news-record.com

HIGH POINT — As 80,000 people descended on the High Point Market Monday, most were trying not to say it out loud. But among the buyers, exhibitors, manufacturers and designers at the world’s largest furniture exhibition, there was an unspoken tension.

But Roger Nettles , a furniture store owner from West Virginia , didn’t hold back. “We came to look around, but we won’t buy much if anything,” Nettles said as he and a partner ate lunch at the International Home Furnishings Center. “With the economy the way it is, you can’t really do much but tread water until it gets better.”

High gas prices, the fallout in the housing market and chaos in the stock and credit markets have hit the industry hard. Nettles said it was a simple equation.

“You can talk about what to do about the business all you want,” Nettles said. “But if people aren’t buying houses, they’re not furnishing them. And people can’t afford houses or furniture right now.”

Asked if anything he saw on the market’s first day gave him hope, Nettles laughed.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of used furniture on the market,” he said.

Many buyers said they felt the same way. In clusters on downtown corners, much of the conversation was about what, if anything, their stores should buy in the current climate.

“People don’t look at furniture like an essential expense,” said Gregory Blaise , an independent buyer from California . “You have to buy food. You have to send your kids to college. You do not have to have that brand new sofa. You can put it off. So the problem is, if people keep putting it off, what can we sell?”

Not everyone was so grim. As old-school furniture men in khakis and blue blazers mixed with hip young designers in skinny jeans and leather, many said they’d chosen not to think too much about the economy. Exhibitors reported a lot of hesitant buyers — but they said acting sullen wouldn’t help.

“I think a lot of people came into this market with this doomsday scenario in their heads,” said Susan George , spokeswoman for Selamat Designs . “I think some concern is justified, but it’s really not as bad as a lot of us expected.”

George said exhibitors have to concentrate on their lines — such as Selamat’s line of classic rattan furniture — and hope for the best.

“We’re ramping up our design team and really just offering a classic, well-made product,” George said. “People who do that are going to come out of it OK. There will always be a market for good furniture.”

Paul Delaisse , owner of Central Station Original Interiors , agreed. He said his high-end custom furniture business may be slightly cushioned from the economic pressure felt by low-to mid-priced furniture. He said this year marks his eighth market, and the foot traffic he’s seen matches previous years.

“People are maybe a little more reluctant to buy,” Delaisse said. “But that just means you have to work harder.”

Delaisse said his company is actually expanding its offerings in response to the economic downturn, introducing a production line set at a lower price level.

“The U.S.A. is all about consumption,” Delaisse said. “We need to keep working, keep producing and keep buying if we’re worried. It will all work out.”

Contact Joe Killian at 883-4422, Ext. 228, or joe.killian@news-record.com