High Point Market - History

History

The first formal Southern Furniture Market was held in High Point March 1–15, 1909. In 1921, the Southern Furniture Exposition Building opened for its first show June 20. Built in 19 months, the showroom cost approximately $1 million and held 249,000 square feet (23,100 m2) of exhibition space. Regular shows were held in January and July. With the exception of 1943, the market was put on hold from 1941 until the end of World War II.

The Wrenn Wing was added to the Southern Furniture Exposition Building in 1950. The center's fourth expansion is connected to older parts of the building by glass walkways over Wrenn Street. During the 1950s, informal "in-between" markets began to emerge, hosting visitors in April and October. The main markets were still held in January and July.

The size and scope of the mid-season marketing during April and October begin to surpass the January and July shows in the 1960s. Showrooms other than the Southern Furniture Exposition Building gained stature, both in size and importance. In 1980, organizers in Dallas make a bid to host the major national home furnishings market. In 1982, the January and July shows were discontinued, leaving the April and October shows.

The Southern Furniture Market was renamed the International Home Furnishings Market in 1989. High Point's largest showroom, the Southern Furniture Exposition Building, changed its name to the International Home Furnishings Center, or IHFC. With nearly 7,000,000 square feet (650,000 m2) of furniture showroom space already available around the city, a decade-long showroom building boom began. In the 1990s, a construction boom added an additional 3,000,000 square feet (279,000 m2) of showrooms to High Point. Showroom expansion continued in 2000, with the addition of new temporary exhibit spaces: The Suites at Market Square and Showplace.

A year later, the 12th floor of the IHFC opened, giving the building 3,500,000 square feet (330,000 m2) of space, more than 14 times its original size. Market organizers estimated that approximately 80,000 visitors, on average, attend the April and October Markets. In 2001, organizers announced the formation of the High Point Market Authority, the official organizer of the Market. In 2002, the Authority approached the N.C. General Assembly for the first time in its history seeking state support for the trade show, the largest event in the state of North Carolina.

In 2003, The Market Authority began a massive shuttle service that today supports over 300,000 riders per year. The N.C. Department of Transportation set aside $900,000 for each of the next two years so the Authority could offer free shuttles to and from 100 hotels and the Piedmont Triad International Airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport. In 2005, a new transportation terminal opened in downtown High Point.

The Market currently has roughly 2,000 exhibitors, 10.5 million square feet of showroom space, 180 buildings and approximately 70,000-80,000 attendees each Market.