Tupelo show generates orders
By Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, February 2, 2009
TUPELO, Miss. — Exhibitors wrapped up the Tupelo Furniture Market last week with orders on the books, and said they were glad they were ready before the event officially opened.
A lot of business was done early as major dealers started shopping as many as three days before the new Saturday opening. By the time Saturday rolled around, many had been in and gone and exhibitors were ticking off the names of buyers they had already seen.
In the past, the Tupelo market has started mid-week and ended on a Sunday, but some of the busiest days here were Thursday and Friday for majors who were scouting out market closeouts, discounts and specials.
“They're coming Wednesday, Thursday — they don't care what day it opens,” said Danny Davis, sales manager of upholstery maker Collums Furniture. He said he anticipated the interest in picking up bargains, and “Wednesday morning I was ready for business.”
Several exhibitors said the winter market here remains an important venue to pick up merchandise to entice consumers to spend tax refund checks, which always deliver a boost of business to promotionally oriented manufacturers and their dealers.
“It's going to be tax time coming up,” said Erick McDowell, sales manager of M&W Home Décor Collection, a Mississippi upholstery maker and case goods importer. “If (retailers) can't find deals right here, right now, there's something wrong.”
M&W saw a mix of customers, from large accounts to mom-and-pops, and especially rent-to-own stores, McDowell said. “We love the rent-to-own chains,” he added.
“Our traffic was stronger than last market,” said Christopher DeLaGuardia, vice president of sales for importer Coaster. “We saw buyers early, which was nice,” he added, saying the company saw many Top 100 stores. “We noticed this show that we had buyers from both coasts.”
Many retailers were unsure how fully to stock their stores, said Wanda “Sally” Setliff, vice president of sales and marketing for domestic case goods manufacturer Jimson Mfg. With a steady stream of bad economic news, consumers are afraid to spend, she said.
Buyers in Tupelo were expecting to see good values, said Gil Sturtzel, vice president of upholstery and case goods supplier Davis International. Sturtzel said Davis has streamlined its product construction, with product designers and factory engineers working to deliver the best possible prices.
“When things get slow, people have to be creative and I think there's some really good furniture out there,” he said.
Editor-in-chief Ray Allegrezza and Staff Writer Heath Combs contributed to this story.
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