Susan Dickenson

High Point Market buyers discuss the economy, the market and what they're buying
April 10, 2008

Buyers at this week's High Point Market are weathering slower foot traffic in their shops with more design services. They’re putting more thought and planning into their buys, and their shopping lists are more specific. So say some of this week’s market shoppers, questioned at random, about the economy, the health of their businesses and how it’s affecting their purchasing.

We’re just looking for a little bit of everything. Business has been OK, I can’t complain, we’ve kept up. But I’m paying a little closer attention this time. My buys aren’t as big as they could be, but overall we’re doing well. I’m always looking for something new -- I don’t run too much of the same product over and over again, so everything is fresh. The new Pavilions on 3 (in the IHFC) is absolutely beautiful. --Marie Derderian, Lamps Plus, Chatsworth, Calif.

Locally we’ve had a little less traffic coming through the door but we’re doing a lot of out of state and out of country business -- Italy, Paris. We also do a lot of work for a destination club out of Colorado and have a large clientele in Tennessee and South Carolina -- those tend to be a little more high-end. We’ve been in business 29 years and have a 10,000-sq.-ft. store. We cater to every price point, from people with beginner homes to second and third homes. This market, we’re looking for a little more contemporary to blend in with our traditional, and for artwork --Eric Lackey, The Decorators Edge, Thomasville, N.C.

I’m looking for interesting things, good antique reproductions to go with antiques -- anything from modern to old world, and we’re getting more into green. I’ve had my company for 30 years, and most of our work is right here in the Triad. I’ve done a little bit of work in Saudi Arabia and would like to do more out of the country. The local area has definitely been affected by the economy. We first felt it in the middle range but now it’s beginning to affect my high-end business. --Perry and Tiffany Coughenour, Coughenour Design Services, High Point and Charlotte, N.C.

Our business tends to slow down at spring break but we stay busy. As for the economy, we see less foot traffic but we do a lot of design business and I think that keeps us going more so than other walk-in stores. At this market we’re looking for a new upholstery line, something green, environmentally friendly. Everybody is asking about it (green), whether it’s gifts or furniture. --Rebecca Poole, Rebecca’s Furniture & Design, Franklin, Tenn.

We develop and manage a full continuum of care -- everything from independent housing of older adults to assisted living, Alzheimer care, nursing and skilled care. We work primarily for nonprofits, churches and community-based organizations, and have about 23 properties throughout the state of Virginia and around the beltway in Maryland. We’re buying for those properties. The average number of residents per property is between 100 and 150 and the average age is about 83. We’re looking for things that would appeal to them, so we step out of our own style and into theirs. We’re looking for accessories that would appeal to people who are older -- the traditional, comfortable home -- traditional pictures, mahogany-type furniture, and we’re very concerned about seating – depth of the seating, the type of material. High Point is our main market. Sometimes we go to an accessories market, but rarely because there’s more than enough here to keep us busy. --Mary Elyn McNichols, McNichols & Associates, Roanoke, Va.

We’ve seen a huge change in the economy, mainly due to Florida’s bad housing situation.  We have struggled but we’re fortunate to have a couple of very big jobs that have held us through. What we’re doing a lot of lately is remodels – that’s the big thing as opposed to new construction. Blue is big, things that are environmentally friendly, green. We have come to High Point every April for 20 years. A lot of what was in seven years ago is back again now -- a lot of zebra, red, yellow. It’s interesting to come here and see what we’re going to find next year. What we’re finding different about market this time is that a lot of our reps are no longer with some of the companies … and we want Stingers (at the Greensboro Sheraton) back! We were devastated to find that it’s closed for good. That is definitely our biggest disappointment this market. --Sarah Geer, Jinx McDonald, Rebecca Kerlek, Jinx McDonald Designs, Naples, Fla.

We’re a new business in the area and so far business has been very steady. This is our first visit to High Point. We have a studio with inventory and we buy with certain clients in mind but we also buy things we think will fit in. Most of our clients have the same type of decor – very traditional, many with expensive antiques -- and we think Imax helps enhance that feel at an affordable level. We do really well with lamps and ceramics. We’ll buy collections of tables -- we’re looking for a collection to hold our shabby chic lamps -- so we’re both using them and showing them in little vignettes. --Debbie Collins and Charlene Fountain, CF Interiors, Lutherville, Md.

We’ve had an increase in business because we’ve moved to a new location and done remarkably well. We’re a very high-end store. I think that segment is holding up well for everybody – that’s what I’m hearing. This is my seventh High Point Market. I’ve been to Las Vegas but I prefer High Point.  I think the infrastructure – transportation, entertainment -- has really improved over the past two years. I’m really comfortable here shopping by myself. This market, I’m looking for great looking accessories – metal, glass, silver, seeing what’s new. --Karen Bialkowski, Kittinger Gallery, Williamsville, N.Y.

Posted by Susan Dickenson on April 10, 2008 | Comments (0)