Eye-catching local furniture stealing hearts

Eye-catching local furniture stealing hearts
Kaieteur News
October 2, 2007

Nestled among the many local products on display at GuyExpo 2007 are a
number of eye-catching furniture stores which offer a wide variety of
creatively-styled pieces.

However, one of the more captivating furniture booths is the Steel Pro which
expertly produces household pieces from steel.

With over 20 years experience in the furniture business, Steel Pro has
proven to be among the favourites of many visitors to the booth located in
the main auditorium.

Managed and directed by Ivor Bunbury, Steel Pro is situated at 37 Victoria
Road , Plaisance, and supplies quality school, household and office
furnishings.

Yesterday, Kaieteur News caught up with Company Representative Joseph
Stewart who promises that Steel Pro furnishings are unique to the furniture
industry.

Stewart pointed out that a wide variety of dinette sets, bar chairs,
mirrors, garden chairs, steel rockers, beds, lamp, flower stands, executive,
patio chairs, typist chairs and cubicles are among the classic pieces.

He related that one of the many visitors, Minister of Agriculture Robert
Persaud, expressed surprise that the furnishing were produced locally.

Commenting on the purpose of the yearly exhibition, Stewart disclosed that
showcasing at GuyExpo has produced encouraging results for the company.

He said that the company has received bulk orders as well as foreign
interest from as far as Indonesia .

"GuyExpo has assisted in establishing to those who did not know, that we are
in existence, and a businessman from Indonesia has shown interest in our
pieces for a restaurant he is setting up here," Stewart said.

A few yards away from the Steel Pro exhibit, is L-Mart Exclusive Wicker Cane
Furnishings.

L-Mart, which was established in 1993 to manufacture exclusively designed
furniture, is the brainchild of Viola Lall.

It was Lall's ideas and innovations which ended up breathing new life into
an industry that had little recognition in Guyana .

"She came up with the idea that her company could turn out better products
made from local nibbi and kuffa. This idea is now a thriving reality,"
Factory Supervisor Gillian Bisnauth told Kaieteur News.

During their short history, L-Mart has been the recipient of two prestigious
awards: the Guyana Manufacturing Association (GMA) Award and the Caribbean
Authentic Seal Award (Caribbean Export Development Agency).

After seven years in designing, manufacturing and sales on both local and
overseas markets, L-Mart is now a successful leader in the furniture
industry.

Among the famed pieces are the glass-top Essequibo bar as well as the
mini-bar and wine cellar.

According to Bisnauth, the company does have a few customers in the
Caribbean but does not manufacture on a large scale.

Commenting on the type of customers that L-Mart attracts, Bisnauth said, "It
goes with a person's taste, some folks like antique stuff."

She stressed that L-Mart craftsmen are dedicated to the intricate art of
wicker and cane furnishings and it is the pursuit of this dedication that
yields the finest in quality and styles of excellence.

The company's aim is to achieve only the best in every piece of furnishing
produced and is on a constant quest for new designs which has secured them
the title of "Top Designer Art of Excellence".

The L-Mart showroom is located at 183 E Quamina Street, South Cummingsburg,
Georgetown .

Just nearby to L-Mart is F&T Designs which displays an exotic range of home
furnishings with an air of lavishness.

According to the booth attendant, F&T designs built-in dishwasher, sink and
stove kitchen counters made from sedimentary rocks.