Every Spring and Fall, in the months of late April and late October, located in High Point, NC, otherwise known to most as “furniture market”, the world’s largest wholesale furnishings market, brings a great deal of energy and a very contagious buzz from nearly 75,000 attendees from around the world. Think two million square feet of showroom space encompassing 180 buildings, spanning over 13 city blocks. Massive, right?! Please remind yourself from the get-go, it’s impossible to see and do it all while you’re there, regardless of how long you attend. Give yourself some grace, get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and have your cameras ready, as lots of photos will be taken!
This was our second market, as we also attended in October. As a new and growing boutique design and decor business, we knew we had to come back while so much was still so fresh and top of mind. Some people have been coming consecutively for 20+ years! We’ve loved exploring new-to-us brands and product lines that resonate with our aesthetic and clientele. While we don’t yet have a physical showroom or storefront, we utilize the market as an opportunity to learn about new product knowledge, keep up with industry trends, meet with our representatives, gain newfound inspiration, and to shop for our current and prospective projects. Not to mention, meet new designer friends from around the world, exchange contact information, and brainstorm on ideas. Everything from behind-the-scenes business practices to thoughts on what’s trending.
A few of our tips and tricks:
While we are by no means “market experts”, we would love to extend a few of our tips and tricks after attending the last two High Point markets.
- Register for Market in advance (you’ll get email notifications for when the registration window opens), along with any and all applicable updates/deadlines for market
- Download the Market app
- Save/favorite your favorite vendors or those you’re interested in, this will come in hand later on since there are so many to remember..
- Study the transportation guide! This has been one of the most finicky things to learn, but it’s not as scary as it can seem! You can hop on and off the shuttles throughout the day. It definitely helps to have a physical copy on hand, or use the app- the main shuttles to and from hotels only run periodically during the day, and if you miss one, you will be forced to Uber or find an alternative means of transportation. Otherwise, shuttles run throughout the entire day to stops throughout the market to alleviate as much walking.
- Pack a portable phone/device charger – we love THESE power banks by the brand Rorry that can keep your devices in check without taking up too much more room.
- Wear comfortable shoes! Even if you bring two pairs of shoes, always have something more comfortable to switch into as your feet start to crave relief – our favorite stylish and comfy sneakers are from Back 70 and come in such a variety of colorways.
- Keep a high-protein snack and water bottle on hand: while most of the showrooms have snacks and beverages, it’s easy to feel a little dehydrated and hungry when on the go, and shuttling to a from market, so having something convenient is healthy.
- On the same topic above, the amount and type of food/beverage drastically varies. The larger showrooms and brands will host breakfast, lunch, and dinner, some have full bars, some have passed hors d’oeuvres, it just ranges. We do our best to use the App and highlight the events we’d like to attend, and plan to stay in one building or area 2-4 hours each in length at a time.
A few of our favorite brands/showrooms, broken up by buildings or districts.
313 Space: Pooky Lighting, Thompson Traders, Red Egg, Isidore Leroy, Abigail Ahern, Brass Hardware, Potterton Books
Amadi Collective: Design Social Pop Up: Charlotte Gaisford, Emily Baker Studio, Modern Matter Hardware, Benjamin Moore, Birdie Fortescue, Dunes & Dutchess, House of Hackney
Hamilton St: Chelsea House, Wildwood, Gabby, Summer Classics, Hickory Chair, CR Laine
Suites at Market Square: PIPER Collective, The Pillow Bar, Reprotique, Hudson Valley Lighting, Hinkley Lighting, Thibaut, English Village Lane, Fabricut, Ella B. Candles, Art & Forge Hardware, Coley Home, Antique Design Center, Austin Williams Art, Benton Lane, Boda Acrylic, County Road, Eastern Accents, Guild Cabinetry, Lantern & Scroll, Painted Paper, Laura Park, Martha & Ash, Memoire Design, Napa Home & Garden, Pom Pom at Home, Qururom, Signature Pillows, Zafferano.
IFHC: Villa and House, JDouglas, Regina Andrew, Worthen Iron & Brass, Currey & Co., Abigails, Mirror Home, Worlds Away, Paragon, Port68, Cooper Classics, Tempaper & Co.
Commerce: Visual Comfort, Arteriors,
Steele: Jessica Charles, Woodbridge, LM Custom Carpets, Taylor King, Kravet, Highland House, Phillips Scott, Maitland Smith
Trends we’re seeing in the design space:
- Jewel tone hues
- Fringe embellishments
- Cordless, innovative, and whimsical lighting
- Curvy silhouettes
- Use of leather and interesting textures
- Mid-century modern (MCM) influence
- Lots of color, print, and pattern drenching
- High gloss lacquers
Designer collaborations we witnessed first-hand at market:
- Eric Ross – Chelsea House “FOUND” Collection
- Caitlin Wilson – Peacock Alley
- Charlotte Lucas – Taylor King
- Ellen Merchant – Pooky Lighting
- Barrie Benson – Highland House
- Erin Gates – Cooper Classics
- Marie Flanigan – Visual Comfort
- Suzanne Kasler – Art & Forge Hardware
Travel tips:
The closest airports to High Point are: Greensboro (closest), Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham (each are approximately an hour and a half away from HP), pending your flight itinerary. There’s a shuttle that takes you to and from High Point if that makes the most sense for your schedule.
