Rug exhibitors attracted quality buyers shopping rugs, while events lured design influencers to their showrooms at High Point Market.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The spring 2023 edition of High Point Market offered plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle with design celebrities, and social media influencers came out in droves to meet their home furnishings heroes.
That said, the faces of market are changing – and indeed so are the shopping schedules of serious designers and big-name retailers. While last week’s show officially opened on Saturday, many of the biggest design firms, e-commerce and brick and mortar stores had appointments at major area rug showrooms as early as Wednesday – mostly to avoid the crowds drawn by an endless stream of events targeting influencers across the High Point campus.
Follow RugNews.com as we tour 20+ area rug showrooms for insights into buyers shopping High Point Market, and vendors’ ever-more-savvy marketing and social media strategies to draw them in.
AMER
Amer Rugs founder Mahesh Chaudhary, chairman and CEO, and Raj Choudhary, president, pose with Molly Ann
Jackson-Riley of Defined Interiors in Navarre, Florida, shopping the company’s High Point intros.
CAPEL RUGS
Cameron Capel of Capel Rugs (second left) poses with the Rooms to Go team: Fhonda Goss, Brittany Wilson and
Miranda Homan in front of one of several selfie stations at the rug maker’s Market Square showroom.
In the Capel showroom, from left: Magi Corcoran and Duke Gyamfi of Ormes Furniture in Ottowa, Canada, Jamie
Schraiter of Capel, and Alex Corcoran of Ormes Furniture.
CREATIVE TOUCH
At Suites at Market Square, Baki Ildiz of Creative Touch show his latest hand knotted intros to Cathy and Ernie Connon
of Catherine Jordan Design in Richmond, Virginia.
DALYN RUG CO.
Brian Vander Werf of Dalyn Rugs poses with Irene Matthews of Brown Squirrel Furniture in Knoxville, Tennessee, as
she shops for the newest looks at the busy showroom
FEIZY
Above and below, Feizy courted interior designers with three events during market, including the
IDS Panel: The Coaches
Report, hosted by Feizy’s director of trade relations, Michael Bauer (left). Panelists were designers Sandra Funk,
House of Funk, Traci Connell, Traci Connell Interiors, and Rick Campos, founder of Design Biz Survival Guide.
Cameron Feizy, principal, cuts the ribbon at Feizy's two-story showroom at the spring High Point Market. From left
to right, Matt Noyes, Scott Miller, Cameron Feizy, Lorraine Nicholson, Michael Bauer, Mike Riley, Denise Riley and
Jessica Stephens.
FINE RUGS OF CHARLESTON
Jack Schmalfeld of Artisan Rug Gallery in Charlotte reviews a new offering of Afghanistan hand-knotted rugs with Rob Leahy at the Fine
Rugs of Charleston stand at Suites at Market Square.
HAROUNIAN RUGS INTERNATIONAL (HRI)
Spotted at the Harounian Rugs International showroom were, from Left: Del Morales of Macy’s Bloomingdales, Lee
Harounian, HRI, Nicole Wethman and Ted Evans of Macy’s Bloomingdales, and David Harounian, HRI.
JAIPUR LIVING
At the Jaipur/Pantone party, guests were invited to contribute to a mammoth sand art design, in keeping with the
showroom’s Pantone colors desert theme. The finished art will be used as inspiration for a hand-loomed rug.
JAUNTY
In the Jaunty showroom, Kami Navid and Audrey Sclarow of Jaunty with Carolyn Gagnon, Morghan Green, Debbie
Collins and Anthony Sierra of Gail Gray Home Furnishings in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
KALATY
Lots of intros drew customers to the Kalaty showroom, among them Marty Smith and Lindsey Townsend of SummerHouse
in Mississippi, posing with Rick Tippin of Kalaty.
KALEEN
Designer and TV celebrity Tamara Day and Monty Rathi of Kaleen in the Kaleen Showplace showroom prepare to host
marketgoers queuing up for a meet and greet event, and to shop her easy-car rugs.
Tamara Day (center), host of
Bargain Mansions, stops by the Kaleen showroom to meet with market attendees and
introduce them to her lineup of area rugs. She’s with Michelle Laws and Matt Michener of Laws Abbey Flooring Center in
Jonesboro, Arkansas.
