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Good news is on the way

Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, August 24, 2009

I saw some things during the recent Tupelo Furniture Market that I haven't seen in a while. For openers, I saw lots of people smiling.

The reason, I suspect, had something to do with the fact that the sellers were selling and the buyers were buying.

As for why the buyers were buying, well that seemed to be directly linked to the fact that many of the retailers we talked to at Tupelo told me they are seeing signs that their business is beginning to improve.

Retailers were also placing orders to replenish inventory levels that believe it or not, have reached levels that require replenishment.

It was good to see people upbeat for a change. It was even better to see orders being written.

One exhibitor, showing me his order book, said something that in its simplicity bordered on the profound. "Look, most of us got into sales because we love to sell. It's in our blood," said the owner of a Mississippi-based upholstery company.

He went on to point out that, "The same holds true for buyers. They love to buy. It's what they do. And when they go through long spells where they can't or choose not to buy, it forces them out of their element and they are not happy campers."

I think he was onto something. I would take it a step further. They are unhappy because external circumstances, in this case the economy, have minimized their ability to positively impact their businesses.

Let's hope this newly upbeat attitude holds true for all the upcoming home furnishings shows. In the meantime, we need to remember that things could be a lot worse for us.

Look at the domestic automotive market. Of Ford, GM and Chrysler, you could make a case that Ford has been the only one that hasn't taken a government bailout or declared it was bankrupt. Even so, I just read that Ford is still losing a whopping $1 billion each month.

As my grandmother used to say, "And you think you have problems?"

Over the next few months, I am going to be writing about home furnishings companies that are making inroads, despite the economic climate.

So stay tuned. Good news is on the way.

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