HIGH POINT MARKET: Market memories

Furniture executives share favorite moments from past 100 years

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, April 23, 2009

HIGH POINT — To help celebrate this spring's 100th anniversary of the High Point Market, Furniture/Today asked industry members to share their favorite memories of the market. Here are some highlights:

 

My most memorable High Point experience was in April of 2008. That market, we celebrated the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of our new expanded aspenhome showroom. This date commemorated the further expansion of our brand, and provided the ideal platform to better reach our current and prospective new customers on the East Coast. Watching the interest, and feeling the enthusiasm and support of the High Point community, including the International Home Furnishings Center, the High Point Market Authority, as well as many local political and community leaders was overwhelming and inspiring.

This event was at the heart of what makes the High Point Market great; it is truly a market where the world of furniture gathers to elevate the furniture industry and to move it forward.

William Colegrove
CEO and General Manager
Aspenhome

 

The 1960s: A whirlwind of driving, visits
My first furniture market was in April 1963. I was a rookie buyer for the Sibley, Lindsay and Curr Co. department store divison of Associated Dry Goods, located in Rochester, New York. My boss, Jack Blake, had just been promoted to divisional merchandise manager, and I replaced him as buyer. The furniture department at Sibley's, in those days, had two buyers. I was a buyer of case goods and upholstery, including the galleries, and Lewis Van Dusen, bought the bedding, casual/summer, and the colonial department.

In the 60s, there were still two or three important department stores in every major city, and many smaller cities, in America. Sibley's was the biggest and most prestigious in Rochester, with a 50,000-square-foot downtown furniture floor, including galleries and model rooms. We would visit regional markets in Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Jamestown N.Y.... but High Point was the "big" one.
In 1963, most department store people still wore hats, and everyone dressed in suits and ties to travel. We flew in an old prop. Mohawk plane from Rochester through Washington, D.C., and then Eastern into Charlotte Douglas Airport, where we rented a car and drove up to Drexel, N.C. We checked in to the Rainbow Inn (three to a room) in time for cocktails and a steak dinner at the Drexel hospitality suite there. After dinner, a few of the more intrepid buyers went with some of the Drexel "boys" to the Elks Club for more libation and some blackjack. North Carolina was a "dry" state at that time, and liquor was only available at private clubs or by "brown-bagging." Reps who drove to market would bring their own supplies plus some for their dealers.

After visiting Drexel Furniture, we drove to Lenoir to visit the Bernhardt, Hammary and Broyhill factory showrooms. I remember being at Broyhill, looking over new product, when a hush came over the place. Carl Bryant and Otto Overby of Macy's had just walked in! It was like royalty had arrived, and everyone started speaking in whispers.
Cocktails that evening were at the Bernhardt Lodge, followed by dinner at the old Lenoir Country Club. That night, we stayed at the Green Mountain Inn at Blowing Rock. We then went on to Hickory and the Merchandise and Furniture Marts, along with stops at Century, Hickory Chair and Hickory Mfg. On the fourth morning, we headed east towards High Point. Interstate 40 was not built at the time, so it was not a direct route. Approaching High Point, we stopped at Lexington to visit Dixie Furniture. United Furniture was the second stop there, and then on to Thomasville and American Square. Our High Point digs were at the old Robert E. Lee Hotel in Winston-Salem, and we could now unpack and settle in for three nights, just two to a room.

I had been at my first market for four days and still had not seen High Point, the namesake of the whole thing. Needless to say, the buildings themselves were a fraction of what they are today, and there were only three of them -- the Main building with Wrenn and Green Drive additions, and two smaller buildings across Main Street. Market Square was still the Tomlinson factory, Hamilton was just a street. The motel on the corner of Main and Green was called the New South, and it was filled with the who's who of the industry. The String and Splinter Dinner Club was on the top floor, and it was a treat to be invited there.

Our approach to the buildings was to go to the top floor, and work our way down one floor at a time. Appointments were impossible to adhere to, but our vendors were patient, and we did get to see everyone on the correct day, if not a specific time, as well as many others along the way. In looking over my old spiral notebooks of market notes, I can say that, altogether, we visited 35 or more manufacturers each market. Obviously, we could not buy from that many, but we were welcomed by all, and decisions pretty much had to be made on the spot, because there was very little going back for a second look. One of the first lessons I learned on this trip was how to exit a showroom gracefully and quickly, without buying. I learned that giving a legitimate reason for not buying, that the rep could then share with his boss, was welcomed even though an order would have been much better.

On the fourth afternoon in High Point, we found ourselves racing out of town on Route 68, a two-way country road, in our rental car to the old High Point Airport (it wasn't Greensboro yet). We left the car right outside the entrance, ran by the rental agency to tell them where it was and got to the gate just in time.

