The High Point Market kicks off Saturday with hundreds of exhibitors representing more than 100 countries from around the world.
Following the furniture sales boom during the pandemic, inflation, higher interest rates and a frozen housing market took their toll. But some industry professionals are calling 2026 a wait-and-see year.
Several recent economic indicators appear to be trending in the right direction. The Consumer Confidence Index edged up last month. Strategic Insights projects a nearly 2% bump in consumer spending for furniture this year. And according to the Institute for Supply Management, a majority of manufacturers expect higher revenues in 2026.
Ken Crews is a professor at High Point University and vice president of human resources for Lexington Home Brands. He says the feeling on the showroom floor is upbeat.
"A lot of furniture companies are putting out a tremendous amount of new collections, and they have done a lot of refreshing of current collections," says Crews. "So everybody is super stoked about the possibility of putting everything out there."
He adds that Spring Market collections won’t arrive until the fourth quarter of this year. He says while global tensions, changing administrations and lingering inflation have impacted discretionary spending, he’s cautiously optimistic for the future.