HPU Students Make Professional Connections, Gain Experience at High Point Market

High Point University students worked alongside industry leaders during the April 13-17 High Point Market to gain life skills in the furniture, design and sales sectors. Pictured are Reeves Hamlin, a freshman interior design major from Austin, Texas, and Rachel Chornovas, a senior finance major from Boston, Massachusetts, in the Furniture Classics showroom.

HIGH POINT, N.C., April 19, 2024 – The High Point Market is a fast-paced environment with thousands of home furnishings experts from across the globe in attendance. High Point University students worked alongside industry leaders during the April 13-17 home furnishings tradeshow to gain life skills in the furniture, design and sales sectors.

Three HPU students who worked in the Furniture Classics showroom included Reeves Hamlin, a freshman interior design major from Austin, Texas; Rachel Chornovas, a senior finance major from Boston, Massachusetts; and Brandi Harmon, a business administration major from Syracuse, New York.

“I’m learning how this side of interior design works, and it shows me different areas for my major that I can go into more specifically,” said Hamlin. “The week before the market, I helped with the setup process. That was fun because I got to pair tables and chairs together and find all the matching furniture.”

For Chornovas, working at the market brought back memories of visiting furniture stores with her mother while she worked closely with an interior designer to select furnishings for a home and a rental house“Being here I’ve seen a lot more behind the scenes, how each individual piece works and how it’s set up,” Chornovas said. “None of this can go on without people in the finance industry. Someone has to create a budget in order for you to display your product to the consumer.”

Harmon worked as a showroom greeter who scanned customers’ badges at Furniture Classics’ showroom. She said the experience fit well with her career goal of working in human resources.

“The main thing I’ve learned is how different everyone is in the industry and how to talk with them to make sure they walk in,” said Harmon. “I have to be sure I can communicate and greet anyone the first time meeting them because in HR you’re not going to know everyone.”

Olivia Wenzel, a freshman interior design major from Wrentham, Massachusetts, said the opportunity to work at the High Point Market was one reason she chose HPU. Working for her first market at Behold Home, she walked clients through the showroom, explained its new furniture products, materials used, shipping times and helped them place orders.

“I have learned so much about how furniture is made, such as the density of the foam placed in a couch,” said Wenzel. “I learned a 2.0 foam breaks down slower, which makes it last longer and work better for larger-sized people. I have also improved my presentation skills and begun making real-life connections. I think the connections I make through this job will last me a lifetime and the skills I learn will as well – from presentation skills to sales skills and everything in between.”

Communication skills were also key for HPU students who assisted customers at Collected by Schwung, a curated collection of European antiques, African artisanal and European lighting products.

“I’m usually a very shy person so this has helped me to better my communication skills and talk to people,” said Julissa Perez-Ayala, a sophomore interior design major from Clayton, North Carolina. “I know some customers like to be left alone while they’re shopping and some like for you to come up to them and help them. A lot of the clients here are interior designers. I talked to Thom Filicia, who said I should keep pursuing what I’m doing and next time I should apply to Vanguard and work at his showroom. It’s important to be able to sell your brand as an interior designer so being able to communicate and connect with people is very important.”

Natalia Siepka, a junior marketing major from Peabody, Massachusetts, said working at High Point Market helped develop her people skills while she learned about customers’ businesses and what they want. She worked as the greeter and scanned customers’ badges as they entered the Collected by Schwung showroom.

“I’ve made a lot of connections through this, and I’m talking to the people here about a possible internship over the summer,” said Siepka.

Jonah Johnston, a senior business administration major from Lake Norman, North Carolina, worked as a sales representative for Collected by Schwung for a second market. The experience boosted his interpersonal skills and self-confidence, he said.

“I learned a lot about interior design and how to set up a showroom to entice customers to explore it,” said Johnston. “I also learned about the sales process and how to captivate customers and show them what we have.”

Vinny Aspromonte, a sophomore entrepreneurship major from Long Island, New York, said his first experience of working at a furniture market reinforced his problem-solving skills. His showroom responsibilities included finding products to fulfill customers’ orders, carrying products to their cars or organizing products at the back of the showroom.

“If there’s an error with someone’s order or we can’t find it, we’re going to try to work our way around it to solve that problem of fulfilling someone’s needs and wants,” said Aspromonte. “We’ve been communicating very well with one another to get the orders fulfilled.”