In retrospect, I can say that these are very fond memories. I guess it wasn't an easy market, there weren't many amenities, it was all male, and it was very tiring. We ate steak every night and drank too much. I can safely say, however, that I am very grateful for my experiences in the furniture industry. Above all were the relationships that one built with the people involved. Over the years, it was my privilege to know and spend time with many of the early leaders and movers of the industry. Those who are still around know who they are; many others are in the Hall of Fame.

Ken MacArtney
Consultant to Grupo Quadro, Mexico City and a former retail executive

 

My favorite High Point Market memory occurs every market when I go into the Waffle House in Kernersville. I go into the Waffle House on the first morning (and, in fact, every morning both markets) and immediately Pat, the manager yells out that "market guy" is here!! The staff at the Waffle House knows that market starts when "that market guy comes here"!
Stu Perlmutter
President
Harold's Furniture, Lebanon, Pa.

 

A hidden treasure
I believe it was April 1989 when Darafeev first showed at High Point. The car bars, juke boxes, and our game and bar sets certainly were ‘interesting' to marketgoers, but I can trace that to be the time we first met Darrell Harris, who still is a major dealer of ours.

I can send a photo of one of the unique items we showed, which we now have at our Southern California showroom, of a restored Vendo Coke Machine. Everyone would ask "Where do you find these?" and I would share about all the unique stories of how we come across these classics. This particular one was found...in the basement of IHFC!

Darafeev went through some ‘adolescent' periods, the gameroom focus, the 50s bubblegum phase, and now, the Home Resort Furniture phase. What's that? We're still writing the book.

I'm not sure whether we were not ready for High Point, or High Point was not ready for Darafeev, but today are in talks with Tom Loney about returning.

Paul Darafeev
President
Darafeev

 

Braving the elements
We did not know a thing about High Point until eight years ago when we bought a small permanent botanical manufacturing company and found a temporary showroom at the Market was part of the deal.

We had no clue what that meant.

We were late to register, could not find a hotel room, and renting a house was too confusing since we did not know the lay of the land.

So my husband decided to rent an RV, the biggest he could find. Unfortunately, the drive from Atlanta to High Point was in one of those spring storms with gale force winds whipping the RV from side to side, all over I-85. I became reacquainted with the saints as I prayed to every one I could remember as we literally sailed across that narrow, old, exposed bridge high on the ridge, just south of the North Carolina state line.

We got to the RV park late, in the dark, wind and rain. The only lot available was on a slope. My job was to stand in the mud and wave ‘back up', like the folks on the airport runways. I didn't realize I had to watch the top of the rolling monster as well as the sides, and we sheared off the mirrors and antennas in the trees.

Then, we couldn't get the levelers to work, which jack up one side to level the interior to some semblance of normalcy.

We listed at a 35 degree angle for the run of market. Consider the difficulties; while the stove burners sloped at 35 degrees, the gas flame shot straight up. The old expression, "She couldn't even boil water" took on new meaning. Food rolled off the table. Mr. Coffee didn't drip; he drooled. The shower obeyed the laws of gravity, so one had to lean into it, at 35 degrees. The shower drain also followed the laws of gravity, requiring repeated kicks uphill to drain the tub. Imagine the gymnastics required to put on panty hose, standing on one foot at a time, at 35 degrees.

Fortunately, some pretty wonderful people took us in hand. Trish Williams, from Home Accents Today, introduced us around. Kimberly Wray, now with the Market Authority, explained how things worked. Our showroom neighbor, Connie Post, showed us how showrooms should look. Leasing manager Tim McGee could be counted on for advice. Nan (who legally has no last name but reps Baddash Crystal) dragged strangers into our then out-of-the-way showroom. Dorothy Hatch, of Dallas' Grover Nash, explained the intricacies of the sales rep system.

Our first market customers included some of the grand old names of the industry, and we thought maybe this crazy idea of ours just might work. Machiko Penny, of WE Smythe, Steve Grobe, with Marshall Fields, Harold Grossman of Lurye Furniture, JoAnne Boone, Boone Homes, Joe and Freida Sokol of Morris Sokol, Gail Maynard and Merrill Gattis, from Colony Furniture, offered encouragement and suggestions, and God love them, our first orders.

These great folks and so many others taught us the true secret of High Point Market. Imaginative, entrepreneurial, resourceful and kind people bring a whole industry to life in a whirlwind of creativity, hard work and old fashioned grit. We've been leaning into that creative force of nature ever since.
Kathy Lang Albright
Atrium Foliage

 

A challenging day

My first High Point Market with Furniture/Today was October, 1977. We were just starting our second year of publication with offices located in the National Furniture Mart at the corner of Main and Commerce.

The fire alarm sounded the first day of market and we were told to evacuate. There probably weren't more than a dozen on our staff at that time. We exited down the staircase and stood outside on the street, watching smoke billow out of the 9th floor window. (Someone had tossed a cigar into a trash can.)

