Gifts to Occupy Half of Cal Mart Building Complex
The gift show that recently debuted at the California Mart under the name California Market Center (CMC) will eventually occupy half of the three-building space, with gifts occupying the entire “C” wing and half of the “B” wing, according to Bill Winsor, president and chief executive officer of the Dallas Market Center, managing entity for the CMC.
Winsor made the announcement during a luncheon on Jan. 18 for visitors to the gift show preview, which was held Jan. 15–22 on the 12th and 13th floors of the Cal Mart.
Other plans for CMC include a 7,000-square-foot area on the seventh floor devoted to such garden items as furniture, accessories, statuary, fountains and birdfeeders called the Garden District. CMC also plans a 7,000-square-foot gourmet food area on the same floor called the Gourmet Market.
CMC was formed last year as a partnership with dmg world media, the Dallas Market Center and George Little Management LLC, with dmg holding the master lease with Hertz Investment Corp., owner of the Cal Mart. As aforementioned, the Dallas Market Center manages the CMC, and George Little Management manages the concurrent California Gift Show, also a dmg holding. The California Gift Show was held Jan. 19–22 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Organizers said they had hoped to find synergy between the gift and home market and the apparel market when they struck the deal with Hertz, and that synergy appeared to be there in the opening days of the gift show. The first three orders placed at 13th-floor tenant California Marketing Associates (CMA) were from apparel buyers, according to Winsor.
CMC recently signed several leases, including a 9,000-square-foot space for floral and gift showroom Aldik; a 6,200-square-foot space for Crystal Clear Industries, a crystal gift and home accents company; and a 5,600-square-foot showroom for Fitz & Floyd, makers of dinnerware, gifts and decorative accessories.
Other new leases include Bey-Berk International, a manufacturer and importer of gifts, including clocks and bronze sculptures; Velasques & Associates, a fine foods distributor; Moe’s Home Collection, an importer of home furnishings and accessories; Imax Corp., a distributor of home and garden accessories; and Nareg International, an importer of gift wrap and paper tabletop accessories.
CMC also announced the appointment of Jim Nahin as leasing director. Nahin, whose resume includes stints at Pindar Systems, Xerox Corp., DuPont and Intergraph, will be responsible for leasing space and helping to develop niche areas within the center.
