Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, February 4, 2014
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TUPELO,
Miss. — Hoping to build on the momentum from a round of successful
January furniture shows, organizers and exhibitors at this week's Tupelo
Furniture Market are anticipating a strong event that will attract
buyers from the Southeastern U.S. and many other regions.
Organizers
say pre-registrations are running well ahead of the February 2013
market, and include more than 500 buyers from large retailers and
another 2,500 from mid-size stores.
"We are extremely satisfied
with the results of our marketing efforts thus far," said market
President Kevin Seddon, who noted the show's 2.5 million square feet of
exhibit space is nearly sold out. The show officially opens
Thursday, but most showrooms will be open for business on Wednesday,
which has become an unofficial opening day in recent years. The
sizeable pre-registration figures are welcome news for exhibitors, most
of whom are confident that actual market attendance will be strong, as
well.
"We're expecting to have good attendance," said Dwight
Hardison, vice president of merchandising at leather upholstery resource
Simon Li. "We usually see quite a few dealers from the Midwest and the
West. It's not just people from the Southeast." Jim Sneed,
president of promotional upholstery producer Affordable Furniture, said
he believes the market's new dates in early February will help attract a
larger number of smaller retailers who see a spike in business once tax
refund checks start being issued. "Refund checks won't start
going out until mid-February, so the mom-and-pop stores may feel more
comfortable about coming," said Sneed. "When the show is in late
February, the timing can be a problem for them." In recent years,
the February market had been in the latter half of the month, but the
dates were moved up for 2014 in hopes of boosting attendance from
smaller retailers, in particular.
Complete article found here: Tupelo Furniture Market