Once firemen put out the fire, we were told that every floor was filled with smoke and that we would not be able return to work in the building for a few days until the smoke was cleared. We were panicked as we were already in the midst of putting out our market daily issues.

The IHFC came to our rescue. The head of the press room (I forget her name) invited us to use the press room and the typewriters that were normally reserved for domestic and international journalists. We immediately moved what we could take with us to the press room, which was then located in a downstairs area below the main floor, and set up operations. Furniture/Today came out on time everyday and very few people knew how much we owed to the kindness of the IHFC.
Joseph Carroll
Publisher
Furniture/Today

 

A ‘circus' filled with activity
The very word "market" stirs up so many simultaneous emotions and memories. It reminds me of being a kid and hearing the word "circus."

High Point Market is indeed more than a three-ring show, with lots of Masters of Ceremony, daredevils, acrobats, lion tamers, and even a few clowns. There seem to be a lot of "high wire" acts these days!

As to my most poignant market memory, it is an amalgam of the faces of all the kind and talented folks who have welcomed and helped my family and me through the years. We are very grateful to all of you, and hope to see you all "under the Big Top."

Alexander Julian
Designer

 

A ‘match made in High Point'
I was at the 1981 October Market. I had been informed at the last minute by a company that it was mandatory that I attend a national sales meeting.

Little did I know that I would meet the woman of my dreams at this show.

The company I worked for was showing in the National Building on the fourth floor. I was standing in the hallway outside the showroom when this very attractive lady came walking down the hall to say hello to another sales rep. He was busy with a customer so we struck up a conversation. She informed me that she was moving from Minnesota to California, where I am from. I gave her my card and asked her to call me when she arrived in California.

Several weeks later she called and we got together for a drink. Well, one thing led to another and we started dating. Neither one of us wanted a serious relationship, but as time went on we both realized that this was an attraction that was meant to be.

In May of 1982 we were married in Las Vegas. This year, we will celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary.

This was a match made in High Point that fate played a big part in. Thank you, High Point!
Earle and Mary Herbert
Manufacturers sales representatives

 

Working without a plan
I remember my first market was in the fall of 1977. I went down with my Dad. We really did not plan much as I do now. We took the elevator to the top of the IHFC's Main wing and just walked down each floor and looked at the guides by the elevator to see if we wanted to visit anyone on the floor. That's impossible to do now with so much more to see, but it worked well for us then.
Jed Ackerman
President
Stage Door Furniture, Pawling, N.Y.

 

Writing orders as ‘fast as we could'
I attended the High Point Market several times in the late 1930s with my father. The market building was leased to the government during the war and was not returned to the industry until 1947. I attended my first working market in January 1948. However, this was not a typical market as we know it, because we were still on allotment. There was so much pent-up demand that for three years (1946 to 1948), the manufacturers just doled out the furniture as fast as they could make it.

There was a substantial economic readjustment in 1948 and 1949. It was like someone turned the lights off and we went from being oversold to being unable to dispose of our production. This was a severe recession for us at that time. It didn't last very long, and by the end of 1949 business was getting back to normal.

The High Point furniture building at that time was the single unit that still can be seen plainly on Main Street. They constructed a four-floor addition to the height of the building in the early ‘40s. Broyhill had taken the majority of the top floor. The traffic pattern for many dealers was to start on top and work their way down; therefore, we were hard hit on the opening days of the market. On Monday morning, our salesmen would be in the Broyhill space between 6:30 and 7 a.m. because the crowds literally poured in. There was no way we could keep up with the crowds, and most of our good customers would walk through the space, speak their hellos, and make a date to come back later.

In later years the market seemed to enter into a time of making placements rather than really writing orders. In those early days, we wrote notes frantically during the day and then we would write the orders up at night.

The furniture was lined up back to back; there was no decoration, carpets, lamps nor soft lighting. There was no air conditioning and everyone smoked. When you walked into our space, it was like walking into a cloud, yet back in those days we all seemed to be used to it.

At that time the double dresser and triple dresser had not yet been invented and the pattern of buying was very different, particularly from North to South. In the South, we sold a vanity, either a chest or a ‘robe, and a poster bed. In the North, we sold a single dresser, chest and panel bed. In dining room in the South, we sold a buffet, either a straight china or a breakfront china, a table, and six chairs. In the North, we sold a breakfront china, a table and four chairs.

During my career, we had a great period of time when we were constantly expanding our line, our organization and our facilities. However, it wasn't straight up. Every three or four years, we had a substantial downturn and had to be able to withstand these ups and downs.

The vast complex of buildings making up the High Point Market today, the method of display and sales, as well as the products are a far cry from those of days gone by.

I have very happy memories of those early days with the crowds pouring into our space and of writing orders as fast as we could. It was fun in those days.

