The IHFC building announced that the once troubled Norwalk Furniture, has leased space at IHFC. The 102-year-old Norwalk, Ohio manufacturer was reborn last summer when 12 local investors stepped in to purchase the company’s brand name, assets and projects in progress. By year’s end, the company showed a small profit, a rare achievement in this economy, and something that fuels a sense of excitement throughout the company.
“It’s all we talk about all day,” said Norwalks’ Reyna Moore. With the momentum and successes, “We really feel like Norwalk needs a presence in High Point. A strong presence.” And in that commitment Norwalk signed a long-term lease in the IHFC’s Design Center. The showroom will occupy 7,500 square feet of the tenth floor, space that the company plans to divide into three distinct galleries.
Industry veterans HB2 will design the space. One gallery will showcase HGTV design guru Candice Olson’s line; “Variations,” Norwalk’s formidable custom program, will get its own gallery; and there will be a gallery devoted to “Best of Norwalk,” displaying the company’s best sellers.
The company’s comeback is a testament to the strength of its programs and the value in its products, Moore said. “When you look at Candice’s designs, of course, you see the style and quality. And that’s no less true with Variations, where customers have choices in profiles and over 800 covers plus detailing choices for the ultimate in customization. Add in the quick ship program that we offer and ours is a powerful story that buyers respond to. Because it works.”
Capturing the attention of buyers drove the decision to choose the IHFC. “Location is the most important thing,” Moore concluded, “and more than 95 percent of all Market visitors go through the IHFC.”
Opening in 1921, IHFC was the original showroom building in High Point and after 88 years of expansion remains the centerpiece of the world’s largest home-furnishings trade show that attracts more than 90,000 participants twice a year to 2,000 showrooms covering 11.5 million square feet. IHFC alone is home to 650 of the leading home-furnishings manufacturers, including 13 of the top 20 companies, and covers 3.5 million square feet.