ANTIQUE & DESIGN CENTER AT MARKET SQUARE PLANS EXPANDED SEMINAR SERIES FOR FALL MARKET
Slate Offers Unique Opportunities to Learn About the Business of Antiques, Social Media, Entrepreneurship and Design, and More
High Point, N.C., August 23, 2011 — The Antique & Design Center at Market Square isfollowing up its successful seminar series debut here last Spring with a full slate of educational offerings scheduled for Market-goers this Fall.
“We were thrilled by the response from buyers and designers to our inaugural effort last Spring,” says Karen Luisana, founder and managing director of the Antique & Design Center at Market Square, “and we’re planning to wow Market guests once again with an expanded offering of educational seminars featuring world-class speakers, each of whom are considered rock stars in their chosen fields.
Once again, the seminars will be free to all Market-goers thanks to the sponsorship commitment of VandM.com, the go-to online source for unique vintage furniture, antiques, art and jewelry.”The series kicks off Saturday morning, October 22 at 10 a.m. with social media guru Leslie Carothers and a special breakfast presentation “Breakfast in Bed with Leslie: Waking Up to the Power of Social Media. Billed as a rousing wake-up call on social media metrics, the presentation is sponsored by Pandora de Balthazar, the premier worldwide collector and purveyor of classic antique textiles, exhibiting in High Point at the Antique & Design Center for the first time.
“Leslie Carothers will tackle the one topic on the minds of designers, retailers and manufacturers everywhere,” Luisana says. “Namely, how do you measure the return on investment (ROI) of social media? Does it really work to get new sales? Secure new clients? Attract media attention? If you’d like to get your social media strategy on track and jump-start your Market faster than a double-shot of espresso, plan to start your Opening Day at the Antique & Design Center.”
Next up on Saturday at 2 p.m. is Chicago Interior Designer Julia Buckingham Edelman, principal of Buckingham Interiors & Design LLC, who presents “Modern-ique: Integrating Antiques and Artifacts with Modern Design for Today’s Lifestyles.”With a reputation for mixing styles and eras to create surprising, whimsical and unique environments, and an educated eye for only the best and most unique pieces, Edelman sees aged objects as modern art. “Sunday, October 23 features an encore performance by Bill Indursky, co-founder of VandM.com, whose provocative trend presentation blew everyone away last Spring,” Luisana relates. “Bill is returning for Yearbook 2011/2012: Trend Forecast for the Antique and Home Décor Industries and anyone who attended the Spring session will tell you this is a not-to-be-missed, in-depth and up-to-the-minute analysis of where the antique and home décor industries are headed. We know from experience that he rivets audiences with a fact-based forecast that is thought-provoking and lively. If it’s been awhile since your last ‘aha’ moment, you don’t want to miss this session.”
Retail Sherpa, stylist, designer and entrepreneur Suzi West follows at 3:30 on Sundaywith Passion and the Six P’s of Successful Retailing. “Susi West has more than 17 years of retail experience in merchandising, marketing and managing with brands like Express, Aeropostale, NBC, Homage, Limited Brands and DSW,” Luisana describes.
“The force behind Collier West, with its unique mix of vintage and antique furniture, home furnishings and décor, she is a passionate leader with a record of building brandsand environments that turn ideas into profitability. With a focus on the Six P’s of marketing fundamentals, this session is appropriate for both the small business leader and large organization, and breaks each practice into understandable and executable steps.Count on her to reawaken the merchant within.” A panel discussion is set to wrap up Sunday’s offering at 5 p.m. Entitled “You Don’t Smell Potpourri in Here: Reinventing the Antiques Business,” the panel features Luisana as moderator, along with panelists Hilary Eklund, Tandem Antiques; Breck Armstrong, Moss Studio; and Blogger Allison Watts, the force behind the popular blog heirloomphilosophy.blogspot.com.
“Our panel of experts will provide an insider’s take on the evolution and revolution underway in today’s antiques business,” Luisana says. “If ever there was a time to be dealing in antiques, this is it. People are tiring of disposable, mass-produced goods that don’t last. Everywhere we look, we see that consumers are craving furnishings of real quality. More and more want to invest in pieces with a story behind them that will continue to increase in value over time, and they are gravitating toward the sustainable nature of antiques as well. If you think this is your grandmother’s business, these panelists are gunning to change your mind.”
Monday, October 24 at 2 p.m. brings another popular speaker back to the series with David Lindquist and “Understanding the Value of Antiques in Today’s Market.” With slides and actual objects drawn from the floor the Antique & Design Center, the presentation will prepare participants to speak intelligently about what is currently happening in the world of antiques, “particularly the astonishing decline of antique prices, which is bringing antiques into sharp competition with modern reproductions and fine modern furniture,” Lindquist says.
Breck Armstrong, principal of Moss Studios takes the podium at 3:30 on Monday for “Found Objects Repurposed for Modern Home Décor.” Armstrong left his job in Chicago, working with antiques and salvage, for the space and serenity of a farm in Michigan. “With this experience, combined with his background in ceramics and nine years with the Brookfield Zoo creating exhibits, he decided to start his own business,” Luisana says. “Since then, with a unique and ever-changing collection of industrial salvage, he has gained a reputation for creating industrial modern furniture and home accessories and his ‘objects with stories’ are featured in an enviable list of the country’s leading-edge home and style retailers.”
Clayton Oxford, principal of Clayton Oxford Designs, wraps up the series on Tuesday, October 25 at 2 p.m. with “Entrepreneurship & Design: The Benefits of Local Sourcing.” “Designer and entrepreneur Clayton Oxford believes that when designers design from their local resources, furniture will be made in the U.S. again,” Luisana relates. As he says, “Design used to be driven by quantity, but now more than ever, design has to be driven by quality and value.” Join him for a discussion on the anomaly of the small business importer and the forced switch to domestic production. Learn how a new sense of design guided by entrepreneurship and local materials will lead furniture production into the future, and gain inspiration from Oxford’s tenacious and naive endeavors to take on the archetype of today’s furniture company.
All seminars take place in the Mezzanine Level Seminar Space in the Antique & Design Center in historic Market Square.
About the Antique & Design Center at Market Square:
A favorite venue of the world’s hippest retailers and leading-edge designers, this extraordinary show-within-a-show at the High Point Market features exquisite antiques,original works of art, and one-of-a-kind finds from more than 70 dealers. Housed in historic Market Square on the Ground and Mezzanine levels, just beyond the Suites and Salon, exhibitors' spaces change daily as pieces are sold and replaced. Buyer amenities include free parking on Tomlinson Street and a private entrance at 316 W. Commerce Avenue between Tomlinson and Jacob’s Place. For more information about the Antique & Design Center at Market Square, visit www.hpadc.com, or read the blog at www.highpointantiquecenter.blogspot.com.