Where we stayed/shuttle schedule – highly suggest staying in Winston-Salem.
Because not too much goes on during the “off” months when the market is not in session, hotels drastically increase their rates, some nearly triple the price that they would normally charge. On average, you can expect standard hotel rooms to be $400-600 per night. Note: there are not many hotel options in the immediate High Point area, and the ones that are there sell out quickly or, they are very costly. The same thing goes for rentals.
We lucked out with finding a short-term rental in downtown Winston-Salem that was convenient and walkable in an area easily accessible to the market shuttles in the immediate vicinity (1-2 blocks away). We stayed at a hotel for our first market in the fall, in a very similar area downtown Winston-Salem, so we knew it was trustworthy and safe.
HERE’S where we stayed this time and would definitely stay again or suggest to someone else! The host was incredibly responsive to any questions or comments, the unit was clean, and we found the price to be reasonable in comparison to the other options. This location is very walkable to several good restaurants and coffee shops, which makes sense, as you will start and end your day closest to your accommodation, but the majority of your day is going to be spent at the market itself.
Uber/Lyft: to give a price perspective: Uber/rideshare transportation from the airport to Winston-Salem or Winston-Salem to High Point (around 35 minutes each trip) is around $50-$60 per trip depending on the surge since so many people are on the same route and drivers are in such a high demand.
A few of our favorite dining spots in downtown Winston-Salem we checked out:
The Katherine (located inside of the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel Downtown)
Butcher & Bull (located inside of the Marriott Downtown)
Village Tavern (located at Reynolda Village)
For additional information and inspiration, we highly recommend checking out the following local publications:
The Scout Guide Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro, High Point)
City Lifestyle – Greensboro Living
A few design publications we love reading:
- Veranda Magazine
- Architectural Digest
- House Beautiful
- Business of Home (BOH)
- Southern Home
- Flower Magazine
MORE FYI!
Most showrooms offer beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), as well as at a minimum of snacks, and sometimes more hand-held items or horderves, but do not depend on this to stay fueled up and hydrated. We suggest keeping a snack and water bottle on you. There are various places to grab coffee or a quick bite to eat.
You will likely collect lots of business cards, brochures, and samples during the course of the market. While you can opt for digital copies to be sent to you after market, and most brands follow up with email correspondence, you should definitely have some sort of bag on you to act as a “catch all”. We personally depend on our versatile crossbody (love the MZ Wallace Crosby Sling!) for personal or valuable items, which makes it easy to go hands-free. It’s easy to get distracted and accidentally set your bag down as you walk around showrooms. The market itself and many of the showrooms give a complimentary tote bag, but keep in mind, your arm is going to quickly get weighed down throughout the day.
We saw lots of Hulken and various small rolling travel bags this market, so this avenue is being considered for future market events. However, a con to this is that it is somewhat more difficult to get on and off shuttles and somewhat cumbersome to venture through the showroom with it. Select showrooms, the larger ones, will let you keep your bag at the front or in a designated spot for you while you browse around. Believe us, it’s much easier to walk around and have peace of mind when your hands are free! Consider this a luxury service.
Check your extra bags! Speaking of bags, they can add up quickly, or you might be between travels, which can easily bog you down. During this market, we utilized the bag check. Located on the 2nd Floor of the IFHC building, right off the main shuttle drop-off. They made it super easy, and they have broad hours to correspond with the showrooms and shuttle schedules.
Sign up/register for trade accounts in advance. As we’ve gotten more familiar with brands and showrooms, we’ve done our best to register for trade accounts in advance of attending market/trade shows. That way, if you anticipate placing an order or familiarizing yourself with a representative during the market, it makes it more seamless to place an order or get buying information. Even for the sake of ordering samples and memos, the showroom will already have your information on file so it cuts out that extra step.
Wear your market badge. Every single showroom scans the QR code on your badge immediately upon entry. This helps vendors note who visited their space, gives the chance for your rep to meet you if they are available, and is a good opportunity for them to follow up after the fact. In turn, it will remind you where you visited.
Grab a copy of the market map/handbook, and free reading material (if you have the room to carry and take it back with you). We enjoy grabbing complimentary industry reads like Business of Home.
We are already looking forward to planning and attending the next High Point Market and hope some of these details were helpful!
Planning is clearly key! The next HPMKT: Fall ‘26 Market Dates: October 17th-21st. We hope this post was helpful! Feel free to reach out with any questions, and as always, check out the FAQ from the market site HERE.
