What makes the Tupelo market as good as gold
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, March 9, 2003
The Tupelo market really incorporates the best of two worlds: small enough to be manageable, yet large enough to be interesting. It's also a market I look forward to working.
Part of the show's appeal is the ease with which I can navigate it. No elevators, no escalators, just a handful of buildings, all on one floor. When I leave the Tupelo Building to head over to the Mississippi Building, there's a free shuttle, typically driven by some local retiree with a soft Southern drawl, a razor-sharp wit and more stories and local color than a transplanted Yankee like myself can shake a stick at.
Then, of course, there are all the great people who work at the market — people such as Janice Coleman, the lady with the big smile, bigger heart and the rare talent to make you feel like family, and Barbara Garrison, who in the midst of going a hundred miles an hour always takes time to stop and say hello and make sure we have what we need.
They, along with Kim Leathers, Amy Cooper, Amy Lamar, Page Smith, Joni Cornelius and the rest of the staff, get kudos for giving renewed meaning to Southern hospitality.
And since the apple never falls too far from the tree, credit also has to go to V.M. Cleveland, the president and chief operating officer of the Tupelo Furniture Market. He's the sort of guy that prefers to stay out of the limelight, but if you can get him to sit down long enough to talk, you are in for a stimulating, cogent conversation.
With some 1,000 exhibitors and a fairly substantial waiting list, V.M. obviously has pulled together the essential elements needed to host a successful show. And while Tupelo still gets painted as a promotional show, the increasingly upscale looks and values coming from Asia are helping to paint the show in a new light.
When I asked V.M. to tell me what most influenced his planning for the show, he said it was his experience as a buyer in the apparel industry.
"I went from being the owner of a single apparel store to owning multiple units," he said. "And I remember working those shows, spending hours walking the aisles with nowhere to stop, sit, rest, eat and collect my thoughts."
Thus, he made it a point to provide the amenities he wished would have been available to him during his days as an apparel buyer. Tupelo indeed is buyer friendly. The exhibits are all on one floor, the buildings are close together, and there are free shuttles and free parking.
Throw in free dinners — Southern-fried chicken, catfish and barbecue — and what more can you ask for, besides good traffic?
Speaking of traffic, the show drew some 35,000 people and overflowed the parking lots. Not surprisingly, V.M. says a new building is in the works to accommodate the show's growth.
However, the real icing on the cake was the order-writing I saw taking place. To borrow a word from the younger generation, Tupelo was sweet. My generation might describe it as sweet as Tupelo honey. Or, from more of a business perspective, Tupelo gold.
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