North Carolina Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan attended a ribbon-cutting event at 10 a.m. for the grand opening of the Salon at Market Square. The Salon is a renovated space in the complex designed to bring “hip and innovative entrepreneurs” to one area, company officials said.
Hagan, a professed advocate of the furniture market, said at the event that the traffic and the atmosphere she was seeing were positive signs for both the city and the state.
“The excitement that I’m seeing just driving here today on the streets, the number of people and the management of the furniture market is telling me this is one of the best markets they’ve seen in a long time,” she said. “I think it’s important because it shows we are coming out of this recession, which means, I think, these buyers feel that their customer base is ready to start buying and spending again. Obviously, that means a lot to us here in North Carolina.”
Brian Casey, president of the Market Authority, said at the press breakfast Saturday that this market could be the best market in two years.
“We’re already trending ahead of the last four markets,” he said about pre-registration numbers.
Casey also said there was an “increase in leasing activity.”
Some exhibitors reported swift business while others said it was too soon to tell how the rest of the week would play out.
Representatives at Kalalou, an accessories company showing in Market Square, said business had boomed on Friday before the market officially opened.
“We did half of what we did in Las Vegas here in High Point on Friday,” Austin Bunch, vice president of sales and marketing for the company, told the High Point Enterprise on Saturday. “It’s looking promising so far.”
Bryan Edwards, vice president of sales for Aspen Homes, which has a showroom in the International Home Furnishings Center, said the company expected business from buyers to slowly return this spring.
“On Friday, we saw significantly more customers than we saw one year ago,” said Edwards. “The mood is positive, optimistic and forward thinking, but also very grounded. I think the buyer doesn’t want to take a lot of risks.”
phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
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