The New Normal- Nothing Normal About It

Exactly two weeks ago to the day, I was finishing up with my sons teacher conferences and headed back to work in our High Point showroom at 200 Steele.  We were working through potential catering for the High Point Furniture Market and thinking through our invitations and events. Market orders were bouncing along through our factories and our team was thinking through final product development. We were still planning on a market, businesses were open, toilet paper was plentiful.

Since that Thursday I have left running in the background my calendar with all of the events planned out into the future.  The normal one. The one that says right now I should be closing down my computer in order to take my daughter to soccer practice. Where today was Scottsdale's Design District Desert Days, and we were hosting a CEU with Inside Out. The one that says tomorrow my son has a tennis match, and it is exactly four weeks till opening day of High Point market. The one where normal means people and places and events. 

Instead we exist in this new normal, where things change on the hour yet seemingly stand still. Events are cancelled, school is cancelled, lessons and meetings are all cancelled.  Grocery stores close early and have early hours just for seniors.  Toilet paper has gone the way of the dodo bird along with all things Clorox.  Hand sanitizer, which I used to hate, is now rubbed on like hand lotion, and it too is on the nearly extinct list. Drinks with neighbors has now turned into a version of online dating, and my son's gaming is legitimately one of his few connection points with friends.

This is not normal. We take the health and well being of our associates extremely seriously and we also want to do our part to help our larger community. We are working on securing materials to put our sewers to work making masks.  We have discussed an effort to utilize our trucks to carry essential goods instead of furniture.  Our factories, a vibrant community of craftspeople who make exceptional furniture, are closing next week as we try and manage through what lies ahead. I repeat this is not normal. 

I keep telling myself to breathe. For a high functioning doer who thrives on multi-tasking and problem solving the quiet is disconcerting and leaves me feeling a bit helpless.  I have already posted over a hundred new pins to Pinterest, reorganized our digital assets, worked through most of our website imagery and we are only one week in.  What will week two bring?

If I know anything it is that we are a resilient people. Our companies are strong. Our retail and design partners are smart and creative. Our families are scrappy and tough. We will ride out this new normal. We will create new and amazing ways to engage one another.  We will take solace in our families and friends and while we are physically apart we will more than ever lean on one another to survive, indeed to thrive. We will emerge from this stronger and together and ensure that this time of cancellations, of shut downs, of social distancing, on-line learning, and uncertainty will never be our normal. 

High Point Market Spring 2018

This Spring #hpmkt was one for the books! Century debuted in their new showroom at 200 Steele all while launching two, new casegood collections and an outdoor collection.

Located on the second floor of 200 Steele, our new showroom instantly felt like home. (maybe because we are now in the same building as Highland House and Hancock & Moore). This market we called the showroom our Blank Canvas because it was in fact, a blank canvas. With a more open floor plan and brand new product, our team was given the liberty to start fresh and paint the town red! (not literally, but we did use some Benjamin Moore Century paint colors on our walls).

Exciting and a little nerve wrecking (we did not have furniture in the space two weeks before opening day), but our team made it happen and boy, did we put on a show.


Our annual market party was named "Blank Canvas Party", where new friends and old friends helped us celebrate our new home. We had a jazz band, a local artist come in and show off her talent, food served on paint pallets, and a photographer capture the evening. What a night we had!

On Monday evening, we hosted a flower arranging demonstration with Thomas O'Brien. We watched him arrange beautiful flowers from New York and listen to him talk about different types of flowers while sitting in his garden room. Did you know that before you purchase your flowers from a florist, they go through a flower auction?

And in the blink of an eye, #hpmkt was over. We want to thank everyone that played a special part in making our grand opening successful.

What do we have in store for next market? Well, you will just have to wait and see.

October Market Highlights

This market marked the first time in thirty years that Century Furniture has had a new showroom space at the High Point International Furniture Market.  Prior to this, the only move we have ever made for market was to move from showing in Hickory, NC to showing in High Point.  Not only was it a new showroom, it was also temporary, a one market wonder, as we await the completion of our new permanent home at 200 Steele.

Outfitting a brand new showroom for one market is crazy, but in true Century fashion our team created an incredible display of our product.  This new showroom gave everyone an opportunity to see our furniture in a different light. And it was a hit! We had a fabulous market celebrating our new Thomas O'Brien outdoor collection, our new casegoods collection Bowery Place, our Details Dining program, as well as a quick ship dining chair program.

For those who were unable to make it down to High Point, we wanted to share some highlights!

Thomas O'Brien Outdoor for Century features a mixture of woven and metal materials.

Bowery Place Collection crafted of solid oak and oak veneers

Monarch Collection introduced new pieces including a mix of concrete, painted onyx glass accents, and shagreen.

Windsor Smith for Century Collection won a Pinnacle Award for Best Major Collection
at the ASFD Oct 2017 Pinnacle Awards!



This mixed pattern room showcases Details Dining and Details Chest programs.

For more information about what's new from Century, please contact your local sales professional, and be sure to visit us Spring 2018 at our
~NEW & PERMANENT~

 showroom located at 200 Steele!