High Point Market: What to do, where to eat?

As you might remember, we renovated the High Point Market showroom last year so it was FRESH for Fall Market.

Consider this post your ultimate guide about what to do and (more importantly) where to eat during your time at the High Point Furniture Market!

Yes, packing up a ginormous UHAUL and trailing 720 miles southeast was a TON of work, but making our way to Furniture City wasn’t our only objective. We had another mission: research & explore some local hotspots to share with you! We’ll start by diving into the basics – where we slept, ate, got our coffee fix – then wrap up with some activities that we would have scoped out, if we had the energy. 😉

1. Where we “Lived” For a Week

During the great #HPMKT showroom renovation of Fall 2018, we stayed in sweet southern paradise – a gorgeous historic bungalow called the Walker House that we found on AirBnB. It made our long hours enjoyable; it was a nice to come “home” after several 14-hour days in the showroom – the perfect central escape for our long and hectic days running errands and crawling all over the cement floor showroom. Our host was unbelievably kind as she left a thoughtful note along with a locally-made quiche was left in the fridge. Overall, the space felt very “on brand” with gorgeous granite countertops, cushy blue-tone chairs, poufs, and a giant TV (hello evening relaxation). The craftsman-style details made this a home-away-from-home we’ll never forget!

Missed the wild road trip backstory we keep referencing? View it here!

2. Trade Secrets for Surviving Day-to-Day

Immediately after unloading our UHAUL and trading it in for a zippy little Ford Focus, we stocked up on groceries. Thank GOODNESS that we found a Whole Foods in Greensboro. As two natural-planners with somewhat selective diets, we knew how important it was to keep ourselves satiated for our long days.

When we weren’t at Home Depot stocking up on Market MUSTS (by Thursday of that week I think we clocked in 3 consecutive trips, yikes!), we were often too tired to muster the oomph to retrieve food so it was nice to have it on hand at the bunglow. Every morning as we were snacking on fresh berries I was thanking our lucky stars for the food trip we’d made at the beginning of our journey.

3. The REAL Secret to our Productivity: JAVA

Yes, nutrition and food is key, but what’s a balanced lifestyle without COFFEE??

The Starbucks by High Point Market was practically on our way to the showroom from the Walker House and armed with our mobile app to pre-order, we were unstoppable. The normal city buzz kept the baristas busy – we can’t imagine what the coffeehouse would be like during market week. Mobile-ordering our custom americanos was a true game-changer.

After a full week of driving by the cutest little coffee truck, we realized we absolutely missed out on some cute and quaint handcrafted coffee. Thankfully we hit the spot on the way from the airport – it was a 10/10 for taste, atmosphere and experience. Do yourself a favor and check out ’83 Custom Coffee here.

4. Tried and True Restaurant Recommendations

As earlier mentioned, our team can be picky with our food – add that to the myriad of options on Yelp and it’s instant overwhelm. To take the guesswork out of it for you, here are some DOWN inc. approved places – simply click the name of the restaurant to see the website! We heard RAVE-reviews about Brown Truck Brewery and the Penny Path Creprie, but couldn’t muster the energy to leave the calming blue quarters, so we never made it.

We did, however, make it to Blue Rock Pizza & Tap; it was an okay stop – nothing too extraordinary here, but then again, neither of us ordered pizza – or a beer. 😉

Our one true love in High Point was Southern Roots Food – check out photos of the interior below. Atmosphere was EVERYTHING we could want and the food was farm-t0-table phenomenal. Between the sweet potato mash and perfect cabernet it was divine.

We wish we had more drool-worthy places to share, but when in doubt, we opted for the staple like Chipotle, or Bojangles – which we don’t have in Michigan.

Let us know in the comments if you get the chance to try out any of these places, or if you have any recommendations to add to the list!

5. After Market Entertainment

We know the days are long and the shoe comfortability IS important, but we also know that it’s nice to escape the stacked plaster walls of your showroom space. Believe it or not, there are a ton of awesome things to do when confined at market – like enjoying the lounge room below, scoping out the events (make sure to sift through the filters for what you’re looking for. Trade Secret: Many offer food, choose wisely), and special seminars. Read more on the High Point Market website.

Whatever you do, make sure to make time for some fun – what’s a work trip without a little play?

Want to get off campus? No problem!

During our trip the market was not “on” or in full swing. Yet still, long days on the concrete doing the heavy-lifting, we were so tuckered out that we decided to rest up most nights. But, when we were feeling a burst of energy you bet we found some alternate entertainment! If you want to get away from the hubbub of the Furniture Market and High Point itself, we recommend sneaking away to a movie. Make sure to order a large popcorn (and sneak in a bag of M&m’s – #teamsweetandsalty, anyone?) and you’ll feel immediately at home. We found the AMC High Point 8 and Regal Palladium & IMAX to be the closest.

Special shoutout to HP Market for highlighting these hotspots around the surrounding area – including a zoo – perfect if you’ve got young ones in tow. So many wonderful places waiting to be explored and enjoyed – so take a quick break – or a half day (we won’t tell anyone) to uncover the hidden gems of #HPMKT. Don’t forget to leave us a comment with your favorites below!

Inspiration is everywhere. Let us know how you find it.