HIGH POINT, N.C. — On Friday afternoon, the entrance to the International Home Furnishings Center in, High Point, looked more like a busy New York hotel at Christmas time.
The crowds can only mean one thing, the Furniture Market is back in town.
"$6.7 billion comes to the state of North Carolina and our local area from the folks who come to this market, 75,000 people, twice a year is a huge impact on our area," said Tammy Nagem, CEO for the High Point Furniture Authority.
To put that economic impact in perspective, the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield Country Club brings in an average $30 Million dollars to the local economy.
The 2023 ACC and First Round NCAA tournament brought in about $25 million.
"High Point is for sure the Premier venue in the industry," said Jason Phillips with the Phillips Collection.
Phillips and his family brought their business to High Point more than two decades ago.
Although they also have showrooms in Las Vegas and Dallas, Phillips says High Point always stands out from competing cities
High Point is also nearly twice the size with more than 11 million square feet of showroom space.
"It’s not just one campus, you’re in an entire city that lives in breeds furniture design," said Phillips.
Designers aren’t the only ones cashing in on the 75,000 people who will travel to High Point from all around the world.
A few blocks north, on Church Street, businesses near Truist Point and the High Point Social District are also expecting a busy weekend.
Not only from the market but from the season’s first home game for the High Point Rockers.
"We have people from all over the country, out of the country. We have a pretty core group of market regulars that come back and see us each time," said Joe Hubay, co-owner of Plank Street Tavern.
"We expect to see big crowds, we expect the evenings to be really fun, there’s a lot going on down here. We do a lot of catering for market as well which is also a wonderful, so we love that support from our local share rooms." said Brandi Crumley, owner of The Blooming Board.
Market organizers say it’s the local hospitality and strong industry support that has allowed High Point to lead the industry for more than a century.
"High Point has more photography studios per capita than New York City. We have the trucking companies, we have the phone manufacturers, we have the guys who make the mechanisms that makes your recliner work. All those things are here," said Nagem.
The High Point Spring Furniture Market will run through April 26th, 2023.