KARASTAN
Designers filled the Karastan showroom on Sunday for “The Culture of Design” a panel discussion featuring Dave
Santiago of IFDA, designer and Karastan licensing partner Stacy Garcia and Tracy Pruitt of Karastan.
Designers Stacy Garcia with Dave Santiago of IFDA (right) and Tracy Pruitt of Karastan (left) pose in a vignette featuring
Garcia’s Karastan rugs and pillows by LR Home following their panel discussion.
LOLOI
Loloi principals, Steven, Cyrus and Amir Loloi with Joanna Gaines of Magnolia Home following High Point Market’s
opening day keynote presentation featuring a panel discussing with Loloi licensing partners, Gaines, Jean Stoffer,
Carrier & Company’s Mara Miller and Jesse Carrier, Amber Lewis (Amber Interiors), and Julia Marcum (Chris Loves Julia).
Jean Stoffer (center), whose collaboration with Loloi debuted at High Point Market, poses at a showroom meet and
greet with Lauren Hale of Lauren Hale Interiors in Roanoke, Virginia, (left) and Katrina Cotter of Embark in Dallas (right).
LR HOME
Lifestyle celeb designer Evette Rios, Megha Laddha of LR Home; Steven Faries of Exclusive Home, Bermuda, hospitality
design star Stacy Garcia; and Vaibhav Laddha, LR Home, at the launch of the first Evette Rios rugs, and new Stacy Garcia pillows.
Designer Yvette Rios explains the inspiration for her new line of rugs to Sonya Wagner and Emily Guthrie of Guthrie
Interiors in Morehead, N.C., at a High Point Market launch party in the L.R. Home showroom.
MOMENI
From left at Momeni's meet and greet for The Novogratz:: Aria Momeni and John Conlon of Momeni, Heidi Billodeau
of Novogratz, Meredith Silva of Homegoods.com, Robert and daughter Bellamy Novogratz, and Reza and Ali Momeni of Momeni.
Taking time out from shopping are Olivia Hager of Birch Lane/Wayfair, with Katy Repetto of Momeni, Rachel Manganelli
of Birch Lane, Lynise Walcott and Aria Momeni of Momeni.
NOURISON
Rakesh Agarwal of Rug and Home stops to admire Nourison’s elaborately detailed hand-tufted Prismatic collection rug,
style PRS21, part of a growing collection of intricately colored abstract designs.
ORIENTAL WEAVERS
The team from Pittsburgh Interiors shop the new introduction s at OW showroom with Butch Rives, regional VP Central
and Marilyn Freeman, sales representative.
RUG & KILIM
From left to right: Rug & Kilim lead designer Nikita Nagpal, accounts manager Justin King, interior designer and
Studio B principal Betsy Wentz, and Rug & Kilim VPs Cyrus and Sina Nazmiyal.
SURYA
Satya Tiwari (left) and Jeff Hagedorn (right) of Surya meet with Gerald and Carla Gerami of Rug Gallery by Gerami’s
in Lafayette, Louisiana, who stopped by to see Surya’s largest-ever High Point product launch, including hundreds of new rugs.
At Surya’s meet and greet showroom for new licensing partner Becky Owens, the designer is flanked by Stephanie
Salway and Erika Gallagher of Plum & Crimson Fine Interior Design in Saratoga Springs, New York.
SAMAD
David Samad shows the latest Samad rugs to Karen Campbell and Mercedes Brennan-Campbell, with Brennan Design, California.
STARK STUDIO RUGS
Third-generation owners of Stark Carpet, Chad Stark, CEO, and Ashley Stark, creative director, were High Point Market
Authority’s Sunday keynote speakers with Madeline O’Malley, Architectural Digest market director moderating.
TAMARIAN
From left, Jayne Wilson, Sydney Fritz and Shelly Neal (owner) from McNeal and Friends in Fargo, North Dakota,
browse Tamarian's latest designs.
UNIQUE LOOM
Jalal Nassri (left) and Adeleh Nassri (cutting ribbon) celebrate the opening of their new Market Square showroom with the
Unique Loom team on opening day of market. The 11,000 square foot showroom doubles their presence in High Point.