by HIGH POINT — Krysiak, a leading Polish manufacturer of design-driven case goods, left the recent High Point Market with new customers, new opportunities and a new understanding of what will be expected of the company to continue to be successful in the U.S. market.
The company, which shows on the fifth floor of the C&D Building, acknowledged that while traffic was light, the retailers that did visit were aggressively looking for a host of solutions, including new products from new vendors.
According to company principal Marcin Krysiak, who represents the third generation in the business, “The ever-changing situation with tariffs, coupled with the highly volatile ocean freight rates, has created a very uncertain landscape for the furniture sector. But the upside was that buyers were looking for new solutions and diversification, and we came ready to meet those needs,” he said.
While keeping its tradition of showing buyers stylish new finished goods, the company also scored with buyers by offering turnkey solutions for suppliers looking for a dependable and affordable source of unfinished predrilled and prefinished components.
Krysiak went on to observe that the uncertainty surrounding tariff headwinds has created an unprecedented demand for flexibility, speed to market and just-in-time inventory, all strengths of his company, he said.
Offering specifics, Krysiak confirmed they are now doing business with Idea Furniture, a Chicago-based retailer, and opened a new account with a key Florida-based retailer.
The company said that retailers were pleasantly surprised by the high quality and design of its furniture, which combines European style with American functionality.
During market, designer Karim Rashid also visited the showroom and expressed interest in starting a collaboration with Polish companies, Krysiak said.
Overall, Krysiak said the company had visits from 17 clients with annual volumes over $20 million, primarily in the medium-high price segments, including HOM Furniture, VIG Furniture, Grandin Road, Menards, Wayfair, Amazon and others.
Krysiak said, “You always learn something invaluable at market. For us, the lesson from this market was to be sharp on pricing and be ready to deliver, and we are.”
