“All the market’s a stage,
And all the buyers, sellers, suppliers, designers and media types merely players;
They have their exits and entrances,
And one High Pointer plays many parts,
His mattress market unfolding in seven acts.”
I’ve taken the (considerable) liberty of rewriting Shakespeare’s famous monologue from “As You Like It” in a bold attempt to get a handle on the complex, sprawling enterprise that is the High Point Market, a festival of commerce and conversation that defies easy characterization.
In playwright’s terms, it has it all: drama, deals, dressers, drawers, davenports, divans, daybeds, doohickeys, differentiated decorations, dazzling displays, delightful delicatessens, diversity, discussions, declarations, deliberations, decisions — and, yes, mattresses, too. (Playwright’s note: That is called alliteration, except for the mattress part.)
My assignment each market is to go to the mattresses, a category, admittedly, that plays second fiddle in High Point to the case goods, upholstery and accessories that set the main stage in the Furniture Capital of the World.
But mattresses deserve their due. Thus, we present this modest mattress drama for your humble consideration.
Act One: The calm before the storm
Date: Tuesday, October 22, four days before the official start of the High Point Market
Scene: Outside Showplace
Time: 2 p.m.
When does the High Point Market start? That’s not an easy question to answer. I like to say that it starts when the first buyer (or reporter) shows up.
I started my High Point mattress market with a video shoot with Therapedic CEO Gerry Borreggine and sleep expert Terry Cralle, who helms the bedding department at Green Front Furniture in Farmville, Virginia.
Borreggine, who has been coming to High Point for 40 years, likes to use the market as a set for Therapedic’s “Inside Track” videos for retailers and consumers. So Borreggine, Cralle and I stood on the almost empty plaza outside Showplace and talked about mattresses while the video cameras rolled.
Our topics included mattress sizes — bigger is better for better sleep, we all agreed — and the importance of better storytelling. Why, we lamented, does the industry largely tell a price story when a health story is so much more compelling?
That evening …
I met [name redacted to protect confidential mattress discussions] for dinner at 1618 West Seafood Grill, where our server said market folks were already in evidence. I had deviled eggs, a salad and the brisket flatbread.
Act Two: A market secret revealed
Date: Wednesday, October 23, three days before the official start of the High Point Market
Scene: City Barbeque
Time: 12:45 p.m.
I will now reveal one of my market secrets: barbecue, also spelled “barbeque” and “BBQ,” and sometimes even referred to as “que” or “cue.”
Being a longtime High Pointer, the official name for people who live in High Point, I like to share some of my favorite barbecue joints with market visitors. The list includes Lexington Barbecue in nearby Lexington; Black Powder Smokehouse in nearby Jamestown; Sweet Old Bill’s in High Point; Kepley’s Bar-B-Q (where I once introduced a bedding friend to Cheerwine, the delicious cherry-flavored soft drink invented in North Carolina), just a few doors down from Sweet Old Bill’s; Biscuits Brisket and Beer at the fun Stock and Grain Food Hall in High Point; and City Barbeque, a decent car ride away on Highway 68, but worth the drive.
At City Barbeque, I hosted [name redacted to protect confidential mattress discussions]. My guest had the pulled pork and green beans. I went with a brisket sandwich and baked beans. I washed that down with a Nehi Grape soda, the perfect chaser for that rich brisket.
Later that day …
The Home News Now family of publications hosted a market kickoff party at the American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame. We had a great crowd of retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and market friends. I had good conversations there with Jamie Wallis and James Moquin, both of Serta Simmons Bedding, one of our party sponsors.
I took note of the major retailers mingling at our party and was reminded that there is considerable retail firepower in town well before the official start of market.
Act Three: Going to the next level
Date: Friday, October 25, one day before the official start of the High Point Market
Scene: The elevator in the Shifman Mattresses building, 108 E. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
Time: 2 p.m.
(Note: Before we get to that elevator, you may be wondering what happened to Thursday. That’s the day that my wife, Karen, and I devote to our cute and brilliant granddaughters, Ivy and Lizzie.)
Talk about an elevator pitch. Shifman really has one this market. The high-end bedding producer tucked a twin-sized mattress into the elevator that takes guests to its third-floor showroom entrance. In my 41 years of showroom visits, I’ve never seen that before, so I had to get some fun shots of Shifman President Bill Hammer in the elevator.
But first I had to tease Hammer. “It looks like you are going to have an up-and-down market,” I said. He chuckled.
