High Point NC Furniture Market 2021: Highlights, Day 1

by Melissa Vickers June 06, 2021

Change of Plans

I had invited a client to join me on my first day at market, but unfortunately, she woke up sick and couldn’t make it. I was dressed and ready to go, but didn’t want to tackle market on my own. What is a girl to do? Luckily, my husband, Brandon offered to join me and before I knew it, we are on our way to market.

I had only been to market once before, many years ago when I was an interior design student at Salem College. I remember it being a lot of walking and a lot of furniture, décor and more! I wore my comfy new Keds, only took a small crossbody bag and off we went exploring.

Let the Adventure Begin

Image of me and my husband wearing masks on the charter bus.

We took advantage of the park and ride option. You can drop your car off at the Oak Hollow Mall and a charter bus will drop you off in the heart of market. As soon as we got off the bus, we went directly into the IHFC building.

First Impressions

My first impression was that everyone working market was super friendly and incredibly helpful. As you are walking into the buildings, there are greeters there and they are armed with information and a smile.

Art on a wall, with some accessories and lamps below.

Image from Port 68 Showroom

There are people everywhere going every which way. The energy is contagious and you feel like you can go for days. It’s definitely overwhelming at first. This trip to market was a chance for me to get to know some of the brands out there and also just explore.

Inspiration Abounds

So, we walked and took it all in. If something caught my eye, we would go into the showroom to look around and ask questions. It’s fun to see what’s currently trending in the interior design world. So much good eye candy and inspiration too.

The IHFC building is huge and connects to various wings and so it’s easy to get lost and also easy to not be able to see it all. If I’m not mistaken, there are over 300 vendors just in this one building!

Rug from Surya

So Many Vendors, Not Enough Time

There are furniture dealers, art vendors, accessories, lighting, rugs, you name it. If you want to see it, whatever “it” is, it is there. The other building that we visited was the Showplace which is directly across from the IHFC building. Here you will find much larger furniture and accessory showrooms.

My Favorites

Here is my list of places that I enjoyed visiting and taking in all their offerings:

Showroom image of a black table with some felt dogs sitting on it, golden crane behind.

Bold Monkey: Fun furniture and accessories, unfortunately they didn't have any representatives available because of Covid, but their display was fun!

Me standing in front of a wallpaper that has large painted flowers.

Fenwick Bartel: Wallpaper &Textiles, but they also offer a cool vinyl floor covering!

Copeland Furniture: Made in the USA wood furniture - great quality

Four Hands: Gorgeous indoor and outdoor furniture

Large silver busts of an elephant and a bull hanging on a wall.

Phillips Collection: Fun accessories, art, furniture and more

A pink snake accessory sitting on a table with some pink flowers next to it.

Tov: They had me at their slogan: "Don't be boring". Furniture that doesn't mind being fun and making a bold statement.

Surya: Huge showroom full of pillows, rugs, art, mirrors, and lighting.

Trra: Wood furniture with strong, clean lines.

Port 68: Lighting, accessories and décor.

Me standing in front of a large rug designed by Rifle Paper Co.

Loloi: Rugs, but also pillows and they have a cash and carry section. It was hard not leaving with armfuls of beautiful woven pillows!

Ethnicraft: Higher end furniture and accessories

After about four hours, we started running out of steam, but not to worry friends, I have planned 2 more days of market exploring and will be sharing my finds with you.