Paul Broyhill
Retired CEO and chairman
Broyhill Furniture

 

Springtime in the South
Spring 1973 was my first High Point Market. I had been hired by Ethan Allen as advertising manager and had moved my family from Ohio to Connecticut. I was so excited about this new industry and the beauty of the North Carolina landscape with the spring flowers all in bloom. I remember meeting Otto Zenke and seeing his showroom and thinking how one day I would like to be a designer like Otto.

The rest is history. I am still enchanted by spring in High Point. How lucky we all are to experience this beautiful part of the United States.
Joe Ruggiero
Designer

Lots of colorful memories
+ Wayne Burris and the Playboy Playmates.

+ Ben Jarnagin and his promotional antics including the Oscar Mayer wiener, buffaloes and rickshaws.

+ Sid Lenger's "Doll House Collection."

+ Lane's Indian- themed product including, sand painters from New Mexico.

+ The press parties and the coveted ticket to get in, along with many sponsored manufacturer and supplier parties.

+ The outlandish clothes many of the media arrived with.

+ The "wordsmithing" that accompanied new introductions.

+ Ron Wanek's truck caravan through downtown.

Doug Brackett
Retired executive vice president
American Furniture Manufacturers Assn.

 

Directions, please?
The event that I remember the most from High Point occurred in 1991, and always makes me laugh. After showing in a 10 by 20-foot space for two or three markets, and begging the IHFC to give me space in the main building as a permanent exhibitor, I was finally given a 1,200-square-foot permanent showroom on the third floor of the Green wing. The space was next to the bathroom, and tucked away in a corner, where no one walked by. After setting up on the first day, I left the space to go make a few photocopies. On my way back, it took me 20 minutes to find my own space, and I was asking every buyer I could find where AICO was. People kept telling me that I needed to look at the directory. Finally, after finding my space, every time I wanted to leave the showroom, I thought twice about leaving. At the end of that show, I had five orders, and three got cancelled.
Michael Amini
Founder and CEO
AICO/Amini Corp.

 

A ‘red letter' day
My best memory of the High Point Market happened on July 9, 1956, during my very first market in the Globe Parlor Furniture Showroom on the fourth floor of the Southern Furniture Exposition Building now known as the IHFC. This was a red-letter day for me as I met my wife to be Wanna Mcanally, who was working with her friend Ellen Foscue, the daughter of my boss, Henry A. Foscue, president of Globe and the SFEB.

Wanna and Ellen were friends both attending Duke University and had landed a job with SFEB for the July market as telephone girls. They answered the only telephone on the fourth floor and relayed information to the showrooms. They also delivered aAttendance reports to all the showrooms listing the dealers with addresses that had registered at the market.
After graduation from NCSU and 2 years of military service, I was lucky to get an interview with Mr. Foscue at Globe for a sales training opportunity and I got the job. So I started to work at Globe on Feb. 15, 1956; met Wanna Mcanally on July 9, 1956; and married Wanna on Feb.y 15, 1958. Thanks be to the High Point Market, as I would not have moved to High Point where I was given my first job in the furniture industry and met my wonderful bride.

Bill Blanton
Consultant
Blanco Consultants

Market Sizzle was a time to relax
Just as High Point celebrates its 100th Anniversary this year, I will celebrate my 40th year of attending THE Furniture Market. My father, Al Maynard, started our business, and one of his favorite activities was attending the High Point Market. He always emphasized the importance of attending every High Point Market, and during this time I have never missed one.

My fondest memory is an event that was held during each market for years, the Market Sizzle. The Sizzle was sponsored by IHFC, the reps association and the Southern Home Furnishings Assn., and was always held toward the end of market (usually on Monday night). It was a great opportunity to get together with fellow reps, industry executives and fellow retailers and celebrate another successful week in High Point. Thanks to the support of the market building, each year we had great entertainment and danced until the lights went out!

The event also allowed the reps to recognize members of their group for outstanding service, as well as a furniture retailer from the Southeast with the Furniture World Award of Merit. Many of those recognized were my good friends, and it was a wonderful opportunity to share in their accomplishments as well as their contributions to the furniture industry.

Times change, and eventually the Market Sizzle went away, but the memories of that evening and the friendships I've enjoyed and renewed at the High Point Market each year will last forever. Thanks to IHFC, SHFA and the reps association for putting on a first- class event that I'll never forget!

Rex Maynard
President
Maynard's Home Furnishings, Belton, S. C.

Phones can be a challenge!
"My first trip to High Point, I parked against the closed down Tomlinson Furniture Factory. I checked in to the Sheraton on Main Street and then waited in line to get a phone to call my wife and business partner Judith to tell her I made it! Once I got a phone, I had to wait for a while to get a dial tone ...Of course I still can't get a dial tone on my cell in the IHFC building today, but I have been coming back for almost 30 years."

A. John Rose
President
Textillery Weavers

The Market Square ‘God'
"I remember when Market Square opened and the talk was that God was in town and his name was Jake Froelich , the man who was the owner and visionary for the Market Square building. That was because everyone knew that it seemed to be an impossible feat to accomplish."

