KMART GOES K-MARTHA : CHAIN TO CARRY STEWART LINE.Byline: Rachel Beck Rachel Beck is an American reporter for the Lebanon Express in Lebanon, Oregon. Born 5 April, 1982, she was raised in Sisters, Oregon. In 2000, she graduated from Sisters High School[1]. She graduated from Vassar College with the class of 2004. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Watch for Martha Stewart <noinclude></noinclude> Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. as the next blue-light special. The goddess of home living is loosening her upscale image to launch a new bed, bath and paint line at Kmart that will bring her style of 1990s country life to the mass market. Tea-color paint and plaid-rose shower curtains could soon be part of your home, as can yellow gingham bed skirts, multi-plaid-check pillow shams and light blue toilet seat covers. It's all part of the broad line announced Wednesday over a lunch of salmon and risotto ri·sot·to n. pl. ri·sot·tos A dish of rice cooked in broth, usually with saffron, and served with grated cheese. [Italian, from riso, rice, from Old Italian; see rice. at one of Stewart's estates. Grand bedrooms, 13 in all, filled with antique furniture Antique furniture is the term for collectible interior furnishings of considerable age; often its age, rarity, condition, utility, or other unique features makes the furniture desirable. , stark walls and not a thing out of place helped show off the new products that will begin to fill Kmart stores March 1. ``I want colors and styles that are appropriate in everyone's home,'' Stewart said, adding that the new Kmart line will allow shoppers to mix and match products to fit their needs. It's hardly an image associated with Kmart, known for its shelves of motor oil, toys and baby clothes. ``Martha is another step in the renaissance of the Kmart Corp.,'' said Floyd Hall Floyd Hall is an American business executive. Hall was the Chief Executive Officer of Kmart from June 1995–2001. During Hall's term in office, the chain sold off several specialty businesses to focus on its core discount store business, and enjoyed a string of quarterly , chairman and chief executive at Troy, Mich.-based Kmart and a luncheon guest. ``Martha's line will put Kmart in a leadership position.'' The venture is the first major promotion for Stewart since she took control two weeks ago of her media empire, which includes Martha Stewart Living Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. magazine, a syndicated TV show and some book publishing book publishing. The term publishing means, in the broadest sense, making something publicly known. Usually it refers to the issuing of printed materials, such as books, magazines, periodicals, and the like. operations. Millions of Americans are intrigued by her relaxed country club style, looking to her for guidance on how to cook, bake, garden, sew and decorate. Her magazine has more than 2 million subscribers and her television program will go from one to five days a week next fall. She's also known to be a bit of a tyrant tyrant, in ancient history, ruler who gained power by usurping the legal authority. The word is perhaps of Lydian origin and carried with it no connotation of moral censure. , which was obvious Wednesday with her minor outbursts to the hired help Noun 1. hired help - employee hired for domestic or farm work (often used in the singular to refer to several employees collectively) employee - a worker who is hired to perform a job kitchen help - help hired to work in the kitchen over what serving spoons to use and how to clear the table. But Kmart isn't worried about Stewart's off-camera reputation. The discount retailer is counting on her dedicated followers to drive lots of traffic into their stores nationwide. It's the second licensing agreement between Kmart and Stewart. The first one began nine years ago, but fell apart when Kmart ran into financial trouble a few years ago. ``Customers trust Martha Stewart to inspire a sense of style that they can confidently and comfortably bring to life in their own homes,'' Kmart's Hall said. Martha Stewart Everyday will now be the main brand in Kmart's bed and bath department and in many stores it will be one of the first displays to greet consumers when they enter the store. Department managers, known as ``Martha managers,'' will have broad knowledge of colors and designs to help those not-so-savvy shoppers pick the ``appropriate'' mix for their home. Every paint section will have a display to direct consumers on what combinations to use for each of their rooms. ``You should use a number of different colors in each room,'' advised Stewart. There will also be 800-number and an Internet site to aid those consumers who aren't as confident as Stewart with their home decorating. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) A country-plaid patterned bed collection is part of the Martha Stewart Everyday line to be sold at Kmart. (2) Kmart head Floyd Hall and home living guru Martha Stewart chat before announcing an alliance to market bed, bath and paint products. Associated Press |
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