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HIGH POINT MARKET: Exhibitors look for pickup after quiet Saturday

New opening day could spread out traffic

Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, April 25, 2009

AT THE MARKET — The centennial edition of the High Point Market got off to a quiet start Saturday as buyers and exhibitors tried to figure out how to navigate the prolonged industry sales slump.

Exhibitors have mixed feelings about the market's first-ever Saturday opening, but they remained optimistic that showroom traffic and order-writing would be more brisk during the next two to three days.

"Retailers are telling reps they want to be in their stores on the weekend," said Steve Maynard, sales and marketing coordinator at case goods producer West Bros. "They don't want to risk not being there when they are ready to make a sale."

Exhibitors said many Top 100 retailers and other large stores have been shopping the market since Thursday, which didn't come as a surprise since buyers from big stores often arrive before the official opening. However, the absence of small and mid-sized dealers was a concern in some quarters.

"I'm just not seeing the middle-size guys yet, and I need them in order to have a good market," Largo International President Glenn Wakefield said Saturday afternoon.

Wakefield, however, is among those who believe traffic will increase Sunday and Monday.

West Bros. Maynard concurred. "We think the numbers are down with where they should be (for an opening day), but when all is done, it will be on par with what we expect," he said.

By noon Saturday, Comfort Design had seen 20 accounts, a good start for the new motion and stationary manufacturer headed by former Barcalounger executive Phil Cooper.

"We're expecting a very successful launch," he said. "It's a great opportunity for us to get our furniture placed. Retailers are coming in wanting to try something new."

The change in opening dates did not faze Cooper. "We started our (sales) meeting on Wednesday. All the hard opening on Saturday does is make you getting ready on Friday for the customers coming in," he said.

John DeFalco, executive vice president of Primo International, agreed, noting that some buyers visited his showroom as early as Wednesday.

"We've already seen a number of our customers, but not all at the same time, like we had gotten used to," said DeFalco. "We've seen lots of Top 100 stores, including Badcock's, Nebraska Furniture Mart and others."

Brian Casey, president of the High Point Market Authority, said the quiet start could be a sign that traffic will be more evenly distributed throughout market, which would alleviate the opening-day crush. He said many buyers appeared to be arriving in town Saturday.

"I've seen a lot of people getting off the shuttle buses with luggage," Casey said Saturday afternoon. "So I think things will pick up Sunday and Monday."

Albert Lin, vice president of case good resource Signature Home Furnishings, said he'd just like to see the market establish an opening day and stick with it, instead of shifting from a Thursday to a Monday to a Saturday opening as it has done in the past three years.

"They keep changing it and customers don't know when to come in," Lin said. "They are confused."

Editor-in-chief Ray Allegrezza, Associate Editor Thomas Russell and Senior Editor Gary Evans contributed to this story.

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