Habersham was one of the first tenants in the Market Square Building and is still there today- - in space MS142.
Matt Eddy
President
Habersham

 

Strike poses a challenge
For my first High Point Market, I arrived but none of my product arrived due to a UPS strike. I was unpacking boxes and watching customers walk by my space..."
Daniel Edelist
CEO
Nova Lamps

 

A new world
The first market I went to in High Point was in the 1970s and I was lost. I was simply overwhelmed by the size of the market. Magnussen Home was not selling in the United States until the mid-80s.

The many show rooms were larger then anything I had experienced in my life. The streets of High Point were confusing with different names but the same street. I spent many hours on the road learning the streets and finding showrooms. Maps and guidebooks were my best friend.

At this point, Magnussen had started importing furniture from Asia to distribute in Canada but we knew we needed to be in the U.S. market to grow our business. High Point was truly the international city of furniture.

The greatest memory I had was that "when you were in the furniture business and in High Point you were a somebody." The whole town was focused on selling furniture. It truly was and is a great experience.
Richard Magnussen
CEO
Magnussen Home

 

‘An exciting vibe'
My best memory is the first time I attended the market. I would say it was the late 1980s or early ‘90s. I went with my Dad. We spent our entire time in one building - the IHFC. Years earlier, it was "his" market to work, on this day it was "mine." Still, my Dad had the contacts in place from his earlier days as a department store buyer. He knew, and remembered the "ropes." I was more like a babe in the woods during that visit.
I had no idea what that market would be like, or even look like.

I remember my impression of the endless maze of corridors with names like Green, Wrenn and Hamilton that seemed to make no sense to be, although I am sure there was some historical significance to it all.

The IHFC seemed to me a creaky, old building. But, I do remember an exciting vibe that seemed to permeate everything and everyone in it.

Gerry Borregine
CEO
Therapedic

 

Mackie provides a laugh
I remember meeting Bob Mackie in the Murray Feiss Showroom a few markets ago. We were to have our picture taken with his show girls. These girls were gorgeous, tall and wearing skimpy out fits. While we waited for them he chatted with me. He also told me a silly joke: Have you ever heard of furniture disease? I said no. It is when your chest falls into your drawers! Ha Ha. Then we had our picture taken.
Amy Brothers
Designer
Amy Brothers Interior Designs

 

A place for creativity, showmanship
As I walked out of a five-star New York City restaurant with the tablecloth and six napkins I had just bought from the manager I asked myself, "What price creativity?" That evening in the summer of 1976 it was $50. But I had in my hands the sketches and merchandising plans Leo Jiranek and Burt Klein had just drawn up for Lane's new "Legendry" collection.

Thirty-three years ago I had the privilege of being the "go-fer" for the creative team of Leo and Burt on this major collection for the Lane Co. The collection was inspired by the Southwestern architecture of New Mexico and Hopi Indian art and culture.

Those were the days of passion; where spirit and inspiration drove the furniture design process. Where an abundance of research supported the story behind the furniture and the passion of that story lead us to bring Hopi Indians to Lane's lobby (then the largest in the IHFC) to make jewelry, create sand paintings and display the cultural gifts they had shared with us. And also led Burt to commission a Hopi artist to sculpt a wild stallion out of solid alabaster as the centerpiece for the showroom. At the time, this was one of those "rather ask for forgiveness than for permission" moments. But, later, with much fanfare, the piece was donated to a museum by the company.

This passion lead to commitment; the kind that had me driving a Pinto full of dining seat cushions from the upholsterer in the Virginia mountains to the High Point Photo studio in the middle of the night in order to get photos taken and the product in the showroom in time for the next morning's sales meeting. When I say "full" I mean so full I could only make left turns since my right shoulder was holding up the cushions stacked to the ceiling.

This is one of the many fond memories I have from High Point Markets past. Memories of an industry, at its best, energized by talented people who taught this new kid a thing or two about passion, spirit and showmanship in bringing "Legendry" to the October 1976 market.

John Conrad
Conrad Cos.

 

An expanding ‘club'
Shortly after becoming one of the first women to be admitted to the almost all-male String and Splinter Club, the rivate domain of the High Point Furniture and Textile power brokers , I decided to invite a group of my female business friends for dinner so they could all meet one another with the idea of networking. The memory of that evening reminds me now of a stereotypical TV sitcom.

It seemed like a good idea to me to invite my newly discovered female business acquaintances, a small growing group from all over, to meet each other and share information.. This was long before the founding of WithIt so there was no other real opportunity to get together other than a dinner venue somewhere and my new club seemed logical.

