For those in the interior design industry, High Point Market is a true highlight of the year. Serving as a trade-only show for interior designers, the Market occurs each fall and spring (JTD typically attends once a year).
High Point is a great reset for the year. It provides a chance to get inspired; discover new products; physically engage with items we’ve been interested in—like sitting in furniture we have been looking at online all year or seeing lighting in person from a proportional perspective; as well as an opportunity to establish meaningful connections with vendors in person.
The Spring 2023 Market just wrapped, and we had an absolute blast—and learned a few lessons along the way. Here are several bits of advice to maximize your Market experience:
- Book your hotel, airline, and restaurant reservations early. Things can book up almost a year in advance, especially for hot restaurants like Printworks in Greensboro.
Keep your appointments limited. We like to book a couple early morning appointments each day in order to keep the majority of our schedule open and flexible. You may find yourself lingering longer in a showroom than you anticipated, and you wouldn’t want to cut that experience short for an appointment.- You do not need to rent a car. High Point is laid out a bit like a theme park for designers, with showrooms in different buildings sprawled within a 12 block radius. There is a user-friendly trolley system and of course, ride-shares are an easy option. And this may be a no-brainer, but wear comfortable shoes—you will be on your feet for 8 hours straight, and they will thank you later!
- Map out your visit before you go. This is the best way to maximize your time. We typically spend no more than 2.5 days at High Point—any more time and your brain is too full to process all the fabulous items you’ve seen. Visit the larger furniture showrooms on the first day, and leave the main building and Market Square toward the end of your trip. Market Square is a great place to discover new small vendors. We always have a specific goal in mind ahead of each Market, such as exploring new rug sources or hunting down exciting mid-level furniture options.
Don’t skip the vintage. One of our favorites is 214 Modern Vintage, a thoughtfully curated collection of one-of-a-kind items from a range of vendors. It’s a bit off the main area, but definitely worth the visit.- Take a ton of pictures. Rather than keeping a written list of what products you have seen, stop and take a picture of the name of each showroom as you enter, then take a picture of each item that you’re interested in and its tag. That way, you can track what you saw, and it serves as an easy reference. Once back in the office, we upload all of our images so that our full team has access to all the products we sourced.
- Bring an external charger. Your phone camera will constantly be open and will drain your battery quickly.
- Have fun, and enter the experience with an open mind. There is so much to see at High Point, and you never know what will spark your creativity!
