Can Shoppe Object’s vibes be replicated in High Point?

Shoppe Object marks its third anniversary at High Point Market this month, bringing its highly curated, local-maker sensibility to Historic Market Square.

The brainchild of Jesse James, Deidre Maloney and Minya Quirk, Shoppe Object was originally a small independent trade show for design-savvy store owners and brands. It was meant to break the mold of stodgy trade shows that exhibitors had come to dread in New York, and when it debuted with 100 vendors in a former H&H Bagel factory in 2018, it was all anyone could talk about. It revived a New York trade show circuit that was badly in need of a lift.

The show grew quickly. In six years, it significantly enlarged its vendor base, moved to ever-larger spaces around Manhattan, and added a year-round digital marketplace to the mix. It holds twice-yearly shows in New York, and it is moving once again, returning to the West Side next February in a 200,000 square-foot space.

In 2022, Andmore acquired Shoppe Object and recreated the concept in North Carolina. James, who is also the founder of Aesthetic Movement, is show director.

James is smart, talented and visionary. Can he sustain the sparkle and indie spirit of the original show as it settles into High Point Market? Will he be able to adapt his show model in High Point while also tending to its growth in New York? Meanwhile, can Andmore take cues from this boutique, show-within-a-show and apply them to the broader High Point Market?

Andmore saw what Shoppe Object achieved in New York and recognized its potential elsewhere. “It’s model was engaging and inspiring and different,” Andmore President Dorothy Belshaw told me earlier this year. “We saw it as an opportunity to think differently about the rest of our business.”

Shoppe Object, she said, engages buyers and sellers differently than larger markets do. It does not break down into individual product categories but positions related resources within the exhibit space in such a way that you feel you need to walk the whole floor because every inch is compelling. The show is committed to the production of its event, with its background music and its overall laidback vibe, and Shoppe Object stays connected to its community between markets through a robust online presence.

The best interactions between buyers and sellers are built on trust and established community, and that is something trade shows must continue to foster. Buyers have become more pragmatic when they go to market. They make their showroom appointments first (and earlier than ever) and focus on discovery second. Would a more communal, relaxed environment, the kind that Shoppe Object encourages, change that mindset?

In an ideal world, buyers would spend MORE time at market, not less. Shoppe Object was designed to be an intimate affair, not one that can be overlaid on top of a show as broad and far-reaching as the High Point Market. But if market organizers could somehow replicate some of the vibes of Shoppe Object, would attendees stay longer? Would they be more inspired?