FRANKFURT, FDR — J. Queen New York, the successful new entry in the U.S. bedding industry with a reported $20 million plus sales in its first year of shipping has followed up with a collection of piecegoods based on the best selling bedding designs.Jerry Mobley, Joyce Alcantara and Julie Brady

The company hopes to build a $100 million business with 20 percent of sales in piece goods within ten years according to Anthony Cassela, CEO. “We need to be bigger. We’re running this business to be a design house,” he said. “We are knowledge workers and sales professionals. Whatever we can out-source is out-sourced. J. Queen also expects to shortly open a Hong Kong based corporation to further its business in Asia,” he said.

Already, a couple of  Russian fabric wholesalers have nailed down the J. Queen New York piece goods line for distribution  in Moscow and other key areas of that country,  said Julie Brady, president and a principal of J. Queen. “These buyers were extremely enthusiastic about the product line they saw at J. Queen and followed through with a substantial order on the spot,” she said.  The piecegoods line was first shown at the Maritim Hotel-Frankfurt this past January. The line is shipped to the wholesaler FOB Shanghai outside the USA and FOB Los Angeles to the bedding fabric retailer and wholesaler in the USA.“The core business of J. Queen is the U.S. based readymade business at retail including department stores and the ‘37 West’ line is geared for mass merchants. The new piece goods line gives fabric wholesalers the chance to tap into some fresh looks, especially prints-- without paying for the cost of screens. All designs chosen are exclusive to the wholesaler,” said Julie Brady, the dynamic blond president. The minimum order is one piece. Just as the piece goods line is selling overseas, so is the bedding line developing new export markets including the Middle East. Several catalogs including Emirates Home and 4Home feature branded J. Queen New York bedding lines. “We believe in diversification,” Brady emphasized. The company produces bedding duvets, coverlets; bath, rugs and towels. As another example of this, J. Queen recently began to import durries from India. More items are planned by J. Queen including bathroom curtain tension rods, vinyl shower curtains, hardware and ceramic bath accessories.J. Queen - NY hard lines

Wholesalers in Poland, Austria, Taiwan, Korea and even China have eyed the new collection of wide width multipurpose fabrics from J. Queen. “Some of the items can be used for upholstery but we do not guarantee wear resistance,” Brady pointed out. The collection of 250 sku’s sells for $8-$20 in wide width jacquard wovens and embroidered sheers in mostly polyester.

The fabrics feature many innovative constructions in polyester, and poly/cotton blends, and are made in China like all of the J. Queen bedding lines. “J. Queen’s suppliers are able to produce the piecegoods alongside the bedding ranges as an added service to our customers,” Brady said. “The piecegoods buyers don’t necessarily carry the bedding lines however,” she explained. “The bedding is geared for the major retailers in the USA while the piece goods will be purchased by the fabric wholesalers in various countries,” she explained.

The diverse collection of fabrics, some re-engineered for individual customers and a stock line of J. Queen designs in oversized sample books are being shown to important fabric wholesalers worldwide. Brady is on hand for the fabric presentations along with Jerry Mobley, J. Queen’s well known designer and Joyce Alcantara, sales manager for the piece goods program. “Everyone that came to visit us wants to have the books so we’re excited,” Alcantara added.

In January, many old friends of Julie and Jerry stopped by their Maritim suite and some booked the new piecegoods collection on an exclusive basis. J. Queen New York hopes to have an important wholesaler carry the piece goods in each of the major markets worldwide. More presentations are scheduled in Como during Proposte. Thousands of oversized sample books have been made to help the sale of the goods in different markets. Of course, there is a cost to get the books.

Brady and Mobley have been seen visiting Heimtextil, Proposte and MoOD in the last few years, shopping the market for ideas which led to the bedding as well as the piece goods collections. They have also maintained their relationships with fabric suppliers and wholesalers they have known over the years, even while they started the new J. Queen New York business.J. Queen BeddingJ. Queen Bedding

“Any mill that is looking for business has to check us out as a potential customer,” Brady said. J. Queen already does a big job in licensing designs from other mills and converters on a royalty basis. They can’t dismiss us anymore as just another young upstart.” F&FIGertjan Haarsma: Gertjan Haarsma, principal of Revolution 66, a sourcing specialist based in Rozendaal, Holland advises J. Queen-NY