[1]Charlene Neal Brings High Point Style to Florida.
Twice a year the town of High Point, North Carolina sees manufacturers, design professionals and media experts converge to buy, sell and set design trends for the upcoming season. With 75,600 people crowded into the maze of showrooms all over the town there was plenty of energy and lots to see. Styles seen at High Point generally take six to eight months to filter down to the general marketplace.
“It’s always a non-stop week of sensory overload, buying strategies, networking with other professionals, and trying out new restaurants at night before collapsing into an immediate dead sleep,” says Charlene Neal, a veteran of 25-year’s worth of the High Point experience. Neal is vice president of design for Neal Communities and owner of Neal Design.
Neal’s mission at High Point is always specific. She’s there to evaluate new color trends and styles of furniture and accessories that are suitable to the climate and southwest Florida lifestyle. “When I shop at High Point, I’m keenly aware of what innovative products and new designs will work for our specific applications,” she says. “I screen out the rest or think about ways to modify or translate those trends to our part of Florida.”
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