The Cool Girl’s Guide to High Point Market

If you’ve ever thought about attending High Point Market but felt overwhelmed by where to start, this episode is your go-to guide.

Rebecca sits down with Marisa Wilson, interior designer and founder of The Cool Girls Guide—a free, curated resource for designers attending markets like High Point and Round Top. Marisa shares her insider strategies for planning your trip, navigating the chaos, and making the most of your experience without burning out.

Together, they break down what to expect before you go, how to prioritize the showrooms and events that matter most, and how to balance networking with rest so you actually enjoy the experience. Whether it’s your first time or your tenth, this conversation is full of practical, real-world advice you’ll want to bookmark before your next trip.

If this helped, share it with a designer friend and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts—it really helps the show!

episode highlights

1. The real difference between Round Top and High Point—and which trip matches your goals
2. A curated approach: top showrooms, can’t-miss events, and where to grab lunch/coffee
3. Transit made easy: shuttles, the Go Anywhere van (336-887-RIDE), and walking routes
4. Wellness at market: shoes, layers, hydration, and mental resets to avoid burnout
5. Networking IRL: panels, keynotes, and meeting product-line designers up close
6. Insider traditions: “Pink Out” Sunday (wear pink for breast-cancer awareness)
7. Mindset that works: “You can’t see it all—focus on what matters to you”
8. Pro tip: Don’t bank on free lunches—know reliable food truck zones and welcoming showrooms
9. Bonus: Rooftops, patios, and outdoor spots to recharge (hello, sunset at Caracole)

Episode Resources

• Learn more about Marisa Wilson at her website and follow her on Instagram here.
• Get the Cool Girls Guide here
• Learn more about High Point Market
• Learn more about Roundtop Market

Read the Full Transcript ⬇️

00;00;00;00 – 00;00;15;24
Marisa Wilson
You cannot see it all and do it all. You just have to have the mentality that, like what you need to see and experience will happen for you and not worry about anything that you missed because if you were meant to be there, you would have been there. Honor yourself and know what you want to do.

00;00;15;26 – 00;00;47;27
Rebecca Hay
All right. I’m Rebecca Hay, and I’ve built a successful interior design business by trial and error, podcast, online courses and so many freaking books. Over the last decade, I’ve grown from an insecure student to having false starts to careers. And now I’m finally in the place where I want to be. Throughout my journey, it’s been pretty obvious that I’m passionate about business and helping other entrepreneurs do the same.

00;00;47;29 – 00;01;18;07
Rebecca Hay
Each week, I’ll share tangible takeaways from my own experience and the experiences of other badass women to help you build your confidence and change your business. Hey hey hey, it’s Rebecca, and you’re listening to Resilient by Design. Today, I’m interviewing the founder of the Cool Girls Guides. Her name is Marissa Wilson. Marissa creates guides for industry conferences such as High Point Market.

00;01;18;08 – 00;01;43;10
Rebecca Hay
That’s where it started. Round top, Texas. And more to come. I’m very excited about this conversation because I met Marissa. What we share inside the episode, not in the industry. Through something completely unrelated to the interior design industry, it just so happened that we both are in this world. And so we got to chatting. I start to learn what she does, and then I contributed this year as an expert providing tips on High Point Market.

00;01;43;10 – 00;02;04;08
Rebecca Hay
And her guide and High Point Market is around the corner. And I know many of you are considering going, if not this year, maybe in the future, and some of you are already planning to go. So you’re going to love this episode. This is such a juicy episode. You are going to need a pen and paper. Marissa in this episode talks about the difference between round top and High point because she’s.

00;02;04;13 – 00;02;22;12
Rebecca Hay
As of this air date, she will just have been to Round Top where she is launching Cool Girls Guide there, and then High Point Market, and we talk a little bit about the difference, which is kind of fun because I’ve always want to go around Round Top. I’ve never been. And she shares specifically showrooms you want to go to for lunch.

00;02;22;18 – 00;02;50;26
Rebecca Hay
The parties you need to be at. Tips on market. What’s happening this fall? She is also the principal of Marissa Wilson Interior Design, which is a firm known for creating vintage inspired, approachable and livable spaces. She’s the creator, as I mentioned of the Cool Girls Guide series, a go to resource for designers seeking insider tips, chic inspiration and curated experiences at High Point Market and Round Top Antique Market.

00;02;51;00 – 00;03;00;16
Rebecca Hay
Enjoy my conversation with Marissa. Welcome to Resilient by Design release. I’m so excited to have you here today.

00;03;00;18 – 00;03;02;18
Marisa Wilson
Thank you for including me.

00;03;02;20 – 00;03;11;02
Rebecca Hay
I cannot wait to have this conversation. It’s funny, I thought we’d already had a conversation on the podcast and it’s because we did that Instagram live together.

00;03;11;05 – 00;03;18;27
Marisa Wilson
Yes, I know I thought the same thing and I was just remembering our like, awesome conversation. I was like, live at High Point Market. So yeah.

00;03;18;28 – 00;03;38;00
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, you were at High Point. I was in Toronto and we did an Instagram Live and you were there a couple days early and we were chatting about it was this spring. So here we are now approaching Fall High Point Market. And now you get to talk about on the podcast. I’m so excited because we connected actually. It’s so funny not through the industry at all.

