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HIGH POINT — Sure, you have a desk. But will your desk play your iPod?

That’s the kind of pitch some buyers at the High Point Market this week are imagining as they look for something they can sell in a down economy: furniture for techies.

“Who is a 'techie’ has really changed a lot in just the last few years,” said Amanda Pyres, a furniture buyer from Colorado. “People who wouldn’t consider themselves on the cutting edge now have flat-panel televisions, laptops, smartphones and iPods. And they need furniture that reflects that.”

Pyres said she’s seen several furniture companies roll out tech-friendly furniture this market, from desks that hide cell phone plugs and charge iPods to entertainment centers built for flat-screens and video-game consoles.

Companies such as Aspenhome, Austin Gray and Orleans are aiming at tech-savvy customers this year.

Todd Wayne, a buyer from Virginia, said that’s because to sell in a tanking economy, you have to convince the customer they need something new.

“With the economy the way it is, most people are not going to buy a new desk or a new sofa if their old one can last another year or two,” Wayne said.

“But if you can show them that this model does new things, that it’s not like the old one, then you can get people to buy it.”

That’s clearly the thinking at the Aspenhome exhibit at the International Home Furnishings Center.

The company, known more for its solid, traditional furniture, picked up a Pinnacle design award this week for its Adagio line — aggressively modern pieces built with flat-screen TVs, iPods and video gamers in mind.

The Adagio Console bears only a slight resemblance to a traditional media center — it has a low, flat top good for high-tech TVs rather than the usual large cabinet design. Pieces of the console open to reveal an iPod charging dock, a drawer with built-in plugs for video game systems and lower drawers that slide open with a single touch.

Office desks in the line also feature iPod docks and built-in speakers for those who like to listen while they work but value their space too much to clutter it with radios or CD players.

The price drop in flat-screen TVs and the popularity of HDTV have driven big-name manufacturers such as Hooker, Broyhill and Stanley to design entertainment centers that are no longer deep and bulky, but instead feature back panels for mounting.

The target audience: people who want a flat-screen but don’t want to screw holes in their walls or take on an expensive, complex mounting apparatus.

“When you think about it, furniture really evolves like every other part of life,” Wayne said.

“It has to adapt to our needs. But sometimes technology gets ahead and everyone has to catch up at once to build furniture for it. Hopefully, the customers will follow along in catching up.”

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