When House Bill 2, also known as the “bathroom bill,” passed last year, it caused some businesses in the state to lose customers and revenue. Now, officials with the biannual High Point Market hope they’ll see an increase in attendees this year.
High Point Market is a furniture event that lasts from Saturday to Wednesday in April and October. The trade show brings thousands of interior designers, architects and others in the furniture industry to the state.
High Point Market CEO Tom Conley said last October, they saw a drop in attendees due to HB2 during their show and needed to fix it.
“The industry really got behind an effort to let the buyer community know that the political situation in North Carolina was different from the industry and from the exhibitors,” he said.
The controversial law required individuals to use the public bathroom of the gender listed on their birth certificate. It was repealed and replaced earlier this year, though there’s still ongoing criticism of the law that replaced it.
Conley said now that HB2 is in the past, there’s no reason to be worried about attendance this year.
“We're really glad all that is behind us now so we don't think we'll see any fallout this market,” he said.
High Point Market starts Saturday, April 22 and runs through April 26.