Publication date: 04/02/2005

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Home & Housewares Show gives preview of things to come

The 2005 International Home & Housewares Show will not go down as a record breaker in any category. On March 20-22, my crew and I traipsed through all three buildings of McCormick Place in Chicago.

The crowd was down from previous years, and there were no knock-the-ball-out-of-the-park products that we could see. The third day of the show was dead with many exhibitors surreptitiously trying to wrap up early.

All that being said, most of the exhibitors were very satisfied with the show.

There were fewer people attending, but there was a far higher percentage of buyers than in past years. The Canadian contingent, especially the buyers from Canadian Tire (a really big Canadian chain), had their pencils out and were buying big.

There is a good chance that after going to the show for so many years I may be blase, so I am going to tell you about some of the new things that my staff and I found this week.

In what I consider to be acts of pure genius, the International Housewares Association brought together two new groups to walk the show and report on their findings.

The first was a group believed to be trendsetting women retail buyers. These are the people who shop Target, Costco and other stores and actually buy the products for their family's use.

The second group consisted of industrial design students who aspire to get into the business and appeal to the new trendsetters.

Both of these groups were very enthusiastic about what they saw. I will give you an abbreviated report about the exciting trends and products their findings next week.

ﾕ Dave Riger, my show's producer, walked the entire show, and his pick of the most exciting products was the Maytag SkyBox Rookie Fridge, (866) 692-2774, www.sky boxbymaytag.com. This is a small refrigerator on wheels that can have the front door personalized with a logo graphic of your favorite sports team. It costs $199 plus sports team logo art.

Here are some of the products I saw that addressed a real need or filled a niche:

ﾕ Pro Sales Industries, (702) 869-3438, are introducing a Corn-On-The-Cob brush designed to get in between the rows of kernels and pull out the corn silk that tends to get stuck in your teeth. I love corn and look forward to seeing this $2.99 item in grocery stores nationwide by corn-eating season.

ﾕ The HandyHanger folks, (800) HANGER7, have introduced a pant, towel and skirt hanger that can make room in your closet. The seven-garment hanger attaches to a rod anchored to the wall. Garments are hung one under the other instead of horizontally. A three-slack unit costs $14.95. The original seven-slack unit costs $24.95 or $69.95 for a deluxe wood version. Handy Hangers are available on its Web site, www.handyhanger.com.

ﾕ I interviewed George Foreman about his grills. As a father, I was glad to see that Foreman is getting his children involved in marketing the products. Rather than just taking the money and running, he is creating a franchise. That is very good to see.

The George Foreman G-5, coming out in September, is a legitimately exciting product. It has five different removable, grilling surfaces, so you can grill, fry, or even make a pizza on one unit. George Foreman Grills are a brand of Salton Inc., (800) 233-9054, www.esal ton.com.

ﾕ The Battic Door Co., (508) 320-9082, www.batticdoor.com, specializes in making draft-stoppers. Three of them are excellent solutions to questions I get every winter. The original Battic Door costs $29.50. It encloses and stops drafts from folding attic stairs.

The Fireplace Draft Stopper costs $45. This product is an insulating pillow that blocks fireplace flue drafts, keeping heat in the home instead of letting it go out the chimney. The Dryer Draft Stopper does just that. It is an automatic dryer vent cap that costs $17.50. It lets dryer vent exhaust escape but keeps cold air from being sucked into the house.

ﾕ One of the great mysteries of the ages is how socks get lost during their trips to and from the washer. I don't know how it happens, but invariably one or two socks a month go AWOL. The Sock Cop, (866) 583-SOCK, clips pairs of socks together so they can't get lost. It holds them solidly throughout the washing and drying cycle. They will be available at local stores soon. If you can't wait, you can get 20 for $7 on its Web site, www.sock cop.com.

ﾕ The Cool Touch by Blue Star Trading, (626) 457-7595, is a pad filled with a mineral that absorbs heat. If you put it on your chair, your derriere will be cool all day long. When not in use the heat is released into the atmosphere. No refrigeration necessary. It costs $39.99 and is available on its Web site, www.cooltouch.net.

ﾕ If your dog has trouble keeping cool during the summer, the CanineCooler from SoothSoft Comfort Technology, (888) 244-5569, is a fluid-cooled pet bed. If it's not at your pet store, buy it on its Web site, www.sooth soft.com, for $54.95 to $119.95, depending on mat size.

Note: This article was accurate at the date of publication. However, information contained in it may have changed. If you plan to use the information contained herein for any purpose, verification of its continued accuracy is your responsibility.

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