Furniture market returns to Tupelo after pandemic hiatus

“We’re getting back to the basics,” Furniture Market’s Chairman V.M. Cleveland told the newspaper. “We’re not going to have the awards ceremonies or the free buffets or entertainment or anything like that. We’re just going to match up the vendors with the buyers and retailers and just do business like the way we started 35 years ago.”

The market’s last trade show was in the summer of 2020. Like many businesses, it was forced to make changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. No trade shows were held last year in Tupelo. Officials were worried about the potential exposure with having people come from around the country to Tupelo. But the pandemic has also caused shipping delays which have hobbled the industry.

Cleveland said shipping delays pushed delivery times back for many manufacturers from 30 to 60 days to as much as six months.

Debbie Henry, the market’s director of sales, told the newspaper they wanted to have at least 50 vendors but already have 75. And they focused their recruiting efforts on companies that could ship products within weeks as opposed to months, she said.

At one time the Tupelo Furniture Market had more than 1,000 exhibitors but as the number of manufacturers and retailers have declined the market has shrunk.