Christmas Comes Early to the Javits Center

Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas? Not if you’re one of the 40,000 retailers or 2,800 vendors camped out at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this week for the New York International Gift Fair.The mood at the show is a little restrained, according to the owner of Ameico, Peter Kahane. With the bears charging down Wall Street not too many blocks away, people are “a little hesitant,” he says, “especially at the high end.” Mr. Kahane has been showing at the fair for 12 years, and says buyers are circling but are not as readily placing big orders as they did in years past.Ameico makes colorful and creative high-end toys, such as a $750 seesaw whose pieces can be stored in a jigsaw-puzzle-like single slab until the next generation comes along. The elements are easy to assemble, making it a nifty gift for a family with a budding engineer. Our pick of Ameico’s lineup for 2007 is a portable mini golf set (9 holes) made of vibrant yellow and green plastic. With CEOs battling credit woes and unable to get to the golf course this summer, this $420 set could be a big Christmas winner.Among the notable trends at the show was a range of products for monstrously pampered pets and their equally pampered owners. A Danish outfit called Pet Project offers “furniture you’d like to have in your home,” according to CEO Michael Ryding, but that your dog or cat will like even more. Mr. Ryding sells minimalist items such as a cube-shaped walnut veneer side table that sneakily doubles as a bed for a Pekinese and that retails for $675. (Just imagining the face of a guest who goes to put down a drink and is confronted with an outstretched paw makes this one worth the money.)Pet Project hasn’t started to sell in Denmark, apparently finding pet owners in America an easier mark. It is not alone. Nearby is a Turkish company called Gaia and Gino that, its owner assured me, has become Turkey’s no. 1 design company for household accessories. It’s the first time the company has participated in the fair, and it has taken the opportunity to introduce a new line of pet products, called Gina the Dog, designed (oddly) by students at the California College of the Arts. The line features modernist items such as the Loop – a pet bed made of black leather surrounding an aqua “memory foam” mattress that sells for $1,700. The most welcome offering was a rubber dog toy shaped vaguely like a miniature log that fastens onto a chair leg, providing a buffer between your puppy’s need to chew and you becoming best friends with the furniture restorers.Interestingly, because owner Gaye Cevikel has won numerous international design awards, the Turkish government is underwriting half of her marketing expenses — not an inconsiderable assist. She is planning to open her first store in Manhattan in 2009, also with the encouragement of her government, which is pushing hard for broader international recognition of all things Turkish.There was more than high design on display in the pet arena. Art masquerading as kitchen products was everywhere. It is aimed at the Generation Xers who are excited to be cooking at home, I suppose, but bored with conventional equipment.A prime example was an outfit called EGO, whose spoons and dishes required, in many instances, instructions. This company is also from Denmark, and has an introductory brochure that accurately explains: “The EGO universe is hard to describe with one definition.” Its promotional materials talk about “open-minded individuals” and the brochure features a woman in a silver leotard in various balletic poses. No kidding.EGO sells, for instance, a black rubber serving bowl that can fold into different shapes. One woman came in and asked whether the bowl could be washed in an industrial dishwasher, conjuring up images of chic restaurants where well-heeled customers entertain themselves by reconfiguring the serving pieces.Most of EGO’s spoons had large holes in the center, which would be greatly helpful to those on a diet. My personal favorite was the “soup spoon,” which had a handle sticking straight up out of the center of the bowl. It’s hard to explain, and, I imagine, even harder to use.No consumer celebration these days comes without a social conscience.One of the speakers at the gift fair’s seminar on sustainability was the owner of Artecnica, which describes itself as focused on “expressive aesthetics and strong narrative.” The company, according to COO Ella Lim, produces “design with a conscience.” She says Artecnica’s buyers scurry around the world collaborating with artisans of all kinds to design and produce unusual items. The result is a line of products that is individual and also, Ms. Lim admits, rather expensive. She is struggling with how to explain to customers that “one-of-a-kind” means not mass-produced in China, and therefore relatively costly.A case in point is something called a TransNeomatic container (seriously) that features a rubber base made from a scooter tire recycled from a landfill in Vietnam and a wicker basket woven by a local tribe known for its basketmaking; it claims to get “mind and matter moving.” (I actually think this pitch is over my head.) It comes in an “organic” sack that is produced by a disadvantaged youth group in Hanoi (but not by anyone under age 16, Ms. Lim is quick to point out.)Ms. Lim agrees that buyers are hesitant, but she also feels that her company needs to better explain to customers the advantages of their products. “We always start with the product story,” she says. “A lot of education needs to be done.” Possibly starting with me.peek10021@aol.com

Christmas Comes Early to the Javits Center

Christmas Comes Early to the Javits Center

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