When staff members at Furniture|Today take part in events like last week’s High Point premarket, we typically focus on new product introductions by importers and manufacturers. Those vendors, in turn, give us an idea of how the event goes as far as retailer traffic and product commitments. 


That’s always good information to have. But it’s also a one-sided perspective that may not tell us all we need to know about an event like premarket, which took place Aug. 20-21. As event organizers will tell you, retailer perceptions and reaction are really what will help determine the potential and future of premarket, which has dwindled in importance for many retailers in recent years. 


We didn’t speak with all 60 or so retailers in town for premarket. But below are some comments from several who were here, beyond what we reported in our Aug. 27 print edition. 


Tom Lowenthal, a vice president and general manager of Louisville, Ky.-based Cherry House Furniture, said he has been coming to market since 1978, but that this was the first time he’s been at premarket. He said the event had not been well publicized in the past. 


A big motivator for him to come this time was the possibility that many vendors would be market ready with new product, rather than just drawings or sketches. 


At a cocktail and dinner reception at the Grandover resort hotel about halfway through the two-day event, he seemed to be pleased with what he had seen thus far. He also liked the idea that he was getting to see some key vendors before market so that when he comes back, he’ll have more time to visit with others. 


Based on that, he said, he would likely return to future premarket events. 


Carlos Capo, a vice president and co-owner of Miami Gardens, Fla.-based El Dorado Furniture, said his company only does business with some of the 16 vendors that sponsored the event. He also planned to visit another three that had opened their showrooms during premarket but weren’t on the list of sponsors. Those spaces were supposed to be open Monday and Tuesday, but when he went by on Tuesday they had already closed up shop. 


Capo said he would like to know that more vendors will be open in the future before he commits to coming back. 


He also said he was pleased, however, that most of the sponsoring companies he visited had new product on the floor. He also likes premarket because it allows retailers more time to spend in the showroom with the principals of manufacturers and importers. 


“You have time to take a closer look at what you want to see,” he said. “You really have time to focus on the category.” 


Jim Kittle, chairman of Indianapolis-based Kittle’s Furniture, said he used to come to premarket but had not been for about 10 years. For the past several years, the chain hadn’t sent any representatives. 


Kittle said he stopped coming to premarket because there has been little new product on display. But with so much more to see this time — he visited eight vendors in a day and a half, and all had nearly 100% of their new product mix in their showrooms — he was impressed. Based on that, he said he would return with his case goods buyer, since so much of the mix was case goods related. 


He also liked the social events that were part of the event, including the cocktail hour and reception at Grandover. 


“For once, I think everything was handled first class,” he said. “There was a lot of hospitality.” 


Marv Carron, a case goods buyer at Worcester, Mass.-based Rotmans, said he has been with the company for 28 years in various roles, but this was his first time at premarket. He came shopping for bedroom, home entertainment and home office furniture. The company’s main home office vendor wasn’t open for the event, but overall he was pleased with the amount of new product he was able to see. 


“I think the main thing it allowed us to do was take a look the month before so we can make a decision before market,” he said. “It will create some advanced planning opportunities and will save some time on our return. …We did get quite a bit out of it.” 


He also liked the accommodations and transportation provided, thanks to the 16 event sponsors. 


Patrick Brandt, a buyer and merchandiser with Becker, Minn.-based Becker Furniture World, said it has been a couple of years since he and his associates have been to premarket. 


Like El Dorado’s Capo, Brandt said the event would be more valuable if more vendors were showing. Still, he said he was able to see plenty of new product in two days and was pleased at the amount of face time he had with company executives. 


“At a normal market, they may be with existing retailers, and someone new may not get that quality time,” he said. He added that seeing the new product early will cut down on the time he needs to spend with those vendors in October. 


“They had so much there ready to go,” he said. “In the past, it was sketches.” 


How much value a similar premarket event has for him next spring is questionable. That, he said, will depend on who he sees in Las Vegas and who is on the list for High Point’s premarket. (There were just two weeks between the Las Vegas Market and last week’s High Point premarket, although for the spring market the gap is likely to be four or five weeks.) 


“The bottom line is that anybody I saw in Las Vegas is questionable to see in High Point,” said Brandt. 


Granted, this is just a sampling of retailer response, and a number of big names were in town, including Art Van, Levitz, Louis Shanks and Raymour & Flanigan. Additional retailer response is expected to appear in a survey of retailers by organizers of the event, which should be released in about two weeks. That feedback and how industry leaders respond to it will help determine whether High Point can pull off a similar event in the future.