As the women started to arrive, we gathered for cocktails in the outer lobby of the club before dinner. As each arrived, they were met with stares as well as some not-so-subtle comments from a few "old guard members," who were shocked to so many women in the club unescorted by male members, being seated together in the privacy of the President's room. Finally, a very well known, established furniture manufacturer knocked on the door of our private dining room, stuck his head in and whispered, "Bravo, thank the dear Lord they finally let some brains and beauty in this old place. Now can I come in a join you gals for a little industry insight ?" His name was Paul Broyhill.

Jena Hall
Vice president of merchandising
Aspenhome

 

Music sets stage for romance
At a party he threw for his retail customers, I met my husband, Marty Tucker. I was attending with my friend, Liz Seymour, industry writer and wife of the bass player of the blues band Marty hired to play. Six-foot tall Seymour says she never felt so invisible in all her life. She introduced me to Marty and from that moment on he and I never took our eyes off of each other. In fact within two months, I had sold my house in Greensboro and moved my six-year-old son, Max, my cat, Mishu and my begonia collection to Vermont.

We still count our relationship by markets, and next market, our fortieth, we're planning a big bash.
Nancy Tucker
Interior Designer
Rockville, Md.

A friendly, welcoming place
I will always remember my early days as a buyer in High Point, long before it became the "bustling city" it is today. Back then, even more so than it is now, the town of High Point was a good, kind, southern town that was brimming with hospitality, and warm, friendly people. Since there were limited hotel rooms, the people were more than willing to give up their homes to accommodate us, and I remember many evenings sitting around the dinner table in one of these homes with my colleagues, making notes about what we had seen during the day. There was a comfortable feeling in the town so much so that we would walk down the street to the basement of a local church for lunch because there were few restaurants. Still today, I always come away with great and creative ideas and impressions from conversations with old friends, but those early days of market are forever in my mind, as High Point was always an event to look forward to.
Larry Rinaldi
President
AICO/Amini

Wine, cheese and ... furniture
My first official High Point Market was in October 1968. I had just been added to the buying committee for I.J. Filler Ent./Henderson Furniture Co. -- a local Atlanta chain of 15 stores. We had been shopping hard all day, skipping lunch and were rushing to a RMG cocktail party and meeting at the Top of The Mart. Not knowing where we were going and running late, we ducked into the first room we saw that had a bunch of people walking around drinking wine eating cheese and conversing.
I immediately went over to the various cheeses and began eating away. Then some one threw a wine glass in my hand, which I filled up at the first bottle I saw. The next thing I know a man approached me with a clipboard and asked what I thought. I told him that I thought the big yellow cheese in the corner was the best but the white one in the middle of the room was also pretty good. He blinked at me in disbelief and said, "I guess you are not here for the wine-tasting convention?" I replied, "Do you mean that this is not the RMG cocktail party?" He said, "No son, but you can stay if you like you seem to be the only one enjoying the cheese."
Just then one of the other guys on our team called out something that had to do with rating the wine and the man with the clipboard ran over to him. We finally did make it to the RMG meeting but missed there cocktail hour.
That was my welcome to the High Point Market.
Steve Schrotter
Schrotter Associates

 

Richard Nixon look-alike with Wayne Burris of Burris Inds., circa 1970.

Nixon, Fawcett and more

We used to do some very wild and crazy things in our showroom in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We were always looking for ways to create excitement and draw retailers to come in and see our reclining chairs.

One of our first promotions was to bring in one of the Playboy Playmates in her bunny outfit. That was so successful, we then brought the Playmate of the Year. We also had a Farrah Fawcett lookalike contest, along with a poster she had signed.

One market we hired a Richard Nixon lookalike and had him arrive at the building with a police escort. He looked just like the president.

Another time we covered one of our high-leg recliners in real mink and had it delivered to the showroom by a Brinks truck. Another market, we covered a chair in $100 bills.

We also had shoeshine girls in shorts, because everybody liked to keep their shoes shiny back then. And we brought in hot dogs from Nathan's in Brooklyn to our own hot dog stand in the showroom.

We also made a point of having lots of promotional giveaways that retailers to could take home to their kids and grandkids. We gave away big stuffed animals with our name on them that these dealers would then carry around all over market.

What we did was always in good taste. And it often tied in with what we were doing with our products that market, so it helped business, too. These were fun times, and the industry always looking forward to seeing what we would come up with next.

Wayne Burris
Retired CEO
Burris Inds.

 

Camaraderie and competition
I've been an unofficial member of the High Point Market "family" for 40 years. It has shaped my entire life, so to choose ONE memory from a life full of them isn't possible. What I can do is distill my memories into a picture of what this unique place and event has meant to me.

The High Point Furniture Market has been a place of camaraderie and competition, connections and creativity. This is where we made friends, had fun, and sometimes met with results that exceeded or fell short of our expectations.

In the early 1980s, at The Top of the Mart, I can see my father, B.C., having dinner with Pulaski heavy hitters like Al Eisenberg and Marty Landes as they cordially greeted respected industry competitors like Clyde Hooker, Stuart Moore and Gene Gunther.

