High Point – The core business of Collins & Aikman Velvets is to sell automotive interior systems, but that isn't stopping the company from selling velvet upholstery to the furniture industry to the tune of $20 million a year.

''The business has grown substantially in the last three years,'' said George Greene Jr., vice president of marketing and sales. He reports to Dean Goskins, president of the automotive fabrics division.

''Velvet sales were up 40 percent last year,'' said Greene, a veteran furniture fabric employee. The C&A Velvets line sells for $5.25-$15 FOB, but C&A Velvets has just introduced a warp knitted velvet in the $5 range.

''We supply the motion furniture industry, but our greatest success to date is with the stationary furniture business,'' said Greene.

C&A Velvets also exports its velvet products. Export manager Mark Shuford handles jobber accounts in Northeastern America and calls on the automotive market as well. Here, the velvet is glued down to the floor mats.

''Export is steady for us,'' Shuford said. ''England is our biggest market. This is a big velvet market that tends to be a little more traditional than elsewhere.''

Shuford said C&A Velvets is also doing well in New Zealand, Australia, Sweden and Denmark and that it is doing business with some wholesalers in China and Hong Kong.

Greene said that C&A Velvets will expand in the future. ''We have long range plans to grow the business over the next five years, through our own sales force of four sales associates and three full-timers,'' he said. ''The products have wide application, in non-upholstery markets like instrument cases, pillows, infant car seats, apparel and even pet furniture.''

Six years ago, C&A Velvets was joined at the hip with Mastercraft. They shared a sales force and they also exhibited in the same booth at Decosit and Heimtextil. Joan bought Mastercraft but not C&A Velvets. In 1999, C&A Velvets exhibited at Decosit for the first time by itself and now it is showing at Heimtextil alone.

''We're still a small company compared to Joan or Culp,'' said Greene. ''We zero in on the customer much more tightly. We're most successful using cotton yarns as opposed to acrylic yarns. We have an advantage in piece dying and special finishing.''