Jane Seymour: Actress is a hit

Actress's furniture line is hit at Proffitt's
By BETH RUCKER,
October 4, 2003

Keri Stophel, Stefanie White and Shelby White waited in line more than an hour to get actress Jane Seymour's autograph.

The actress was in town presenting her new line of home furnishings to hundreds gathered at Proffitt's at West Town Mall Friday.

"My baby sitter got me into her," said Stophel, a 20-year-old University of Tennessee student. "Every time she baby-sat me, we had to watch 'Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.' "

Seymour and local interior designer Todd Richesin discussed how the St. Catherine's Court Collection, inspired by the actress' 14th- century manor in England, was used to redecorate a Knoxville home. Seymour also answered questions from people in the crowd about the home-furnishing collection, her career and her personal life.

"Jane embodies who our customers are," said Toni Browning, president and chief executive officer of Proffitt's. "She's a mom, she works outside the home, but she also happens to be an actress on the side. Customers relate to her."

Items in the St. Catherine's line are inspired or replicated from some of Seymour's own belongings in her home in England. She said she was so concerned about the line being authentic that she invited the design team to St. Catherine's Court to get a hands-on experience.

"I don't want to just put my name on a random collection," she said. "That's not me; that's not who I am."

She said she soon would introduce a second line of home furnishings inspired by her home in Malibu, Calif. Proffitt's will continue introducing new items in the St. Catherine's collection as well.

Seymour is halfway through her promotional tour, which has been a huge success, said Jeff Simpson, vice president of special events for Proffitt's.

"There's a story behind everything in the collection," he said. "Customers want to know the stories behind everything."

Simpson said that Seymour has been very interested in meeting with Proffitt's sales associates during the tour to get feedback on what customers think of the St. Catherine's collection.

Don and Faye Maddox from Florence, Ky., said they delayed their trip back to Kentucky when they found out Seymour was going to be at the mall.

"We saw she was going to be here and said, 'No, we'll wait,' " Don Maddox said. "I want to get a picture of her."

Beth Rucker may be reached at 865-342-6271.