I remember heightened expectations for a new introduction like Separates, and the moment of truth at the High Point Market becoming the thrill of a great success, with orders pouring in. I also remember a few crushing defeats, but never one that could make me stop wanting to be a part of this great show.

And most of all, I remember what a legacy we have here. Carlisle W. "Buck" Higgins, former chairman of Vaughan-Bassett, once told me how he'd given my father his first job in a furniture factory while my father was still in high school. My father remembers Buck as a first-rate leader. Buck knew how to choose them; from those humble furniture industry beginnings, my father, BC "Bunny" Wampler, became a leader in the industry himself, running Pulaski Furniture for many years, and I was fortunate enough to follow him.

Being a part of the High Point Furniture Market has been a thrilling, and at times harrowing, ride, and one I'll never regret.

John Wampler
President
Amelia Home by Coe

 

Six feet from Bill Cosby

My fondest memories of High Point were when I would come with my father. We would leave Lexington, Ky., in the morning and drive to Hickory in time to eat in the atrium of the market building. We would work this building that afternoon and night and early the morning get up and have a wonderful breakfast at the furniture mart up on the hill. We would shop this building and then head to High Point. We would normally work High Point two days, finish up anything in Hickory and then head home.

High Point only had the main building and dad would have every location written down that he wanted to visit and what he wanted to see and buy. There was plenty of street parking and, if not, a buyers' lot was right besides the building.

Hamilton-Wrenn was a small area and it would depend on the weather when we walked down to it.

We walked through Market Square when the only tenant was Tomlinson up on the third or fourth floor. It was a beautiful old wood structure and we wondered what it would be turned into.

Companies would invite you out to their showrooms at night for dinner and to see their products. I remember the Fairfield showroom being up on a pedestal like a big mushroom.

Dad would always wait until the end of the day to get the magazines and newspapers to keep from carrying them around all day. We would normally say at Quality Inn in Kernersville, which seemed like a long drive. After a shower, dad would read Furniture/Today first and write down places to make sure to visit the next day.

Often there would be presentations in the theater before the showrooms opened and one evening we went to a show and saw Bill Cosby. We ended up sitting about six feet from his chair on stage.

Dad and I would go to Chicago in cold January and Atlanta in hot July but he always looked forward to High Point in the spring and dall.

Larry Hitchner
President
Merit Furniture
Lexington, Ky.

A growing sense of camaraderie
"Twenty-five years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of exhibitors, when I attended market for the first time. Today, I look forward to returning every season to witness the changing landscape and to experience the genuine camaraderie of friends made at market that continues to grow."
Catherine Frinier
Principal
Frinier LLC

 

Keepsakes makes a splash

Two of my favorite market memories are:

1) The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal had run articles about our Keepsakes collection in the fall of 1976. Dan Rather and "60 Minutes" must have seen the articles and came to the Pulaski showroom at the October 1976 High Point Market to do an interview about Keepsakes. We had just introduced a Keepsakes chesser which was a half dresser and half chest of drawers, and Dan really liked the piece. He talked about the chesser more than any other part of Keepsakes and had the camera crew film it. I think that this was the first times that a major TV network came to an event at the High Point Market.

2) The best entertainment that I recall from the market was when Tony Bennett performed on the top floor of IHFC in one of the ballrooms. It was an intimate event without a huge crowd. I sat with my youngest daughter, Lucille, Bruce Miller from the International Home Furnishings Center and Stuart Moore from the Lane Co. for the dinner and concert. Tony Bennett was spectacular.

B.C. "Bunny" Wampler,
Retired CEO and chairman
Pulaski Furniture

 

Doll House collection stirs imagination
It was October market, 1980, in the midst of an "economic downturn." The industry needed something over the top to get people to buy. And Singer Furniture introduced it in their new collection, The Doll House. This exciting new youth bedroom collection (back then it was called a correlate) was (designed like) a scale model of homes, schools and stores, and could fit miniature doll house furniture. The opening Thursday of market, which was steadfastly honored by manufacturers and retailers, found dealers waiting in line at the showroom for the doors to open and to be the first to get a look at and buy this much-hyped new group. Guests were greeted by a cast of the Wizard of Oz look-a-likes, and walked down a yellow brick road to enter the room. The entrance ceiling featured a rainbow which was made from hundreds of crayons glued in an arch to the ceiling. The room was decorated so beautifully it almost seemed like a little girls' dream. And every visitor got a giant lollipop with the Doll House and Singer logo on it.

I remember this with great detail as it was my father, Sid Lenger, who designed the collection for Singer. I remember all of his planning, and even helping him glue the crayons to the ceiling to form the rainbow! And I remember the enormous buzz that surrounded its introduction. As dealers went from Singer to other showrooms, word spread of the sensational new youth group. My husband Jeff Hankins, then a designer for Bassett Furniture, was sent by Bob Spilman with orders to "go see that group at Singer everyone is talking about." To this day, I still run into reps who remember its introduction at the market.