Shifman has clever elevator messages: “Elevate your sales with Shifman’s luxury comfort.” The company also says its mattresses help retailers “rise above” the competition and take their sales “to the next level.” All of those talking points were on a little sign in the elevator.
My take: Things are clearly looking up at Shifman.
Shifman will open the door to more market magic later. (Playwright’s note: That is called foreshadowing.)
Act Four: The opening bell. (Only it isn’t really a bell.)
Saturday, October 26, market’s official Opening Day
Scene: Plaza Suites
Time: 11 a.m.
The Opening Day bell rings. (Playwright’s note: That is a literary device. There is no bell, buzzer, flag drop, flashing light or airplane flyover to signify the arrival of Opening Day. I seem to recall that a band once played on Opening Day, but that was a very long time ago.)
While this is Opening Day, the market has already been underway for days. In fact, some major retailers have already left town, MLily’s Derek Leishman, national sales director, tells me when I visit his showroom Saturday morning.
At MLily I meet with Leishman, Kyle Robertson, chief operating officer, and Joella Adair, marketing strategist. They address one of the major issues facing mattress retailers these days: how to maximize sales when traffic is down.
“Retailers need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes in the door,” Leishman says. “That’s one of the reasons we’ve stepped up our accessory products. We are offering something for every customer.”
MLily’s introductions include a new sheet set, a comforter, two duvet inserts and two pillows.
Leishman has a good question. “Why do some consumers wait to buy new sheets a month after they get a new mattress? They should buy new sheets and other sleep accessories at the same time that they buy a new mattress, so they get the full experience of that new mattress right away.” Great point.
Later that day …
South Bay International is making its first High Point showing. I meet with Toby Konetzny, chief executive officer, who talks about the importance of elevating sleep in consumers’ minds.
“Wellness begins with sleep” is the message emblazoned on the wall in South Bay’s Furniture Plaza showroom. That’s right on target.
Even later …
Chad Turney, the USA director for Yatas Bedding, shows me a new line of mattress toppers he’s brought to market, retailing from $199 to $299. He tells me how consumers can use them to customize their comfort — to literally make their own bed. That’s a good line.
Turney is a fellow High Pointer. We talk barbecue. He likes Country Barbeque on North Main Street. I hereby add that place to my list of good BBQ spots.
Act Five: Church and market
Date: Sunday, October 27, the market’s second official day
Scene: The Chapel at First Presbyterian Church of High Point
Time: 10 a.m.
I’ve been teaching an adult Sunday School class at First Presbyterian Church for 32 years, and I build my Sunday market schedule around church. Our lesson today is from I Timothy.
But first I give my class a quick overview of what’s happening at market, an event that is closed to the public and is thus somewhat mysterious to many High Pointers. One of my class members has a question. “Can you get into any showroom at market?” she asks. I proudly respond that I can. In that moment I have a new appreciation for the inside look at market that my press pass affords me.
At lunch time …
I meet [name redacted to protect confidential mattress discussions] at the String & Splinter, the cozy club in Market Square where I’ve dined for decades. Then I lead my friend on a winding journey that zigs and zags through market buildings, snakes through two bridge walkways, and finally deposits us outside on South Main Street, two blocks away from where we started — all under one roof. I tell my friend that feats of navigation like that are the sign of a market pro.
Later that day …
I arrived in High Point in 1977, starting a job with the High Point Enterprise, the local newspaper. Shaun Pennington of Diamond Mattress followed in my footsteps 47 years later, making his first visit to High Point this week. I meet him in the Fashion Bed showroom that Diamond shares at the Atrium on Main.
His first impression of High Point? “It’s very spread out. Lots of boutique-y shops. It’s nice — a good place to visit. I’ll be back.”
Diamond Mattress is based in California but also has a factory in Texas and is expanding its distribution to the East Coast. Pennington is using this market to get the lay of the land in High Point and to spend time with his East Coast sales representatives.
Act Six: Seeing some ‘S’ brands
Date: Monday, October 28, the third official day of market
Scene: Carolina’s Diner on Eastchester Drive
Time: 7:30 a.m.
In case you haven’t noticed, meals are a big thing at market. There are two reasons for this. One, everyone eats. Two, sitting down with someone over breakfast, coffee, lunch, drinks and/or dinner provides an ideal setting to talk about business — and personal stuff, too. Meals build relationships and our industry is built on relationships, many going back decades.
