Strong start for High Point mini-market
More than 300 attend event’s first day
Jeff Linville -- Furniture Today, January 16, 2007
HIGH POINT — Traffic at Lifestyle Enterprise’s showroom here topped 300 people on the first day of its three-day event.
 Jeanie Russ, center, Farmers Furniture in Dublin, Ga., poses with James Riddle, left, and Greg Noe, of Lifestyle Enterprise, after winning a BMW convertible at a dinner in the IHFC ballroom Monday night. |
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Jeanie Russ, center, Farmers Furniture in Dublin, Ga., poses with James Riddle, left, and Greg Noe, of Lifestyle Enterprise, after winning a BMW convertible at a dinner in the IHFC ballroom Monday night. |
The importer expects to attract more than 500 to the Forbidden City Furniture Show, the second edition of what could become an annual event, according to James Riddle, managing director of importer Lifestyle.
A year ago, the company said a year ago that rather than spending the money to show in Las Vegas, it believed it could hold its own event for a similar cost and have better interaction with its customers. Riddle said at the time that if the event was successful, Lifestyle would hold another show.
On Monday, the flow of traffic was steady during the day and appeared to be somewhat smoother than last year. Lifestyle talked to retailers before the event and tried to stagger visits so that sales reps would be able to spend quality time with each account, said John Wampler, case goods president.
Buyers attending again received door prizes. Anthony Rosso of Rosso’s Furniture, a two-store chain based in Gilroy, Calif., happened to win an iPod Shuffle when he returned this week for his second mini-market. He said he’s here to shop all the store’s product categories.
“It’s a great value,” said Rosso. “That’s what it’s all about.”
He and his team will visit some of the other companies’ showrooms open for the mini-market, but the main focus is on Lifestyle and its product line.
Dozens of High Point exhibitors are opening their doors this week hoping to catch some residual business. Traffic was light at most of these showrooms Monday morning, but manufacturers said that was expected, as retailers owed it to Lifestyle to shop it first since the company paid for travel expenses.
Doug Bassett, vice president of sales and marketing at manufacturer Vaughan-Bassett, said his company had about 50 accounts come through last January — which was more people than it saw at the March and September premarkets combined. After a slow start Monday morning, Bassett said he had seen 13 vendors by 6 p.m.
Hooker had a small staff in its space Monday, figuring that people would either just be flying in to the area or would be visiting Lifestyle’s showroom. Today, Phil Garrett and Frank Richardson, Hooker’s national sales managers, are in the space along with Ray Harm, senior vice president of sales.
Several of the exhibitors don’t have new product, offering either recent High Point introductions or sketches of upcoming groups for the High Point Market in March. Hooker was one of those that did bring out new items, along with Bernhardt, Palliser, Largo, Vaughan and Trade Masters.
Bernhardt has one new collection, said Rountree Collett, executive vice president and chief financial officer. The company had shown sketches of the product to some key accounts at the fall High Point Market.
The early date of the Forbidden City show, several weeks before the traditional High Point premarket, gives companies more time to tweak the designs. Collett said Bernhardt will be able to alter features like finishes and hardware — which it used to be able to do after premarket.
Because of the earlier date of the High Point Market this spring (March 26-April 1), premarket typically would run Feb. 26-28.
*Associate Editor Thomas Russell and Staff Writer Heath Combs contributed to this story.
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