Clint Engel —
But not all take advantage of perks

AT THE MARKET — Lisa and Nick Alcaro listened to Bruce Hornsby perform at Showplace on Thursday night and, like hundreds of others there, had a great time.

The Alcaros, owners of Total Home Décor in Toronto, seem to reflect the feelings of a lot of buyers here. They like the improvements they see coming from the International Home Furnishings Market Authority, even if they’re not taking advantage of all of them.

But they also wonder why it has taken so long.

“I think it’s nice,” said Lisa Alcaro of the nighttime entertainment. “It’s feels more like a holiday. It’s a nice way of getting together, but I think they should have done it a long time ago.”

The small sampling of retailers interviewed at market about the new entertainment options and the universal registration system generally liked both or, at least, saw no harm in what the Market Authority is doing. That is, trying to make High Point a better, more enjoyable place to do business, more in line with the efficiency and entertainment flair of the World Market Center in Las Vegas.

“I feel (the new entertainment) makes a much more comfortable atmosphere now,” said Lester Gorin, president of Gorin’s Furniture in Norwich, Conn. “It’s nice what they’re trying to do — make it more appealing to the retailer.”

Gorin said he has been coming to High Point since 1960, and he called the hospitality at this market outstanding.  “I think the vendors have bent over backward to accommodate the retailers,” he said.

His praised the one-pass system too. Gorin, like many of the other retailers interviewed, typically registers in advance or through the International Home Furnishings Center and never really had a problem getting into other buildings where, in the past, some buyers were stopped and asked to register again.

“It’s great that they’re doing it, but they never really bothered you before,” he said. “In High Point all the buildings should be working together because it really is one market.”

Jerry Baer, senior vice president of Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Baer’s, hadn’t taken advantage of the entertainment options yet, “but look forward to it in the future.”

How big a difference it will make to his own shopping experience is hard to say. “We’re coming anyway,” he said. “This is where our vendors are. But it’s a nice improvement to make people feel more welcome.”

Diane Daniels, president of Cleveland’s Daniels Home Furnishings, said she’s enjoying the entertainment options because she hasn’t done the various market parties in a while, and “it’s fun, because you get to talk to people you usually don’t.”

While Daniels didn’t see any direct impact from universal registration (she’s always done it in advance and, like some, didn’t realize anything had changed), Michael Uvanni of the high-end Michael Uvanni Interiors in Rome, N.Y., said one pass is a great improvement.

“It makes it a lot easier and quicker to go through market, without a doubt,” he said.

Uvanni also is a fan of the new entertainment, calling it “a nice break at the end of the day from being so focused on your work.”

It’s a different story for Bill Child, chairman of Salt Lake City-based R.C. Willey.

“You’re asking a guy who is more or less a homebody,” he said. “It’s not important to me. I’d rather work, have a nice meal and go to bed.”

Child said that even when he’s shopping in Las Vegas, the entertainment scene is not for him.

He has no objections to what the Market Authority is trying to do, but “I prefer to focus,” he said, adding it would take him a good 10 days to work the market if he was still as active in the business as he use to be. He’s here this time for six days.

Eric and Judy Blackledge of Blackledge Furniture in Corvallis, Ore., had more of a problem with the entertainment, noting the side-street bands at the Furniture/Today kickoff parties the past two markets were so loud that conversation was nearly impossible.

Eric Blackledge said High Point for him is a place to meet with non-competitors and discuss best ideas, best products and other topics. Sometimes, the entertainment has gotten in the way of this more important mission.

Judy Blackledge added that perhaps the money would be better spent in other ways — on a donation to the City of Hope or on a few true buyers lounges where groups of 20 or more retailers could get together outside of manufacturer showrooms.

They also recommended developing a series of kiosks with computer terminals in market buildings where buyers could narrow their search for vendors they need to see by style, price, shipping destinations and other qualifiers.

“That would make it easier to navigate the 12 million or so square feet of showrooms,” Eric Blackledge said.

The big Resource Guide the market provides is not so useful, said Judy Blackledge, since it’s cumbersome and “You’ve got to know how to spell it to find it.”

An online survey conducted prior to market by Furniture/ Today and Home Accents Today seeking opinions on the market changes drew some 257 responses from retailers, sales representatives and vendors.

While most respondents gave the online universal registration and entertainment options high marks, several retailers said they were here to work, not to be entertained.