00;03;38;06 – 00;03;51;08
Rebecca Hay
We connected through like a coaching program that we’re both a part of that is like not industry specific. We got to meet each other in Whistler. Those who’ve been following my journey, you know that I went to a retreat in Whistler back in February and it was amazing. And you were.

00;03;51;08 – 00;03;52;12
Marisa Wilson
There. Amazing.

00;03;52;13 – 00;04;09;08
Rebecca Hay
So I got to meet in person. Yeah. But it’s so coincidental that there’s so much synergy here. So I’m very excited to interview you today for all my listeners to hear what you have for them. Before that, though, before we dive into the juicy question. Yes, can you just briefly introduce yourself to my audience?

00;04;09;10 – 00;04;34;18
Marisa Wilson
I am a Charlotte based USA interior designer. I have had my business, I think 11 years now. It was a journey because I had it on the side. I had a whole other career in nonprofit fundraising, and I started my business in the middle of that. So I have had the business for about 11 years, and I’ve been doing The Cool Girls Guide to High Point Market for seven years now.

00;04;34;22 – 00;04;54;09
Marisa Wilson
Now I’m launching another one, so I’m branching out into Round Top, the antique market. So I’m creating the inaugural guide for that as we speak. So I have a lot of different things going on, but it’s all fun and exciting and creative. So I’m happy to be able to do this full time now for a little over three years.

00;04;54;15 – 00;05;07;26
Rebecca Hay
Oh my God, that’s amazing. Yeah. Okay, so you’re also creating a guide for Round Top, which is perfect because I’ve always wanted to go. I have never been. And now I’ll just wait until you have your guide out.

00;05;07;28 – 00;05;10;03
Rebecca Hay
No matter what. She’s here.

00;05;10;05 – 00;05;27;22
Marisa Wilson
A lot of people have said that it’s like kind of on their bucket list or, you know, wish list of like where to go. And it was mine for a long time, too. And it’s interesting because they’ve shifted the schedule a little bit. It’s around the same time as High Point, but it used to be like exactly at the same time.

00;05;27;28 – 00;05;56;12
Marisa Wilson
So like dealers had to choose, are they going to go around or are they going to go to High Point? And then I couldn’t go because I was representing my guide and doing the designer thing at High Point. So a handful of years ago, they finally like shifted it just enough that like, you could really do both. So I have, you know, been a handful of times and it’s incredible if you love anything, you know, like antiques, vintage Texas, it’s like it’s definitely has its own flair.

00;05;56;14 – 00;06;13;10
Marisa Wilson
But I’m also like really, really discovering how different the markets are just from even I mean there’s, there aren’t like corporate showrooms. They’re very well-established venues. But it’s totally different than like the manufacturing brands that we see at high Point.

00;06;13;13 – 00;06;28;18
Rebecca Hay
Yeah I was going to ask that like just let’s take a minute. I know we want to talk about High Point because it’s coming up. But I’m super curious especially for those listening who are thinking. Some people listening are like what is Round top? So maybe you just to tell us what Round Top is because there is a place in Texas.

00;06;28;18 – 00;06;31;17
Rebecca Hay
Is it a town that’s called Round Top and that’s what hosts the market?

00;06;31;22 – 00;06;37;12
Marisa Wilson
Yes, it’s a tiny town that has like a population of like 90 or something like.

00;06;37;13 – 00;06;39;28
Rebecca Hay
Oh yeah.

00;06;40;00 – 00;06;59;15
Marisa Wilson
And that way it is kind of similar to High Point, because High Point is a very small town in North Carolina that, you know, its biggest thing is hosting the market twice a year. And people come from all over the world. And same thing for a round top. It’s just a really famous, well established, I should know this at this point because I’ve been doing the research.

00;06;59;17 – 00;07;25;14
Marisa Wilson
I can’t remember when it was founded, but it’s grown, you know, tremendously. And it’s really a place where you can source any European, you know, antiques and American. And it’s grown. I mean, it’s it’s like a cultural phenomenon at this point. It’s fashion and where to be and who to see and like all these really exciting things. A lot of celebrity designers go source there and have their favorite people, you know, that they really source from there.

00;07;25;14 – 00;07;25;22
Marisa Wilson
Okay.

00;07;25;22 – 00;07;46;06
Rebecca Hay
So obviously so here’s the vision that I had of Round Top, and I can tell you my vision comes from seeing people on Instagram. Yeah okay. So that’s like literally all I have. Yeah. To work with I love antiquing. I’ve been to the Brimfield Antique Market outside of Boston, Massachusetts with my sister. I helped her get some things there when she bought her house.

00;07;46;11 – 00;08;05;01
Rebecca Hay
Love it there. Aberfoyle Antique Market up here outside of Toronto. And so in my mind, from what the little glimpses I could see, I thought Round Top was just an antique market that popped up with antique dealers who, you know, drive around the country and bring their antiques. It doesn’t sound like that’s what it is.

00;08;05;03 – 00;08;12;18
Marisa Wilson
It’s much bigger than that. I mean, it’s like mini antique mall, sort of. But some of them are more temporary than that. They’re, you know, tent tents.

