Once the staple of antiques shows, its hard to find an array of furniture today. While there have been some incidental reports of a pick-up in sales, its likely the second-hand and antique furniture markets will continue to mimic the furniture industry. There, even as housing rebounds, sales and stocks are way off.
A recent article on CNBC notes companies including La-Z-Boy and Ethan Allen are off big from their highs. While permits for new construction recently hit their highest level in four years, the article suggests that perhaps that its more speculation driving the recovery.
It’s not all gloom, however. Williams-Sonoma recently reported revenues jumped 6.1 percent in the quarter ended April 29, thanks it its West Elm and Pottery Barn brands.
I’d like to think more folks are choosing vintage over new, but it may be that the move toward renting is lessening the amount of space to fill. You might find more evidence in an issue of The Magazine Antiques. Where one antique furniture filled the pages, now there’s often traditional art.
Urban Art & Antiques 