regular bed with a $220 kit.