00;08;12;24 – 00;08;33;22
Rebecca Hay
That’s what I picture. I picture tents, that’s what Enfield is. I don’t know if you’ve been to Brimfield, but Brimfield is basically. Yeah, it’s probably much, much, much, much smaller. But it’s like you’re on a dirt road, someone’s farm, basically, I think. Or maybe it’s a town ish thing. It’s muddy. It was in the spring and it’s tents mostly, or like semi-permanent structures where people kind of roll in.

00;08;33;22 – 00;08;42;24
Rebecca Hay
They put all their goods out and then they take everything away. Where’s high point to your point is buildings. It feels like you’re in a city in a way.

00;08;42;27 – 00;08;44;14
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, right. It’s it’s less.

00;08;44;18 – 00;08;49;16
Rebecca Hay
Structure. Okay. So it is kind of like that but it but it’s maybe bigger than I picture.

00;08;49;18 – 00;09;00;16
Marisa Wilson
Yeah. It’s multiple field. It’s miles of space. And you have to, you know, have a car to drive between you like in High Point. You can really walk most things but and grab a shuttle to save your feet.

00;09;00;16 – 00;09;12;06
Rebecca Hay
But yeah, yeah, yeah okay. So a round top. You need a car is it. This is turning into a round top high point episode okay. Sure. We’ll go with it. When is Round Top? This fall.

00;09;12;11 – 00;09;26;01
Marisa Wilson
So it starts October 3rd, and it actually lasts a little longer than High Point as well. So it’s a couple of weeks and not everything is showing the whole time. So some of them kind of start and you know it overlaps and you got to pick which ones you want to go to.

00;09;26;01 – 00;09;41;13
Rebecca Hay
So so at the point of recording this round top is probably over because this is coming out right before high point. So it’ll be interesting. We’ll have to do an Instagram live you and I. Yeah. Like right around that time when high points happening just to like hear about round top. I would love to be so interesting. Yeah.

00;09;41;14 – 00;09;58;06
Rebecca Hay
Yeah it would be really cool. Yeah. High point market. So you have this guide and I think this is so freaking cool because I can tell you that when I went to High Point for the first time, I did go with a group and I went with a group because I was so intimidated to go on my own, I didn’t know what it was.

00;09;58;06 – 00;10;18;02
Rebecca Hay
I didn’t know where to stay. I didn’t know where to go when I would get there, like I didn’t know. And nothing. And also, as a Canadian, I felt even more disadvantage because I didn’t even know the brands. Like we don’t have the same access up here. And so I went with a group even that was overwhelming. And so to have been able to have and that was long before you started the Cool Girls Guide.

00;10;18;02 – 00;10;30;25
Rebecca Hay
This is like pre-pandemic, to be able to have a guide at your fingertips to help you navigate it would be such a game changer. So tell us a little bit about what the guide is.

00;10;30;27 – 00;10;43;01
Marisa Wilson
Exactly. What you said is why I created it, because I hear it over and over again. And I had the same experience. You know, when I went for the first time, I had no any of it. I’m right here. I’m like, you know, an hour you live.

00;10;43;01 – 00;10;43;28
Rebecca Hay
There, basically.

00;10;43;28 – 00;11;08;15
Marisa Wilson
I basically live really, really close. And I still had no idea how to do anything new when I got there. So, you know, that’s really where it came from. And I want to make it feel very doable and approachable for designers who are interested in coming. There’s a huge number of events that happen at Marquette, so I really spend a lot of time curating a calendar that is designer focused.

00;11;08;15 – 00;11;25;06
Marisa Wilson
It’s through the designer lens, like there’s, you know, there’s a lot of events that just don’t apply to us and you don’t even need to bother looking at that. So I’ve cut that out. You still have to make some selections, but it’s a very it’s only on two pages. It’s very easy to see what’s happening when on wet days and the essential information like the time and whatever.

00;11;25;10 – 00;11;33;11
Marisa Wilson
And then I’ve also got you know, same thing like market as we’ve established is really big. It’s like the whole town, the downtown of High Point.

00;11;33;11 – 00;11;44;05
Rebecca Hay
I say city, it’s not like a city, guys, just to be clear, I say city because the buildings are large and there’s streets like a town, but buildings that are tall, like in a city is kind of funny that way, right?

00;11;44;08 – 00;12;05;09
Marisa Wilson
Yes. Yeah. But there’s like a lot of ground to cover. I think there’s over 2000 showrooms or something. I mean, like this is massive. I also have like a top 75 or so showrooms to start with. That kind of can’t go wrong if you’re if you’re starting with these and you’re coming in, especially if you’re learning new brands, I mean and everybody would be every time I go there’s new brand.

00;12;05;09 – 00;12;27;17
Marisa Wilson
Like there’s always something coming up, you know, have that narrowed down a bit about the showrooms to visit. I also layer in places to eat or where to have a happy hour or just, you know, transportation tips. There’s like shuttles in there. Maybe the first time, a little bit confusing of what to which ones to do. And one of my favorite things is bringing in advice from other designers like yourself.

