Discounters chase fashion end of kitchen textile, tabletop biz

Discount Store News, March 18, 1985

In placemats, especially, prints are being supplanted by solid color woven, chintz and bound or ruffled quited items. The chintz items, however, are not considered as new as the other fabrications.

In its new prototype store in Georgia, Richway is displaying an assortment of solid color placemats on a spotlit focal wall in its domestics department to emphasize the newness of the solid fabric look.

Danners buyer John Walsh said his Indiana-based chain is also veering away from prints, opting for a more contemporary look. The chain recently changed 90% of its basic kitchen textile assortment, said Walsh. "It was getting a little bit too stale. We had gotten too far into just prints, so we brought in a 4-ft. section of basic solid, striped and checked [items] to break up the monotony," he said. He added the prices are the same as before--$1.99, $2.99 and $3.49--although the quality is improved.