San Francisco Mart Awards Platinum Passes

Furniture World Magazine

The San Francisco Mart awarded Lifetime Platinum Passes to Dan Feldman and Harold Applebaum of Douglas Furniture and Larry Parnell of Oakwood Interiors and CFMA. They were honored in a ceremony at noon on July 18 at the San Francisco Mart's Tenant Market Luncheon. The SFM Lifetime Platinum Pass is presented to manufacturing executives and sales representatives of tenant organizations who have distinguished themselves through years of service in their careers in the wholesale home furnishings industry, and who have demonstrated long term support for the San Francisco Mart. Douglas Furniture of California is a 100-year-old company and major San Francisco Mart tenant. Started as a moving and storage company in Chicago at the turn of the last century, Douglas evolved into a furniture store and then into a manufacturer of casual dining and upholstery. The company shifted its production to Southern California in 1950 and opened a second plant in Tijuana in 1985, making it a major Mexican producer, as well. Dan Feldman and Harold Applebaum, who serve as co-presidents, have been active at Douglas for 40 years and have been great supporters of the Mart for more than three decades. Applebaum heads manufacturing, while Feldman concentrates on sales and marketing. They recently sold the business to Norwest Equity Partners, but both remain as involved as ever. Applebaum is active with the LA Music Center and Jewish Federation of Southern California, and Feldman gives his time to City of Hope and Federation. Their tenure and success in our industry and their extensive philanthropic activities have earned them Lifetime Platinum Passes. The third award went to Larry Parnell of Oakwood Interiors and CFMA. Parnell got his start in the business in 1969 selling waterbeds in San Jose, Calif. At that time, Parnell began to shop the Mart for accessories. Parnell worked in retail for several years before relocating to Southern California, where he flowed in and out of manufacturing and retail jobs, gaining an extensive education about the industry. Parnell met his partner, Nick Lanphier, in late 1982 and together they launched Oakwood Interiors. While their primary market was waterbeds, they knew they needed to change direction to conventional home furnishings. They began showing at the Mart in the mid-1980s with John McNeil and, thus, they transitioned the company into the successful business it is today. While in the Waterbed industry, Parnell served on the board of directors and was president of the Waterbed Manufactures Association. Parnell has been on the California Furniture Manufacturers Assocation Board for more than seven years and has served the last 3-1/2 years as president. He feels that - as a retailer and as an exhibitor - the San Francisco Mart has always provided him with "R.O.I." and a way to meet with important people from all over the world. The Tenant Market Lunch covered the important areas of domestic design patents, registering designs abroad, trademark and copyright law and other legal issues that affect a manufacturer's or designer's business. Presenters were be Gery Zacher, Richard Sybert and Marc Hankin of Gordon & Rees, a Southern California law firm.