00;12;27;22 – 00;12;32;17
Rebecca Hay
I’m featured this year. Very honored. Thank you so much for letting me share my tips.

00;12;32;22 – 00;12;34;11
Rebecca Hay
Yes.

00;12;34;14 – 00;12;54;00
Marisa Wilson
But I’m always learning stuff too from other people. I mean, like everyone has a different perspective and experience there and different goals. You know, sometimes I’m like, oh, that was a good one. That was like, I want I haven’t heard yet, so I’m going to do that as well. You know, I have a lot of pages of tips for people from other industry experts who have been to market many times and learned all the things.

00;12;54;05 – 00;13;02;23
Marisa Wilson
So in a nutshell, I guess that’s it. It’s about 30 pages. It’s available for free on my website and also on the High Point Market website.

00;13;02;26 – 00;13;23;09
Rebecca Hay
I mean, that’s amazing. It’s amazing that you created this and you’re like, I feel like there’s an opportunity, designers need this. I’m just going to do it. And now High Point Market themselves has posted it. So they’re basically vouching for you saying this girl is legit. She knows her stuff. Here you go. This will help some of the things that I struggle with and actually tell me if if you have this in it to help designers.

00;13;23;11 – 00;13;41;05
Rebecca Hay
One of the things I struggle with is one, like you mentioned events, there are so many events happening, and I find that if I’m not on the right email list, I don’t know what’s happening. I’ll hear other designers being like, oh, are you going to the such and such a party? And I’m like, I don’t think so.

00;13;41;05 – 00;13;45;18
Rebecca Hay
I don’t know, I also get a lot of junk mail that I don’t look at. Yeah. So maybe I got it. I don’t see.

00;13;45;18 – 00;13;46;13
Rebecca Hay
It.

00;13;46;16 – 00;14;01;19
Rebecca Hay
Right. I might be on this. Do you include parties that are happening at different vendors or suppliers, or do you just cover the official events like in the I don’t know, it’s called Market Square. That high point puts.

00;14;01;19 – 00;14;23;07
Marisa Wilson
On I do everything. So if you send it to me, I’ll consider it for the guide. So I can’t put everything. But I come here in the calendar that’s available on the Point Market website, and that includes ones that are happening in showrooms because, you know, they’re submitted as well as their own programing. And then I have a lot of off book things too, that people send me.

00;14;23;07 – 00;14;41;08
Marisa Wilson
So sometimes they don’t make the deadline or something for the through the website or, you know, just like at this point, PR firms that send me things. So I’ve got a lot of things. It’s a mix of what’s it, what you could research what’s not going to be available to you. It’s kind of frustrating to you. You have to keep an eye on like, you know, Instagram or whatever.

00;14;41;08 – 00;15;00;10
Marisa Wilson
Like you’re saying, pay attention to the emails and it’s it’s overwhelming. There’s like a lot of information coming at you. So I try to present it as easy to consume as possible on the guide. And then if I hear about something cool that’s going on that maybe I learned about after I already published, I’ll throw it on Instagram.

00;15;00;10 – 00;15;17;28
Marisa Wilson
And also, if people, you know, people tag me with events that they’re hosting, I’ll repost it. So like I think definitely follow a Cool Girl’s Guide on Instagram for kind of last minute updates about that kind of thing. Well, I like that. It happens to me too. And I’m always like, dang it, I wish I knew about that one, but you can’t know it all.

00;15;17;28 – 00;15;25;08
Rebecca Hay
Well soon. Anyone who’s throwing any kind of party that’s worth going to, they’re going to reach out to you because they’re like, well, we want to make sure she includes it.

00;15;25;09 – 00;15;27;14
Marisa Wilson
That’s what I hope is I think it’s happening.

00;15;27;14 – 00;15;27;26
Rebecca Hay
It’s already.

00;15;27;26 – 00;15;28;09
Marisa Wilson
Happening.

00;15;28;13 – 00;15;47;08
Rebecca Hay
What I find overwhelming, like I think High Point Market does a great job. They have a beautiful website, an incredible app that you can use. So anyone who here is listening and hasn’t been you can download an app on your phone. It has the maps of all the places you can search vendors and you can like kind of create a favorites list and kind of like a plan of where of the events you want to go to.

00;15;47;12 – 00;16;08;00
Rebecca Hay
The only problem with it is it has everything right. And so if you don’t know what you’re looking for, I mean, you can’t just like start ChatGPT, you can’t say to it, hey, I’m looking for lunch on Saturday at a showroom. That will also have a panel around lunchtime so I can eat and be educated there. Right.

00;16;08;00 – 00;16;13;14
Rebecca Hay
Like that. That’s your that’s your next level, by the way. So I can talk.

00;16;13;16 – 00;16;14;07
Rebecca Hay
You through the.

00;16;14;10 – 00;16;31;27
Rebecca Hay
Custom I bought. That’s the thing these days. Right. And then you like all that anyhow. Well, I see that as your next iteration because that’s how I feel. I’m like, hey, this is what I want. Or I’m like, who has live music? Yeah, we just have live music, right? I remember going once and stumbling into, like, a jazz trio.

00;16;31;27 – 00;16;33;19
Rebecca Hay
I was like, this is lovely.

