Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Fall Furniture Market





This week has been a bit bizarre because it is the time of the year when people in our business or related careers go nuts trying to juggle their regular work load in between visits to the Fall Furniture Market, a semi annual event which typically brings 85,000 visitors to the Triad area. We're lucky because it's located only 25 minutes from our offices in Greensboro, a factor that allows us to do the juggling bit alot more effectively than some of the 85,000 other attendees who have flown or driven in from various other parts of the world.













The market takes place in 188 buildings around the High Point area, a factor that makes one wonder how they were able to come up with a transportation system so elaborate that they could effectively shuttle so many people from one spot to another in record time. In addition there are 2000 exibitors, all of which translates into an enormous financial bonanza for our area!

I can remember when we first moved here in the early 90's that I was totally amazed by the fact that these huge buildings were only open twenty days out of the calendar year! It actually still is an amazement although there are some, like the one above called "Showplace" that now is rented out for special events like conferences, weddings and the like. It, in and of itself, is an architectual marvel!


And like any huge event that competes with other similar venues (in this case with the new Las Vegas Furniture Market), the Home Furnishings Council brings and hosts wonderful, free entertainment to entice the attendees to come to High Point. This year it was KC & The Sunshine Band and Peter Frampton. Dickle and I attended Peter Frampton and managed to stay through most of the concert before we decided that we were then deaf and our feet were numb from standing for three hours!
So weary as we are we're glad to be back to the normal routine; glad to put the market beind us until next April when we'll look forward to it once again. Hopefully the economy will have rebounded by then and we'll start to see a glimmer of the good 'ol days!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Friends & Our W/E Trip to Brunswick County, NC

We headed out of town this weekend to visit good friends, Bill & Ro, in Calabash, NC who live 15 minutes North of Myrtle Beach. Can't believe that we hadn't been there in more than a year, although we managed to pick up right where we left off!
Our other great friends, Rich and Kathy joined us on the trip and we reconnected with transplanted former "Greensbor-in-ians", Jack and Caroline,...more great friends.... who moved their residential building business to Shalotte, NC almost 4 years ago. Needless to say there was lots of conversation about McCain/Pailin and Obama/Bidden; the state of the economy; the status of the building industry (Many of us there, in some way or another, were/are in directly-related jobs that have been affected...although that's a subject for another blog...); Probably the best things shared were the funny stories, hearty laughs and some great recipes!


Ya just have to know that Bill & Ro have the BEST unofficial bed and breakfast in the area. They are the greatest hosts...traveled us all over the area looking for and at beach condominiums for sale...(no, we're not in the market...but R & K are...). And food? Amazing meal on Friday night along with a great restaurant choice on Ocean Isle Beach for a fabulous lunch on Saturday. It certainly wasn't a w/e to lose weight!

Thanks Shepherd's for a wonderful weekend and an opportunity to share time away some of our "best-est" friends!