By Marsha Brick
I haven’t been at the furniture market in North Carolina. Since April 2018. I was supposed to go with my mother but she broke her ankle in car accident two weeks before. The doctors told
her she couldn’t travel so she sent me solo. She said her idea of me going solo was for me to
see our representatives and call her immediately. She wanted to be up to date on everything. So, my rep and I would walk through the showroom and I would take pictures of new items that would work for our clients. Then I would send her the photo. She would then call back and discuss with our rep the pieces she like best. This would continue throughout the market.
One of my reps did facetime with her so she could see their full showroom; she really enjoyed that.
This October I am going back to the market in North Carolina; the show is on in the middle of the month. This will be my first market completely solo. I am excited and little scared. I have been connecting with all my representative and making appointments so that I can see all the new styles and colours coming out.
The average showroom is the size of 2 floors of The Bay downtown, so you need your salesman or saleswoman to help you navigate each showroom. Items that sell big in California and Florida are not popular in Midwest. Some big sellers in the Midwest are of interest to us here in Winnipeg; as each area has it own style and taste. Plus, when people want to know about items that interest them, I can tell that I have seen the item and tell them all about it.
In past markets I have seen where manufacturers have come up with different ways to customize certain pieces for the bedroom, dining room and upholstery. Having seen it makes it easy for me to explain what options our clients can get and how the item is made.
The one thing I am doing is staying in the hotel that my mother and I have been a guest for the past10 years. The staff there were always friendly and very helpful to accommodate whatever my mother or I needed and made us feel special.
204-957-1211
Email: bricks@mts.net
www.marshabricksfinefurniture.com
Marsha Brick owns
Marsha Brick’s Fine Furniture
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