00;16;33;19 – 00;16;48;09
Marisa Wilson
Yeah. It can, you can forget you’re there for hot second. Like, I remember there was beautiful music outside of Market Square and have this thing when you’re talking about I like grab something from the food truck. I was listening to the music. It was like a gorgeous day, and it was like, oh yeah, I’m like, at market.

00;16;48;12 – 00;17;03;29
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. I mean, we could talk a little bit about the great things about market. One of my favorite things is that there’s a lot of opportunity to be outdoors. I’m like, if anyone knows me, I love being in the outdoors, like, just take me out of the city any day and I’m a happy girl. There’s the market square.

00;17;03;29 – 00;17;24;20
Rebecca Hay
You can walk. There’s like, there’s areas at Hamilton Street. There’s like different areas where you can walk, which feels like you’re in a little town, like browsing the shops. It’s not all about being in these dark showrooms like the main building, because I find that to be kind of draining. It’s like that overhead fluorescent lighting. Yes, sir. You know, concrete floors.

00;17;24;23 – 00;17;28;11
Rebecca Hay
After a period of time, I’m like, I can’t look at another couch. I need sunshine.

00;17;28;13 – 00;17;29;16
Rebecca Hay
You know?

00;17;29;18 – 00;17;30;08
Marisa Wilson
Yeah.

00;17;30;11 – 00;17;32;21
Rebecca Hay
That’s my favorite. What’s your favorite part of market?

00;17;32;24 – 00;17;47;17
Marisa Wilson
I love seeing the people. There’s some people that I only see at market. So people are always going to be my favorite thing. But I also love finding those little spots that kind of feel like a little secret or something, which I’m happy to share with you.

00;17;47;20 – 00;17;48;21
Rebecca Hay
Yes, like please share that.

00;17;48;22 – 00;18;09;17
Marisa Wilson
You know, like, I love the patio at forehands, like the patios at showplace, you know, and especially like if you can get a spot during one of the concerts, then you’ve like, made it. But yeah, if you like, get a coffee or a cocktail and you go out and sit on the patio and like the view, any party at the rooftop at Caracol is so fun because it’s like, catch the sunset.

00;18;09;20 – 00;18;25;08
Rebecca Hay
I did that last time. I’d never been there and they had the most beautiful sunset. It was I was with a bunch of my students and we all connected and we went and I’m like, what is this beautiful place? I have never been to this rooftop. It was so lovely.

00;18;25;14 – 00;18;30;06
Marisa Wilson
Yeah. Now I love it up there. They throw a good party too. So it’s like, you know, they’ll have music and.

00;18;30;13 – 00;18;31;10
Rebecca Hay
They have you there.

00;18;31;10 – 00;18;50;15
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, great. In the fall, depending on the temperature. Like they might have like a fire pit kind of thing. So like that’s really fun. I love the events at Marquette. I’m like a school nerd. I like 100%, so I like I just like to learn and love that. It’s like really like a really high quality conference while you’re there too.

00;18;50;16 – 00;19;00;04
Marisa Wilson
So anything that you’ve got challenging going on in your business at the time, you know, you can kind of prioritize those subjects, but they’ve got everything across the board.

00;19;00;04 – 00;19;19;17
Rebecca Hay
True, tons of panels. I mean, I hosted a panel, last year that was so the designers who were on the panel were just so forthcoming and shared so much information, and it was so wonderful. All the learning you can get firsthand from people at market in such a casual environment, too. Yes, they have the main stage, right?

00;19;19;19 – 00;19;36;01
Rebecca Hay
Maybe you do. I don’t know if, you know, we’re recording this a little early, but is there anything really awesome happening on like the main stage? I remember last time when I was there, I went to see Bunny Williams talk, and I got a copy of her coffee table book, which was like, amazing as this huge, thick coffee table book.

00;19;36;01 – 00;19;45;23
Rebecca Hay
I’m at her home in Connecticut and the gardens, I’m like, this is my dream. Yeah. And so that was amazing. Is there anything coming up on the mainstage do you think it’s worth people checking out?

00;19;45;24 – 00;20;04;01
Marisa Wilson
Yes. The keynote this time is with the editor of the Architectural Digest. So and they’ve just come out with a book. So that’s going to be the big interview this time. They always have really. I mean such good programing last time I celebrity stocked Jeremie Brandt. Well, I was at market.

00;20;04;03 – 00;20;07;04
Rebecca Hay
And he was one of the keynote speakers.

00;20;07;06 – 00;20;13;05
Marisa Wilson
I made it a point to meet him afterwards. So I was like all up in the line and.

00;20;13;05 – 00;20;15;10
Rebecca Hay
You took a picture with him, didn’t you? I feel like you posted it.

00;20;15;14 – 00;20;23;23
Marisa Wilson
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, I, I manifested that like hard core. I went after it with Jeremiah and he was so lovely.

00;20;23;23 – 00;20;26;07
Rebecca Hay
I love that, I love that.

00;20;26;10 – 00;20;26;15
Rebecca Hay
And.

