Why you'll see me smiling if we meet during Tupelo
Jeff Linville, Staff Writer -- Furniture Today, February 19, 2006
As a reporter, my job at a furniture market is to ask a lot of questions and get a handle on what's going on. But nowadays at markets, everywhere I go, people want to ask me questions.
"What do you think of the Vegas market?" or "What do you think will happen to High Point?"
Sometimes I don't really have an answer. However, a comment I heard on a shuttle bus at the recent Las Vegas market spurred me to write this column. A sales rep said that Vegas would eventually kill High Point, but the first to go would be the Tupelo market.
First, I don't see Tupelo going under any time soon. Second, I certainly hope it sticks around.
Tupelo has grown from a small, regional market into the third-biggest furniture show because of several factors: a number of upholstery plants are located within a day's drive, the market keeps costs low, and the staff is great.
Asian case goods have wiped out most domestic wood production, but upholstery is still strong in the South. That may change over the next 10 years, but for now, retailers know where they can find promotional upholstery.
A friend who works for a manufacturer in the Northeast said that Tupelo is the best value of any show his company attends. To exhibit in Las Vegas, he said, the rent is $36 per square foot; in Tupelo, it's $4.
And, as most vendors would agree, retailers come to Tupelo to buy, not kick tires.
Some people claim Furniture/Today is biased in favor of High Point; others say we're killing High Point by playing up Vegas. All I can say is that I try to be fair and impartial to both in my news coverage, as do my fellow reporters and editors.
Since this is a column, where it's acceptable to express an opinion, I admit that my favorite show is neither of those, but Tupelo.
I'm a simple country boy. Airport security busted me last month for having a pocketknife in my coat. It never occurred to me that I was carrying a weapon. My dad taught me always to carry a knife and scolded me if I didn't.
There's lots of excitement in Las Vegas, and eating dinner at the steakhouse in Binion's was a real treat. Still, I'm satisfied with a catfish dinner at a Tupelo buyer appreciation party, followed by a chocolate shake at Sonic.
I live two minutes from the International Home Furnishings Center, but covering the High Point show is tough. Sure, I can sleep in my own bed, but industry executives often are too busy to spare much time to talk with me.
In Tupelo, I get more face time and can write better stories for all our readers.
So if you see me at the Tupelo show, I'll probably be smiling.
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