High Point Furniture Market

In the spirit of Spring and the transition and blossoming nature of the season, High Point Market was a welcome respite from the isolation of the pandemic.

It ‘felt’ well attended, both in the buildings and on the streets, and had an old and new quality to it.

Old in the sense of seeing lots of people I have missed in the last couple of years, and the chance to sit and talk about how they and their business have changed.

Old and new in revisiting shared experiences (I got a lot of “You once told me that…” and how that changed their actions and results) and what they built from that experience.

New in the sense of picking up where we left off, being mindful of the gap between, and what can be created now for the future (“Can we work together to address close ratio?”). New in the sense of how business is different as are the opportunities that are present now. Jerry Epperson’s Sunday morning talk added reality and logic to the current conditions regarding price increases and shipping challenges and encouraged all listening to shop the new vendors at Market and not just revisit existing vendors. Many small and nimble players emerged during the last two years with great products for other small and nimble retailers and designers.

And new in the sense of the number of designers attending the Market. I venture a guess that designers now might outnumber retailers, which changes the tone, education events, and product offerings in a dramatic way. So much is possible and so much to look forward to!

Now, go make something special happen.

oxo,
Jody