00;20;26;15 – 00;20;40;06
Rebecca Hay
It’s fun to also meet those celebrity designers that, you know, a lot of them are quite down to earth and it’s nice to have a conversation. I remember the first time I met Lou and Niagara, you know who now I, I would consider I don’t I wouldn’t call a friend necessarily, but a colleague who I’ve had interviews with her.

00;20;40;06 – 00;21;00;13
Rebecca Hay
We’ve had chats. But the first time I met her, I remember being so nervous because to me, like I’ve been listening to her podcast for a while and you hear someone’s voice and they’re up on this pedestal just because because of their visibility. I remember chatting with her being so nervous and it being like, totally fine. And she’s and she, I remember her saying, I’m just a regular human being like everybody else.

00;21;00;15 – 00;21;26;00
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, I really think it like it brings people down to earth a bit. I mean, you know, in a, in a really great way, like because you do have access to people that I don’t think there’s anywhere else you would get it. These are like the titans in the industry and they’re at panels, they’re at events and sometimes in kind of smaller venues, and you have the opportunity to go talk to them after the event and shake their hand, get a photo like, really speak to them, ask them questions.

00;21;26;03 – 00;21;29;22
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, it’s really interesting that you have like that accessibility to people.

00;21;29;22 – 00;21;51;00
Rebecca Hay
Totally. Also, one of the neat opportunities you could meet designers who have lines, who are who are launching product lines. So that’s another opportunity if you want to get proximity to celebrity designers, find out who is launching a product line with who. Two times ago when I was there, there were two product lines. Was it Brian Hamill was doing one with oh, shoot, okay.

00;21;51;00 – 00;22;09;04
Rebecca Hay
She did a few actually. And then the other one was, Amber interiors, and she did one with was it for hands I think. Yeah. And so I just happened to walk into their showroom when she was doing a presentation on how the whole product line came to be. And so I was like, oh, I’m going to listen to this.

00;22;09;04 – 00;22;24;10
Rebecca Hay
And like, she was she was, you know, as close as that light is to me telling this whole story about how, how it came to be. And she was so casual and it was. And then you could go up to her after and talk to her. And I thought, what other industries do you have this opportunity to get in such proximity with these?

00;22;24;10 – 00;22;29;10
Rebecca Hay
Like you said, titans of industry who are really making big moves and like learn from them too.

00;22;29;13 – 00;22;30;01
Marisa Wilson
Yes.

00;22;30;01 – 00;22;30;24
Rebecca Hay
So cool.

00;22;30;24 – 00;22;33;24
Marisa Wilson
It’s special.

00;22;33;27 – 00;22;49;23
Rebecca Hay
There’s also the educational the mainstage, Architectural Digest. That’s so cool. The panel talks, you know, there’s lots of showrooms do do panel conversations with podcast host. I’m not doing one at the moment. If I do, it’ll be a pop up surprise.

00;22;49;28 – 00;22;50;24
Rebecca Hay
Yeah.

00;22;50;27 – 00;22;56;06
Rebecca Hay
What else do you give designers in the guide beyond, like the events and the parties?

00;22;56;08 – 00;23;09;03
Marisa Wilson
Well, there’s like special things that happen like pink out for breast cancer on the Sunday off market, which is near and dear to my heart as a breast cancer survivor. So I like to make sure everyone can, you know, know about that and participate.

00;23;09;04 – 00;23;10;05
Rebecca Hay
What’s a pink out?

00;23;10;08 – 00;23;15;12
Marisa Wilson
Oh yeah. That just means where pink where pink that day. So that kind of pink. Yeah. Oh.

00;23;15;12 – 00;23;15;29
Rebecca Hay
So guys, if you’re.

00;23;15;29 – 00;23;16;21
Rebecca Hay
Going to market.

00;23;16;21 – 00;23;20;16
Rebecca Hay
On Sunday wear something pink I love that. Thank you. That’s great.

00;23;20;19 – 00;23;37;06
Marisa Wilson
And then the tours you know there’s like options for tours especially if you haven’t been I know there’s a lot of newcomer ones. Not all of them require that. But some of them like longer half day and full day ones you can sign up for. You need to be new to market, but there’s also they have hot spot tours.

00;23;37;09 – 00;23;55;28
Marisa Wilson
I’ve hosted one of those before. They’re nice, kind of like bite size, where it’s only a couple of hours, like 2 to 3 showrooms and they have different genres if you will like if you’re looking at lighting or if you’re looking at antiques or you’re looking for a poster or something, the people are hosting them and some of them are the style spotters.

00;23;55;28 – 00;24;18;01
Marisa Wilson
Not all of them, but you can kind of get their input on some of their favorite show rooms. And that’s been a way that I’ve learned about new places and kind of, you know, you’re going with them, someone who uses them and sources there, and then someone typically from that company is also going to speak to you. Can you get a little bit more like behind the scenes and in depth with a showroom instead of just like looking around?

00;24;18;03 – 00;24;21;12
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. That’s cool. I didn’t know that that existed. That’s interesting.

00;24;21;14 – 00;24;25;26
Marisa Wilson
That’s created by the High Point Market Authority. So they always leave from the point.

00;24;26;03 – 00;24;38;20
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, that’s smart that they do that because there are people who come to market and maybe they’ve maybe they don’t have any connections with any suppliers. I don’t even know where to start or where to go because it is overwhelming. Like how many square feet are there of showrooms?

