Heath E. Combs — Furniture Today,
HIGH POINT — Next week’s High Point Market will be an unconventional one for Alan


Kramer and his team of eight buyers from Star Furniture in Houston.

That’s because this time, they’ll show up just one day before the official opening date.

“This is the closest we’ve ever come to the actual starting day,” said Kramer, Star’s executive vice president of merchandising. He’s used to arriving three or four days before the former Thursday opening day.

Last year, the High Point Market Authority designated a Monday as the official opening day of this October market, with a close the following Sunday. Representatives for several large manufacturers, including Stanley, Bernhardt, Magnussen and Hooker, have said their showrooms won’t open until the official opening date this year.

Traditionally, major retailers and some others have started shopping early to secure distribution or beat the rush of smaller independent stores.

In a Furniture|Today Internet poll last week, 45% of respondents said they’d start shopping Monday but 38% said they’d arrive earlier. (The rest plan to start on Tuesday or later.)

Only a few market events are scheduled before Monday, including the Furniture|Today Market Kickoff Party at Noble’s restaurant, at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Kramer said that when he heard many outlying showrooms wouldn’t open until Sunday, he decided not to come too early. He said the team will shop until Saturday, slightly shorter than a typical visit to High Point, and will split up to cover more ground.

Keith Koenig, owner of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based City Furniture, said his buyers will begin shopping Sunday — the same day they would have started when the official opening day was Thursday. They’ll spend much of Sunday at Klaussner’s showroom in Asheboro, about 30 miles from downtown High Point, mostly to get the trip out of the way.

“Most of our shopping will start on Monday,” Koenig said. He said he supports the new dates, which were chosen before he joined the Market Authority board.

 “The old opening dates had no relation to when people shopped market and were confusing,” he said. “I think it’ll go over well.”

Buyers from Salt Lake City-based R.C. Willey will arrive Monday and leave Saturday, according to a company spokeswoman.

One way the International Home Furnishings Center is encouraging buyers to attend during the new schedule is with prize giveaways on the official days of market, according to IHFC President Tom Lindh.

“We’re going to do the best we can to create excitement for that opening,” Lindh said. “The market will open with a bang on Monday.”

Prizes will include iPod Shuffles during each of the first four days, and daily grand prizes, including $1,000, Broadway tickets with Waldorf Hotel accommodations, American Express Gift Cards, and two first-class airfares to anywhere in the country.

Lindh said that if retailers need to enter the building before Monday, there will be provisions to get them into showrooms. But manufacturers have been encouraged not to make appointments before Monday, since buyers polled by the Market Authority said they wanted firm dates.

One IHFC exhibitor, Flexsteel, will hold its sales meeting Saturday and will see customers if they need to visit the showroom Sunday, said Lee Fautsch, vice president of sales for the company’s home furnishings division.

“We’re in the business of selling furniture and we need to be available when our customer wants to see us. That really is how we’re setting our market start and stop dates,” Fautsch said.

He added, however, that no one can say how the opening day will look until it happens.

“We’re learning how to as we go,” Fautsch said.

Add Raymond Carringer, national sales manager for home office and home entertainment specialist Signature Home Furnishings, to the list of those who don’t know how opening day will turn out. But he isn’t taking and chances and has appointments starting Saturday.

“I like the new hours, but as far as how it’ll go I don’t know if anybody’s got a clue. It could be over Wednesday, or it could go until Sunday, We’ll just have to play one or two markets out and see how it works,” said Carringer, whose company shows in the National Furniture Mart.

Signature will probably start its daily market lunch on Sunday, he added. Many retailers are still bound to want to beat the market rush and get to the showrooms early, he said.

“I know the Market Authority would like to hold firm on (opening day), but I don’t know how you do that,” said Carringer. “How do you tell one of your best customers they can’t come in?”

At Sunrise Home Furnishings, a Center Point exhibitor, vice president of sales Lynn Siemer said the company has four appointments on Saturday and at least twice that many on Sunday.

“I have been around a long time and am sorry to say many big buyers are not changing their buying times for this market,” he said.

Several companies said the new date won’t change their schedules much.

“All this change did for Holland House is move everything up a day,” said Fred Holland, executive vice president of the case goods importer.

Bob Roy, president of casual dining and occasional resource Jofran, which shows in Plaza Suites, said his company will be open on Saturday and Sunday and has many appointments.

“Building management has assured us that all the retailer needs do is tell security that they have an appointment to be admitted to Plaza Suites prior to official opening,” Roy said.