Chris Hankins,
Chris Hankins Designs

 

A friendly encounter with Naugas
Having grown up in High Point and moved away but now returned, my perspective on market is a little different than most. I have attended market either as a local or an out-of-town guest for 20-plus years. My career has involved working for a furniture retailer as well as designing upholstery and mattress ticking fabrics, so I have seen the show from a buyer's perspective as well as a supplier's. My father, who passed away last year, was also an exhibitor at market for most of my life. The Circadian rhythms of my very existence revolve around the Furniture Market calendar. Always have, always will.

It must have been in the late 1960s (my sister and I were still attending Northwood Elementary School) when Dad came home from market one evening and announced we could stay up past our bedtime so we could go see the Naugas. "What's a Nauga?", we replied. "You'll see," he said.

We piled into our green Plymouth station wagon (with the fold-up seat in the very back) and drove somewhere off of Green Street or English Road, I seem to recall, to a location where a huge tent had been erected. It was cold, so there were heaters going and lots of people milling around under the tent to stay warm. In the midst of all the hubbub, huge creatures were walking amongst us mere mortals. My sister and I were in awe. These creatures resembled the Abominable Snowman from the Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer Christmas special, except they weren't furry. They had smooth leathery hide.

Dad told us not to be afraid. These monsters were friendly! As a special treat, we each were given a pillow-sized one to take home for our very own! Mine was avocado green (like our car) with big yellow teeth and outstretched arms to hug with. Since I wasn't much into playing with dolls, my toy Nauga slept with me every night, and cheerfully agreed to terrorize my trolls whenever we took all the cushions off the sofa in the den and played "caveman."

Laura Allred
Lead designer
CT Nassau

 

Fires strikes the National Furniture Mart
Since the forthcoming High Point Market represents my 99th consecutive market, it is safe to state that I have accumulated a multitude of market experiences. On balance, nearly all were positive, some comical and a few were truly memorable.

Certainly the most memorable event had to be the fire that occurred in the National Furniture Mart on a pleasant Sunday afternoon during the October 1977 market. Sundays were always very busy days during the market, and this day was no exception. At about 11 a.m., I was standing in the front of our showroom when a very agitated customer ran from the back of our space and advised me that black smoke was coming into the space and advised that we should evacuate immediately. About the same time, an announcement was made over the building's PA system ordering an evacuation.

My first reaction was to make sure everyone left our space and then I proceeded to get my briefcase that held the orders taken from the prior three or four days. Within a very few minutes, black, acrid smoke had begun to fill our showroom and the hallways. It was determined that a cigar carelessly disposed of in a trash can had lit the garbage, which subsequently ignited drapes and other flammable material in the Shawnee Penn (gone but not forgotten) space on the top floor of the building.

A few minutes later, my brother Bob and I stood on Main Street with a gathering crowd of thousands observing the arriving fire departments from all over the area. At the time, there were not a lot of local fire departments in the area equipped to fight fires in 8- or 9- story buildings. Compounding the problem was the fact that the building had neither a sprinkler system nor many windows with which to vent the smoke and heat. The net result was a conflagration of a size that probably had never been seen before in High Point.

While we stood on the street, I met Ben Jarnigan, president and owner of Bean Station Furniture, who told me that he had a vacant show space that he hadn't moved into yet and graciously offered it to my brother and me. We immediately called our general manager and instructed him to bring in staff to commence building a new set of samples to be delivered by 7 a.m. the next morning. While on the street, we met a reporter from Home Furnishings Daily. I inquired if I could get a full page ad in Monday's edition, and he responded in a short while that we could have the back page of the paper. We then proceeded to write an ad while still standing on Main Street advising our customers that we would be showing the next day either at our regular space or at the Bean Station space on Commerce Street depending on the amount of damage to our building. At the time, we didn't have cell phones, computers, fax machines or any of the instant communication equipment we take for granted today, which made the communication quite a bit more difficult.

By late in the afternoon, the various fire departments had contained the fire and we were advised that we could return to the building around 10 p.m. We then summoned our entire sales force and sent a group to go to the nearest Wal-Mart to buy as many wet/dry vacuums as they could along with rags, furniture polish, and any cleaning supplies they could carry.

Our entire group worked until 5 a.m. cleaning our space as best we could but the smoke and water damage could not be eliminated. At 8 a.m., we were open for business, serving our usual bagels and coffee. Later we served our renowned lunch to a standing-room only crowd. It seems like every buyer in High Point wanted to enter the building to see the damage. We ended up having a terrific market but I wouldn't want to do it again.

The efforts of our associates at the factory and the showroom that day and night was exemplary and will never be forgotten.

I was reminded once again of the famous Churchill statement that has always served me well, "Never, never, never give up".

Lee A Corson
Chairman and CEO
Corson Furniture International

 

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