00;24;38;23 – 00;24;39;23
Marisa Wilson
Oh, it’s like millions.

00;24;39;23 – 00;25;00;22
Rebecca Hay
Hundreds of thousands of square feet. Yeah, yeah. You won’t see everything. That’s what I try to tell everyone. There’s no humanly possible way unless you deliver five days, which I do not recommend because you’ll be so burnt out and spent. Yeah, I have run into a few people at Marquette and they’re like, oh, I came on, I don’t know, it’s Thursday and I’m here till Wednesday, but I, I’m trying to change my flights.

00;25;00;22 – 00;25;01;28
Rebecca Hay
I can go home early.

00;25;02;01 – 00;25;05;27
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. I can’t walk out of here. I’ll try too much.

00;25;05;29 – 00;25;22;16
Rebecca Hay
I’ve heard that a few times are people. And I’m like, yeah, like, yeah I do. Maybe two max, three nights in a hotel that gives you like one full or two full days. And the cool thing is you can take a shuttle from the airport to market. So if you don’t have transportation, you can take a shuttle to market.

00;25;22;16 – 00;25;28;06
Rebecca Hay
And then for market, most of the hotels have shuttles. So you can just take a shuttle to your hotel and it’s free.

00;25;28;08 – 00;25;51;10
Marisa Wilson
Yeah. Now they’ve really, really logistically set people up for success. There’s a shuttle from Charlotte, there’s a shuttle from Raleigh and Greensboro, like all the airports in the area. And then, like you said, certain hotels, even even in Greensboro, I think have some shuttles coming in around market. There’s also a lot of shuttles. And one of my insider tips is there’s like a go anywhere shuttle.

00;25;51;10 – 00;25;58;16
Marisa Wilson
So there’s like the shuttles that are at market have routes so they can’t take you off the route. It’s like a little bus. Yeah, it’s a good bus.

00;25;58;16 – 00;26;02;05
Rebecca Hay
This is the route hop on hop off kind of thing. Yeah. For free.

00;26;02;06 – 00;26;28;28
Marisa Wilson
Yeah. But if you want to go somewhere that’s a little bit farther out, that’s not on that route. Anywhere within like five miles or something. There’s a go anywhere shuttle. So the phone number is three, three, six, 887 ride which is 7433. You have to know that it’s on the website. It’s in my guide. But put it in your phone before you go because you never know when you’re going to be like, I mean, like also you have to wait for the timing of the busses, right?

00;26;28;28 – 00;26;41;05
Marisa Wilson
If you’re at a party at 6:00 and you’re like, I can’t wait for it to come, I just need someone to come pick me up right now. You can call the go anywhere and tell them where are you located, and they’ll send. It’s like a smaller van.

00;26;41;09 – 00;26;45;15
Rebecca Hay
I think I’ve seen those around Mark. I remember thinking like, oh, how do I get on one of those?

00;26;45;15 – 00;26;49;24
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, it’s the go anywhere. And it’s like, you have to have it, but.

00;26;49;27 – 00;26;50;09
Rebecca Hay
It.

00;26;50;09 – 00;26;51;21
Marisa Wilson
Will come in handy at some point.

00;26;51;21 – 00;27;06;03
Rebecca Hay
That’s amazing to know. It’s amazing. And it’s funny hearing you say that. You’re like, you know, if it’s 6:00 and you’re like, I’m tired. And people are like 6:00, that’s like day three. Let me tell you, 6:00 PM at High Point Market feels like midnight.

00;27;06;05 – 00;27;07;08
Marisa Wilson
It does.

00;27;07;10 – 00;27;08;23
Rebecca Hay
Say like a long.

00;27;08;23 – 00;27;11;16
Rebecca Hay
Day in my bed. At least that’s how I always feel.

00;27;11;19 – 00;27;23;18
Marisa Wilson
Yes. I mean, like, it is very exciting and like, probably you overdo it a couple of the first days and then you might have thought you were going to go to the party on whatever night and you’re like, nope, I’m going home.

00;27;23;22 – 00;27;27;08
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, well, you get to go home. The rest of us get to go to overpriced hotels.

00;27;27;08 – 00;27;30;03
Marisa Wilson
Oh, no, I go to the hotels, I stay there.

00;27;30;05 – 00;27;31;05
Rebecca Hay
Yeah.

00;27;31;07 – 00;27;32;23
Marisa Wilson
Very overpriced.

00;27;32;25 – 00;28;02;10
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. I was telling someone the other day, they were like, oh, I want to go to. I was inside my community, inside part of process I was, we’re having a chat and the one designer was like, oh my God. But the hotels are so expensive at market. And I said, they’re so expensive that when you look, it’s actually don’t look, when you look at the rates the day after you leave, like the day after market or the weekend after market, they’re less than half like a hotel that maybe is $100 a night, not even is like 354 during market.

00;28;02;16 – 00;28;02;28
Marisa Wilson
Yeah.

00;28;03;00 – 00;28;07;00
Rebecca Hay
Surge surge pricing in effect is rising.

