Local merchants tap High Point Market crowds with Market-at-Market pop-up

Rhonda and Lauren Lamb brought Pink Poppy Shoppe back to the Center Stage arena during High Point Market, betting that a few days in the middle of the showroom district could do more than sell a handful of impulse buys. For the High Point boutique and other Guilford County merchants, the pop-up was a chance to turn some of the more than 75,000 registered market guests into repeat customers after the furniture crowds headed home.

Market-at-Market ran April 25-27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and was open only to registered High Point Market attendees. The High Point Market Authority billed it as the trade show’s signature guest-shopping experience, and the 2026 version added a passport-style rewards program. Shoppers who bought from three or more vendors could enter a daily raffle for a $250 Travel Quest voucher, a small incentive aimed at keeping buyers moving through the pop-up and spending with multiple local businesses.

The setup mattered because High Point Market remains one of North Carolina’s biggest economic engines. HPMA says the market produces about $6.73 billion in annual economic impact, supports more than 42,000 jobs and generates about $202 million in state and local tax revenue. The market draws guests from more than 50 states, about 10% of attendees are international and roughly 2,000 exhibitors participate each season. HPMA also describes the event as the state’s largest economic event.

For smaller merchants, the value is not just one weekend of sales. Pink Poppy, run by Rhonda and Lauren Lamb and Lauren’s sisters, returned after taking part in the fall version and said the exposure helped its online platform gain traction. Sanaa Sharrieff, who runs Style Lab in Greensboro’s Bridge Marketplace, said the pop-up lets her business reach people who would otherwise never find the shop. The vendor mix also included Nour-ished By Aly, Molten Makerspace, Lizzie’s All Natural Products, The DripBAR, The Book House, Cozy + Me Time, The Link Lab Experience, Curated Threads Co., Lemon & Lamb and Noir Candle Collection.

The 2025 launch of Market-at-Market described it as the first pop-up of its kind in the Center Stage area, created to give marketgoers convenience items, wellness services, specialty foods and souvenirs between showroom visits. This year’s lineup showed how broad that idea has become, giving local food, apparel, accessories and home-fragrance businesses a place inside the flow of High Point Market instead of on the margins. For Guilford County merchants, the real prize is not just foot traffic. It is the chance to leave the market with a customer who comes back in the fall, or keeps buying long after the booths come down.