Signs Point to Strong Furniture Market

The 2014 spring Furniture Market in High Point got off to a strong start.

Tom Conley, president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority, says there was a 9 percent increase among pre-registered buyers this year, the largest such increase in about half a decade. He says so far, buyers have been enthusiastic and the mood is good.

Conley says an improving housing market is driving some of that optimism.

This year kicked off with a solid January for the industry but snow and ice up and down the Atlantic seaboard slowed things down significantly in February and March. Conley says that slowdown is causing some concerns at the spring market.

Last year, a study by Duke University researchers determined that the twice a year furniture market has an economic impact of more than $5 billion in a 22-county area. The spring market runs through Thursday.