The Seattle Gift Show“ Washington State Convention & Trade Center January 25-29, 2003

Furniture World Magazine

Pre-Show Report: San Francisco: The 145th semi-annual Seattle Gift Show®, the largest gift and decorative accessories event in the Northwest region, will boast over 4,500 product lines in 1,600 booths—many from Northwest and Canadian manufacturers that retailers will find only at this growing market—all under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. The winter market will run from Saturday, January 25 through Wednesday, January 29, 2003 (with Early Buying Days at the Seattle Gift Center Thursday, January 23 through Friday, January 24). In addition, all new educational programming, expanded one-on-one consultations and several buyer amenities will be featured. THE MARKET: The Seattle market will include over 900 exhibiting companies, encompassing 150,000 net square feet of exhibit space housed under one roof at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. Throughout the 12 product divisions—At Home; FoodFocus; GardenStyle; Gift & Collectibles; Handmade®; The Jewelry Vaultsm; Northwest Craft Gallery; Northwest Directions; Personal Style; Gift/Stationery & Trend; Village Arts; and The Vintage Collection—The Seattle Gift Show® will feature a variety of giftware, decorative accessories, personal and fashion accessories, home décor, one-of-a-kind handmade merchandise, antiques and collectibles, tableware and fine jewelry. Nearly 15,000 buyers are expected to attend the show, which runs in cooperation with the permanent showrooms of the Seattle Gift Center (located at 6100 4th Avenue South). Retailers will find a vast selection of souvenir and resort items in Northwest Directions division—this division has expanded for the winter market and will include approximately 180 booths—as well as unique handcrafted merchandise in the juried divisions—Handmade and Northwest Craft Gallery, home accessories in the juried division—At Home and personal accessories and aromatherapy in the juried division—Personal Style. “The expansion of The Seattle Gift Show® has increased retailers’ awareness to the importance of this market in the Northwest region. We consistently hear complimentary remarks about the breadth of product and the categorized layout of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center. This is where buyers can personally shop for their stores as well as interact one-on-one with vendors in order to build strong business relationships,” said Mike Dean, President, Western Exhibitors, LLC.