All Posts

IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

2011 CHESS Final Update!

By Judy Colitz, Special Events & Executive Services Manager TOP 10 REASONS to Say YES to CHESS in 2011… 1. Powerful and Relevant Keynotes—Kip Tindell, The Container Store…ORGANIZATION WITH HEART; Peter Sims, Best-Selling Author…LITTLE BETS—Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Creativity & Design 2. Hot Industry Topics—Global Market Overview…Social Media: Myth or…

tag Marks 35th Anniversary of Design Success

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator In 1976, a young NYU graduate with a degree in biochemistry met two French women who manufactured candles in Bordeaux. At the time, Norman Glassberg (pictured on the right) had already hung up his lab coat for good and was searching for a new business opportunity. Previously he had been one of the partners of a group that…

HECNA Global Forum sneaking up quickly

By Lori Szudarek, International Services Manager Q: How can I increase my home + housewares exports? A: Attend the HECNA Global Forum – September 18 – 22! Working with many of our IHA member companies, the International Department often receives this question…or a more specific version of the same question, with the goal of expanding into a specific global…

Have you been staying current with HC365?

By Marie Kulik, Manager of Exhibitor Business Development With the International Home + Housewares Show featuring 2,000 exhibitors annually, including over 500 new companies at the 2012 Show, exhibitors need a good “game-plan” to generate interest with buyers, media + consumers. The Show has developed Housewares Connect 365 - a year-round search/planning tool to make your…

Housewares History: Mixing it up!

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator Multi-tasking in the kitchen with Sunbeam What kitchen appliance created such a stir in American homes that nearly 70 years after its premier it merited its own U.S. postage stamp as an icon of household convenience? You probably had one in a kitchen during your lifetime—the Sunbeam Mixmaster. In 1929 when the Mixmaster…

UPDATE: IHA Members help those in need though GOOD 360 program

UPDATE** - IHA members that have donated to date: Jelmar Whitford Corp. Lamson & Goodnow Madesmart Lipper International The CLI Group Aroma Housewares DKB Household USA Corp. Keurig, Incorp. If you'd like to donate through the GOOD 360 program , see how below! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IHA and…

Housewares History: Ever Think of Coffee Drinking as Romantic? Savor a Sip of 1930s Glamour

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator This elegant chrome-plated Maxwelton Braes Sunbeam COFFEEMASTER set, with brewer/server, table stove, circular tray, creamer and sugar, is a classic of Depression-era streamlined design. It was promoted by the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company in the late 1930s as one of the company’s glamorous tableside cooking appliances. The…

CHESS 2011 KEYNOTE: Peter Sims

By Judy Colitz, Manager of Special Events & Executive Services LITTLE BETS—INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, CREATIVITY & DESIGN What do Apple CEO Steve Jobs, comedian Chris Rock, prize-winning architect Frank Gehry and the story developers at Pixar films all have in common? Best-selling author Peter Sims found that they all have achieved remarkable results using a…

Antique or Modern? A Look at Kitchen Evolution

By Vicki Matranga, Design Programs Coordinator In the late 1800s, home economists and social reformers focused their attention on the functionality of the American kitchen and improving the efficiency of domestic labor. Kitchen furnishings were spare, with an assortment of simple work tables, cupboards and wall shelves. By 1900, the pace of change sped up. Industrialization…