Showroom City: Real Estate and Resistance in the Furniture Capital of the World

High Point, North Carolina, was once the "Furniture Capital of the World" but has lost most of its furniture factories over the past forty years. However, it still holds a biannual global exposition that serves as the furniture fashion runway. John Joe Schlichtman's book "Showroom City" explores the relationship between the global expositions and High Point, highlighting the city's struggle with exclusionary growth and unchecked development. He also examines the general lessons behind High Point's deindustrialization and reinvention as a furniture fashion, merchandising, and design node.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 07 June 2022
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

High Point, North Carolina, is renowned as the "Furniture Capital of the World." Once a bustling manufacturing hub, the city witnessed the closure of most of its furniture factories over the past forty years, resulting in the export of production to low-wage countries. However, as manufacturing declined, High Point strengthened its grip on a biannual global exposition that serves as the world's furniture fashion runway. The High Point Market attracts visitors from over one hundred nations, traversing twelve million square feet of meticulously designed spaces. Downtown buildings, once courthouses, movie theaters, post offices, and gas stations, have been transformed into chic showroom spaces, while many remain vacant between each exposition.

In Showroom City, John Joe Schlichtman employs an ethnographic lens to examine the relationship between the global expositions and High Point after it emerged as the world's dominant furniture center in the 1960s, surpassing rival Chicago. In recent decades, private equity firms have played a significant role in downtown High Point's real estate transactions, orchestrated by buyers located far from the region. A notable transaction occurred in 2011 when a firm funded by Bain Capital acquired the majority of major showroom buildings, effectively consolidating ownership of downtown real estate.

Showroom City is a narrative of exclusive growth and unbridled development, depicting a city struggling to fill the void left by its dwindling factories. Beyond this, Schlichtman delves into the broader lessons learned from High Point's deindustrialization and its remarkable transformation into a hub for furniture fashion, merchandising, and design. With remarkable nuance, he explores the intricate ways in which power operates locally, shedding light on how citizens can affirm, exploit, and challenge these power dynamics.

The book offers a thought-provoking exploration of the complex dynamics between global expositions, urban development, and power structures. It raises important questions about the consequences of economic globalization on local communities and the role of citizens in shaping their cities' futures. Showroom City is a valuable contribution to the field of urban studies, providing insights into the ways in which cities adapt and evolve in the face of economic and social change.

Dimension: 216 x 140 x 51 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780816699308