Shelton family members, Steve, Olive and Jason. - Contributed

Chasing a larger high-end market for its line of imported luxury furni-ture, décor accessories and finishes, and buoyed by the $56 million it achieved last year in sales to individuals and resorts in Jamaica and elsewhere in the Caribbean, the Montego Bay-based Matahari Enterprises Limited is expanding to the Corporate Area with a new store set to open its doors in September.

The family-owned business has taken over the Windsor Avenue location of the former Bali Furniture Company, which in the past built up a following among higher income earners for exotic furniture imported from the South East Asian island of Bali in Indonesia.

The Financial Gleaner was unable to ascertain how much was spent to acquire the property on the outskirts of the New Kingston business hub, or the cost of the current refurbishing, but the family of Olive and Steve Shelton and their son, Jason, will be spending more than $4 million (US$50,000) on initial stock of Indonesian items for the new outlet.

"We want to tap into the diversity of the Kingston market, especially the expanded retail market in order to supplement Montego Bay retail sales.," said Jason Shelton, Matahari's marketing manager.

"Also, there is considerably more mid to high-end residential developments in Kingston that we want to target."

Shelton says the business' corporate client base includes Couples Tower Isle, formerly Couples Ocho Rios; several Sandals and Beaches properties; Montego Bay's new, high priced Palmyra Resort; the high-end Trident hotel in Portland; Montego Bay's intimate 24-room Emerald Escape and Windjammer in St Lucia.

The company credits much of the boom the business is now experiencing to the fact that it supplies custom built furnishings and décor finish to suit individual taste and style.

"The Buckingham and Clarence Suites at Sandals Royal, all bedroom furniture, bars and the suites at Sandals Negril, were redone by us," Shelton said, noting that Matahari has been able to provide the furniture in keeping with the all-inclusive chain's upgrade to luxury accommodations.

Sandals' director of projects, Eleanor Miller, said the resort chain is satisfied with Matahari's supply record.

"The product is excellent and that is why we continue to buy from them," she said.

Even so, the Sheltons are treading cautiously in a market that has not been kind to somesuppliers of more traditional furniture and to other firms that have sold imported furnishings.

"Because of the larger retail market we are investing more heavily in faster turning inventory like accessories and smaller pieces of furniture," the man behind the company's marketing thrust said.

Currently, retail sales are generated mainly from the firm's showroom at Bogue Industrial Estate, just outside the Montego Bay city centre.

"We get a lot of support from the local market, but there is still a lot more that Matahari can do," said Shelton.

While the company imports primarily furniture of teak, mahogany, synthetic and natural weave (wicker) supplied by a range of manufactures in Indonesia, the owners are also looking to grow another line of business that provides marble flooring, counter tops, bathroom fixtures, tiles, custom-made brass furniture, limestone and other natural stone flooring, wood decking, windows and doors, water features and statues from natural stone or terrazzo.

"What sets us apart from other companies in Jamaica is our ability to customise just about any type of furniture, whether it be outdoor, synthetic, natural weave - wicker, banana, water hyacinth, sea grass - anything across the board," noted the marketing director.

The Sheltons also own a small bottle manufacturing company called Bay Packaging and Containers, also based in Montego Bay.

Olive and her husband, Steve Shelton, an engineer who has worked extensively in the oil and gas industries, lived in Southeast Asia for 23 years, 20 of which were spent in Indonesia and the rest in Singapore and South Korea.

It was during their years in Indonesia that Olive Shelton developed the hobby of collecting antique furniture and visiting furniture factories and showrooms in Java and Bali.

She says she fell in love with Indonesian culture, history and craftsmanship and admits to having envisioned for many years, owning her own furniture business.

Olive Shelton is maintaining that her company's products and suppliers are meticulously selected based on quality.

According to her, Matahari's craftsmen adhere to the highest standard of manufacturing and finishing and all their furniture is quality controlled during fabrication, finishing and packaging.

For example, she noted, all the wood used in the manufacture of their furniture is kiln dried to guard against cracking.

Both mother and son contend that it is cheaper to import their products than getting them made locally, and assert that the quality of their imported furniture and accessories is better that comparative items available locally.

"Particularly when you are dealing with the hospitality industry, the furniture needs to withstand commercial use," Jason Shelton said.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com