High Point Market Guide: Sourcing Custom Upholstery
High Point Market remains the essential trade show for furniture professionals. For designers sourcing custom upholstery, market offers unparalleled opportunity to evaluate manufacturers, compare quality, and establish relationships.
Why High Point Matters
Tactile evaluation: Photos and samples only go so far. At market, you sit in furniture, feel construction quality, and assess scale in person.
Relationship building: Meeting manufacturer representatives face-to-face establishes partnerships that serve you better than anonymous web orders.
Industry education: Seminars, showroom presentations, and casual conversations keep you current on materials, techniques, and trends.
Preparing for Market
Research beforehand: Identify manufacturers to visit. Request appointments with priority sources—popular showrooms book quickly.
Bring project specifics: If you have active projects needing custom upholstery, bring details. Discussing real needs yields better information than hypotheticals.
Comfortable shoes: Market covers millions of square feet. You'll walk miles.
Evaluating Showrooms
Quality indicators to observe:
- Sit in every piece—comfort reveals construction quality
- Lift cushions, check underneath
- Ask about frame construction, spring systems, foam specifications
- Inquire about customization range and pricing structure
- Request factory tours if located nearby
Beyond the Showroom
Many Hickory-area manufacturers welcome factory visits during market. Seeing production firsthand provides insight no showroom can match. Hendricks schedules tours by appointment—contact us before market to arrange.