First, don't plan to shop on a Sunday--stores that are open have limited hours---you just rush, rush, rush. This is bible belt country, so for a store to be open on a Sunday is not a good thing.

The stores also close at 5 or 6 pm during the week. These are not malls that stay open until 9 or 10 pm.

In High Point, there are shops all over the city, so 3 days if you want to look around. Use the fist day to identify stores that are possibilites. (You can find "store finder" guides at just about every gas mart type of store in town.) Then use days 2 & 3 to visit the stores where you want to buy. Your most difficult task will be picking fabric! This takes time--more time that you every dreamed it would take.

There are a couple of buildings that house several floors of showrooms, so you can cover a lot of brands in a single stop.

I am not keen on the "discount/factory outlets" in High Point or Hickory as I find a lot of over-priced AS IS damaged goods. I can't see spending $$$ on damaged goods not knowing what it will take to repair them. There is very little to select from and you never know if you are really getting the real thing. Plus, you have to arrange your own shipping--not my style. My best friend and I thought these a total waste of time.

In Hickory, everything is in one large building. Boyles runs most of the showrooms, but there are many other stores in the Mart. Provided you don't get too hung up in one place, you can do it in a day. However, I usually go for 2 days.

Don't expect much to do in these towns after shopping. Food is mostly dished out by chains. Hotels are clean, nothing fancy. Southerners are really nice folks. Men have manners, they will alway hold the door and tip a hat at you. The women are just play sweet. I love the kindness there.

Hi, I am furniture shopping for my ENTIRE house, it is a bit overwhelming!

We went to Hickory 4 weeks ago, for a Sat. & Sunday. Stayed in our Motorhome, in their parking lot which they provided space) First trip I spent about 6 hours in the Mall, and then found another Mall not too far away. Quality in the Hickory Mart was nicer. It was then that I realized that there is an area called "20 miles" with furniture all along it. We went Sunday, but most were closed or opened at 1:00. I left... not really finding anything because I really wasn't sure of what exactly I was looking for.

Next I spent days shopping at LOCAL furniture stores and finally started to have a feel of things I was looking for. We are 3 hours away from Hickory, so 2 weeks ago, we took another Sat & Sun. trip. This time we started along the 20 mile area and spend all of Saturday there, and then Sunday in the Hickory Mall.

I now have items that I know I want, and got a few quotes by calling NC furniture places in both Hickory & HighPoint. Dedra, at Blacks Furniture has given me the BEST prices (with no sales tax - the mall charges sals tax for TN). I ordered from Blacks 4 years ago too... and had a nice experience. Blacks don't carry all the manufactures, so I have ordered from Boyles and another store as well.

The HARDEST piece of furniture to shop for has been the sofa. I have not yet placed that order, but the very first thing I would do is find the frame style you want. After that... the fabric choices can overwhelm you!

North Carolina furniture shopping is FUN, but I really found everything I ended up ordering from NC locally. But it is still worth the trip! Have fun!!

Shopping in NC can be a bit overwhelming - I LIVE in Hickory, and I haven't been in everywhere yet, say, along 321 to Lenoir or up in High Point. That said, I've done some pretty extensive looking around for several different rooms, so I've got some idea of what's up. We're a young couple (20's) so we're not buying the super-super high quality yet ($$$ eep!) but we definitely are trying to find good deals on quality stuff.

That said, the Hickory Furniture Mart is really a bit overpriced on a lot of things - they have GREAT customer service and design options, though. If you want an "easy time" shopping, I definitely recommend them. We love the coffee shop at the bottom, too - sometimes we'll just stop by there for a bite to eat on a lazy afternoon :)

That "other furniture mall" you mentioned is the Catawba Furniture Mall, right down route 70 (the 5-lane road in front of the Hickory Furniture Mart, not the highway). It's not quite as big, and it has an Ashley store attached (ew!) but many of the brands carried are the same and the pricing tends to be a bit better.

By way of example, I'll offer up this Schnadig chaise with fabric grade C on body, G on pillows that my wife picked out: we know, not the best quality, but she fell in love with the style. We were quoted about $1200 at the Hickory Mart in I think it was Southern Home Furnishings. At Catawba, we were quoted about $1099.

But that's not where the story stops - I quoted it at a local store in downtown Hickory, Better Homes Furniture, which is the sister store to Lindy's Furniture (across the street from it). They were able to get us the chaise for only $749! Remember, this is for a new order from the maker, not any "as is" or "floor sample" type deal, just brand new furnishings never used.

Subsequently, I checked the prices at several well known stores:
Rose Furniture: $870
Blacklion: Approximately $950 to $1000 (phone quote was a little vague)
Furnitureland South: $841
Homeway: $889
National Home Furnishings Center: $887

Sorry to ramble about this, but my point is that if you're looking to order furniture you should consider stores outside the Mart or Catawba Furniture Mall. Those "discount stores" aren't just for discount knicknack pieces that are damaged or discontinued; while you can find great deals on those, they will also order you brand new stuff at substantial savings in some cases.

Of course, there are some brands that nobody will be able to help you on much, the brands that are more regulated on their prices and who can contact where and things. However, in our situation, we're not so worried about that - so we've found that it really does pay to shop around! Of course, we're not shipping our furniture, but picking it up - so we don't have the delivery problems I've read so much about here. Boyle's does have a great reputation for their White Glove Delivery, and I've had several people mention that to me. If you live so close as to be able to come down that easily (especially with a motorhome that could probably get things home except for the very largest) then you really might want to consider pickup. Sales tax isn't the savings it used to be, but you have to deal with that as it comes.

Anyway, I highly recommend shopping down here - just be prepared to face the reality of your situation. If you're in the position to do so, you can save a ton of money; however, if you expect elegant perfection, stay at the Hickory Furniture Mart and pay for that. That said, the people at other stores are really nice too - I especially like Julie at Better Homes. They've taken care of us, and we're grateful for the low prices and great service with no damage so far (yay pickups!)