Zoom calls are no match for the insights you gain when you sit down with a friend over a hearty Route 66 breakfast at Carolina’s Diner, the skillet packed with hash browns, corned beef hash and eggs, all slathered in country gravy and blanketed with melted cheese, with grits and a biscuit joining the party, too. I dig into that skillet of Southern decadence as I sit down with [name redacted to protect confidential mattress discussions].
Later that morning …
AW Industries, the Landover, Maryland-based bedding maker, shows four mattress lines at market: Serta, Sleepwell, Silentnight and Highclere Castle. This is always one of my favorite stops at market, as I can see a variety of lines, including three in the prestigious “S” family of brands that accounts for several of the industry’s biggest bedding names — Sealy, Serta, Simmons and Stearns & Foster. Those “S” sounds suggest soothing slumber. (Playwright’s note: yes, more alluring alliteration.)
Adrian Wertz, AW’s vice president of sales, shows me a new four-model adjustable bed base line he designed with the aid of his sales team, with retails ranging from $599 to $1,499. Dramatic light boxes display the features and benefits offered by each of the models, a strong presentation that his dealers love, he tells me.
“Every dealer has said, ‘I have to have the signs,’” Wertz says. “Typically retail sales associates can’t remember all of the details of adjustable bed bases.” The light boxes are silent salesmen and they help RSAs better present the feature-rich bases to their customers, he adds. It is a strong presentation.
Later that day …
I returned to Shifman to see how the company had turned its showroom into an art gallery. Dozens of pieces of art now filled the walls, helping Shifman present its reimagined Masters Collection as an expression of mattress art.
While a local artist painted in the background, an area TV station conducted an interview with Hammer. The cameraman himself popped the questions, at one point catching Hammer totally off guard. His question, while seemingly innocent, plunged into dangerous territory: How many people have been in your showroom?
That guy didn’t realize that it is very bad form to ask about specific numbers in any showroom; exhibitors almost never reveal actual numbers and only rarely share percentages, instead preferring to speak about showroom traffic in general terms, using words like “good” or “strong” and phrases like “about what we expected” or “better than expected.”
Hammer asked for a moment to collect his thoughts. When filming resumed, he smoothly said that “many” people had been in his showroom to see the art displays and the new mattresses. Well done, Bill!
Act Seven: An Oscar’s-worthy ending
Date: Tuesday, October 29, the fourth official day of market
Scene: The Paramount Sleep showroom at 330 S. Wrenn Street
Time: 11:30 a.m.
“They’ve all gone to Oscar’s.”
That’s what the lone guy in the Paramount showroom says when I arrive. He’s referring to Oscar’s Fine Foods, a burger and hot dog joint down the street. (Funny story about Oscar’s: One exhibitor used to tell his wife about eating at Oscar’s during market and she somehow got the idea that it was a fancy place. One market, the guy brought his wife to High Point and promised her that they would dine at Oscar’s, which they did. The letdown was considerable.)
When Paramount President Richard Fleck and his team returned to their showroom several minutes later, lunch bags in hand, I asked if they had brought me lunch. Fleck offered me his hamburger, but I couldn’t deprive him of a fine Oscar’s burger. No reporter worth his salt would ever take a burger out of his source’s mouth.
Fleck thoughtfully put his lunch on hold and we had a nice talk about Paramount’s redesigned Paramount Collection, packed with cotton grown near Paramount’s Norfolk, Virginia, factory. More on that in a future story that you won’t want to miss. (Playwright’s note: That is called a shameless plug.)
He also told me about a conversation he had a day earlier, when someone was moaning about lousy market business. “It’s terrible because they are negative and they are not investing in the market,” he says. “You make your own market.”
Paramount, which hosted a Market Mixer Monday night to draw traffic to its showroom, is already thinking about ways to drive more traffic to its showroom next market, Fleck says.
At 2 p.m. that afternoon …
Seeking a good bookend to my market meanderings, I decided to wrap up my seven days at market at the exact spot where I started my market. So I walked through the sunny corridor connecting the International Home Furnishings Center and Showplace, stopping where I had shot those videos with Gerry Borreggine and Terry Cralle.
What a difference a week makes. Last week we had the plaza to ourselves; the carnival had not yet rolled into town. But now people were everywhere, walking in and out of Showplace in a steady stream. Marketgoers milled about the food trucks parked outside Showplace and ate late lunches at the tall tables nearby. Designers sat at other tables, luxuriating in the sun. Music played in the distance. It was a fine fall day. And in those pleasant surroundings I brought the curtain down on my October High Point Market drama.
A fun read!
Dave Perry you were missed. Welcome back!