HPU students gain Market experience

Apr. 29—HIGH POINT — Several High Point University students worked alongside furniture industry leaders at the spring High Point Market to gain experience in the furniture, interior design and sales sectors.

This was the third time Fiona Walsh, a junior interior design major from Alexandria, Virginia, has worked in the Loloi showroom for the past three High Point Markets.

"It's really nice to come back and get closer with all the people because now I know them much better than I did the first time," Walsh said. "I've learned a lot about helping customers and trying to point them in the right direction. Even if I'm not the one who can always help them, I've learned how to put them in touch with the right person."

Maddie Kiessling, a junior interior design major from Fredrick, Maryland, worked as a sales assistant for ART Home Furnishings and Jonathan Charles Fine Furniture.

"By working in a showroom I've learned a lot about sales, which I'm interested in, although it's different from interior design," Kiessling said. "It's a great way to have connections in a quick manner and to be in the place you love as a designer. I also love the way that people can create furniture and have their own line."

Anna Hankins, a junior interior design major from Lynchburg, Virginia, worked as a sales intern at the Universal Furniture showroom.

"This is my fifth time working High Point Market," she said. "Just one way of how working the Market has helped me so far is exemplified in the amazing internship I gained last summer. I worked with Moore & Giles Leather, which was an opportunity I had because of connections I made through working at market. It was incredibly valuable for my design experience, confidence and knowledge."

Sabine Blattner, a senior interior design major from Mooresville, spent her time at High Point Market taking photos and videos of Shayla Copas, a designer who is based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and founded Shayla Copas Interiors in 1997.

"I learned how to cater interior design services to a variety of people and gained valuable insight into the daily life of a designer," Blattner said. "Having knowledge of different avenues, I can take as a designer and techniques I can use to attract clients will help me in my career."

Michael J. Lee, a junior biology major and health care management minor from Toms River, New Jersey, worked his second Market at the Baker Interiors Group showroom.

"The connections I have established at Baker rival any opportunity I have gotten anywhere else because it's individuals who are not coming just from the Triad or North Carolina. It's individuals who are worldwide. They're investing not only in the brand but the people who are behind it," he said.

The senior vice president of merchandising and marketing for Baker Furniture, Erica Wingo, a 2007 HPU graduate, said the company would like to hire Lee after he graduates.

Though it's not his field of study, Lee said he's considering his options.

"I never say never," he said. "I am open to everything."