NEW YORK — Blame the lull in traffic at Moda Manhattan’s first February show on the Jet Blue Airways fiasco.
The three-day trade show, which took up 20,000 square feet of space at New York’s Metropolitan Pavilion, began on Sunday, but by Tuesday grew quiet as retailers moved on to the first day of the Fashion Coterie.
Britton Jones, president and chief executive officer of Business Journals Inc., which produces the show, attributed attendees’ low energy level to the chaos on Jet Blue that took place over the weekend, brought on by an ice storm that tied up New York airports.
“There’s very little space between markets and people are coming back from Las Vegas into this show,” Jones said, referring to a host of shows centered around MAGIC Marketplace. “It’s a quick turnaround and the weather played a big role….An easy trip turned into a 20-hour ordeal.”
Still, Jones said he was pleased with the February premiere.
“We sold every inch of space and featured 240 collections, up 20 percent from September,” he said.
Exhibitors, most of whom had been on the road for weeks following regional markets, had mixed reactions to the better-bridge show.
“It’s been great. Yesterday was fantastic, booming,” said Alan Schwinger, a representative for contemporary line Donna Ricco. “People are looking for color and newness — the new skirt, the new blouse with ruffles and great sleeves.”
For Schwinger, Moda was one stopover on a long list of shows, including Dallas, Atlanta and Las Vegas. He’ll soon move on to the Travelers Show for the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Pittsburgh markets.
“If you want the business, you gotta go get it,” he said. “I’ve been going for weeks non-stop.”
A few exhibitors blamed overlapping show schedules and the cold weather for the lull at their booths.
“We’re disappointed,” said Arlean Gall, a representative for Downtown Showroom Inc. here. “September was so good, so everyone was excited. But these buyers just came from Las Vegas and New York is cold. Plus, the Coterie starts today.”
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Terri Vizzone, owner of Chicago boutique Only She, found the spread-out shows nationwide exhausting.
“We have very limited time to travel,” she said. “It’s been rough. There’s a lot of waiting in line, getting your passes; there’s the weather issue.”
But overall, neither snow nor crosstown traffic slowed Vizzone down.
“We do $2 million. Our fall has been phenomenal and I have plenty of open-to-buy,” she said. “But I’m not looking for trends. I go by my gut.”