by Executive shares details about the dynamic of the new space and what it means for customers now and in the future
HIGH POINT — At this week’s High Point Market, Bernhardt Furniture has moved into its new freestanding showroom at 101 N. Hamilton St. in High Point’s Design District. It marks the first new space the company has occupied in High Point in 42 years, having previously occupied a space on the sixth floor of the Design Wing of the International Home Furnishings Center. It is also the third market space it has occupied in its 135-year history, the first being across from its corporate headquarters in Lenoir.
On Thursday, Home News Now received a tour of the 95,000-square-foot building, which revealed how the industry style leader transformed the space both on the inside and out. Featuring high ceilings on each floor, the two-story building is painted entirely white on the outside and features mostly white and off-white tones on the interior, giving it a bright, modern aesthetic and a museumlike appearance.
On the first floor, the company is showing Bernhardt Living, featuring stationary and motion upholstery in fabric and leather, along with its occasional and accent furniture line. The first floor also showcases Bernhardt Interiors, which offers a high-style mix of bedroom, dining, occasional and upholstery featuring exotic wood species combined with mixed media elements ranging from German silver and glass to antiqued mirror and natural materials. There are also two design centers where customers can select from a wide mix of fabrics and leathers to customize their upholstery.
On the second floor, some rooms feature walls painted in darker brown tones, complementing the mix of about 14 case goods collections, giving buyers a look at both new and inline products they may not have seen of late. The second floor also features outdoor furniture, in a large room surrounded by tall windows and walls that mimic the lighter tones seen downstairs. On the second floor, visitors also will see an art gallery that showcases unique artistic creations, including tall wood sculptures designed by President and CEO Alex Bernhardt Jr. In addition, they can relax and enjoy food and drink in a club dining and entertainment area, which features modern architectural elements also designed by the executive.
In this special market-edition Q&A, Bernhardt talks about the new space and what it means for the company and its retail and designer customers moving forward. With the thoughtfully designed elements described above — not to mention plenty of space for its growing product lines — it will serve as a full-line home furnishings destination for many years — and markets to come.
Home News Now: This obviously is a huge change for Bernhardt, having been in the IHFC for so many years. What do you see as the biggest benefit of the move?
Bernhardt: That people will now be able to find us! When we moved into the IHFC 42 years ago, we were a gallery-only furniture company with very limited distribution, so it wasn’t essential to have a location that was easy to find. We are now more focused on the
interior design world, and many of these clients are new to High Point each market. With our new location in the center of the market, it will be hard to miss us.
How long have you been working on this and how big of a challenge has it been to move into a totally new footprint?
Bernhardt: We have been looking for a new location for years, but because of the needed square footage we haven’t had a lot of options. We signed the lease for this building just before last market in October, so we completely transformed the building and are open for business in six months. It has taken a Herculean effort to get here but, thanks to our amazing management team and an incredible contractor, we believe we have created one of the most inspiring spaces in High Point in one market cycle.
Can you describe for us how the showroom dynamic will be different in the new location? What do you see as the biggest difference in addition from two floors versus one?
Bernhardt: We had real limitations on what we could create in our old space due to restrictions of being in an older building. This time we really had a blank slate to create a showroom that would show our different product catalogs in their best light, coupled with hospitality spaces that would inspire and function well for our guests. And more than one floor versus two, the more impactful difference is the size. We now have about 95,000 square feet versus about 60,000 in our previous showroom. We’re now able to really showcase our designs in the way they deserve. Our signature style is an elevated aesthetic with uniquely beautiful materials, and the same can now be said for this showroom.
Do you think the showroom will be easier to access and navigate compared with the previous location and if yes, how so?
Bernhardt: Absolutely! We now have a freestanding building in probably the best location in town versus a sixth-floor space tucked away in a huge multi-tenant building. As we kept adding new product categories into our old space, the flow of the showroom became somewhat confusing. The new space flows much better from one category to another, so we believe it will be easier for our guests to shop. I think we have always done a pretty good job displaying our new designs, but with the added space we are now able to show more of our bestselling products as well. The layout of the new building will make everything look better!
Can you say roughly how much of the total square footage is devoted to new product compared with inline product?
Bernhardt: We have added more new products this market compared to previous markets as this begins a new era for our company in terms of design, branding and display. With the length of our line, the new introductions probably account for 20% of the space.
Bernhardt has done a great job expanding into new categories ranging from outdoor to home office, for example. How does the new space help communicate to retailers not only who Bernhardt is, but where it’s headed?
Bernhardt: We certainly think so, and the new building allows us more space to fully feature our new categories and will allow us room to present our next ventures. This building will let us highlight our brand aesthetic like never before, particularly in highlighting our
dedication to and passion for creativity and design. As part of that focus, we only enter a new product segment if we have a new take on the category; we are not interested in bringing more of the same to the design world.
What are your expectations for attendance this market? Do you expect tariffs to impact who plans to attend the market and whom you expect to see in the new space?
Bernhardt: We expect our traffic to at least double this market based on what we are seeing in new appointments and the ability of the interior design world to find us. While the tariff issue is not helpful, we believe we have found ways to hold most of our prices with the current tariff load. I am not aware of anyone canceling their market plans.
Bernhardt already is well known in the design community, and this location obviously speaks to that segment of the business. But do you expect that this new location will gain traction among both designers and brick-and-mortar stores?
Bernhardt: One of the most unusual aspects of our company is that we are very balanced between retail and interior design customers, where most manufacturers specialize in one or the other. Most of the large retail customers always shop us. Where we expect to really
grow is in our visits from the interior design world. There are always new interior designers attending the market, and having a highly visible location within the center of the interior design portion of High Point will be a great asset.
Lastly, what do you think this new space says to your customers about the future of Bernhardt and its position in the marketplace?
Bernhardt: We believe we have the best brand in furniture manufacturing, and the most inspiring designs in our industry. We now finally have a space worthy of our brand!