00;28;07;02 – 00;28;31;29
Rebecca Hay
Also, something else we were talking about in our zoom call the other day. You can take an Uber so you don’t if you don’t want to take the shuttle to the airport and you don’t have a car, you can take Ubers, but there’s surge pricing in effect at 6:00 from five till seven, because that is basically when everyone wants to leave market and you’re paying like triple the price it cost for you to take that same Uber in in the morning.

00;28;31;29 – 00;28;41;28
Rebecca Hay
So just be prepared because I’ve done that and I’m like, I’m sorry. It was how much? $55 $60 to get back this morning. It was 15 right. Big difference.

00;28;42;01 – 00;28;50;08
Marisa Wilson
There are you know a lot of people come in and drive for that, but it’s still pretty competitive. Like there’s, you know, so maybe a little bit of a wait to get one.

00;28;50;08 – 00;28;58;03
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. Yeah. Because everyone’s leaving at the same time. Everyone no one wants to get on wait for the last shuttle and we’re tired and our feet are sore. But markets are really fun.

00;28;58;06 – 00;29;02;21
Rebecca Hay
He’s like, it’s so fun.

00;29;02;23 – 00;29;04;23
Rebecca Hay
And you should definitely go like.

00;29;04;23 – 00;29;06;02
Rebecca Hay
Oh, just wear comfortable shoes.

00;29;06;02 – 00;29;07;13
Rebecca Hay
Well that’s that’s the thing.

00;29;07;13 – 00;29;35;01
Marisa Wilson
You got to know this stuff before you go. One of the questions I was ask my designers is about like your physical and mental health while you’re there because you just don’t know what you’re getting into. I mean, you are walking miles and miles all day. So, like, shoes are critical. It’s always, you know, a number one tip, but also just like layers, like you’re you’re not going to be popping back to your hotel, like you’re going and then you’re staying all day and then you’re going back at the end of the day.

00;29;35;03 – 00;29;52;01
Marisa Wilson
So you have to have everything with you, you know, strategize on your bag like, what are you doing across? What are you doing. The tote. They get very handy by the end of the day. Are you bringing like, shoes to change into for the party that night or you bring, you know, like any of that kind of stuff you have to think through, but also just basics, right?

00;29;52;03 – 00;30;05;02
Marisa Wilson
Hydrating, not drinking too much and sleep, but trying to sleep well and stuff that like, you know, but you’ve got to really like be intentional about it to be able to last however long you’re planning to be there. Yeah.

00;30;05;02 – 00;30;24;14
Rebecca Hay
And I’ll just add the mental portion to that. I find market can be very draining for me because there’s a lot of people, and I’m not used to being on my feet for eight hours, plus talking to people all the time. And so I’ve found that for me, what really helps is like just taking a beat by myself.

00;30;24;14 – 00;30;42;29
Rebecca Hay
Like separating myself from the group, going and getting something from a food truck, having a drink at another show. Remember, there’s nobody I know, right? Putting my feet up, sitting outside. It’s okay to do that. And I also want to say like, it’s okay if you’re feeling tired because I know a lot of us have FOMO. It’s like, oh, but who’s better than Herbie and Marissa?

00;30;42;29 – 00;30;58;21
Rebecca Hay
And Rebecca talks about all the parties like that. Can’t miss the party. If you are tired, go back to your hotel and go to bed. Honestly, nothing crazy happens at these parties. It’s just people hanging out. It’s lovely. But if you’re not in that space, don’t force yourself to do it. I mean, I’ve done that too many times.

00;30;58;22 – 00;31;15;20
Rebecca Hay
Me too. I finally learn, like, if I’m really tired and I know I’ve got another day or two at market, like, I’m just going to go, I won’t if I didn’t rest enough during the day and take breaks there. I’m going to go back to the hotel. I’m going to sit there. I’m going to just zonk out because that’s what happens and sleep and then start again tomorrow.

00;31;15;27 – 00;31;21;21
Rebecca Hay
Because otherwise I find that with every cumulative day, I’m dragging my ass a little bit more.

00;31;21;23 – 00;31;30;14
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, because you cannot see it all and do it all. You just have to have the mentality that like what you need to see and experience will happen for you.

00;31;30;16 – 00;31;31;19
Rebecca Hay
And not worry about.

00;31;31;19 – 00;31;40;02
Marisa Wilson
That. You know, anything that you missed because if you were meant to be there, you would have been there. Honor yourself and know what you want to do.

00;31;40;05 – 00;31;42;03
Rebecca Hay
Look at you. Your inner an icon.

00;31;42;03 – 00;31;45;07
Rebecca Hay
Coming out okay, I love that. Find me, I love it.

00;31;45;07 – 00;31;59;12
Rebecca Hay
It’s true. You need to trust that everything is happening for you. The universe has you, has your back and if it’s meant for you, it will be. If it’s not meant for you, it won’t be like, what would you say? It’s like embracing, giving up control. Yeah, yeah.

00;31;59;19 – 00;32;04;29
Marisa Wilson
You can just push it to the limit really, in that kind of environment. Totally. Yeah.

00;32;05;05 – 00;32;21;14
Rebecca Hay
Well I’m excited. This market is going to be good and exciting. Is there anything else that we want to like a little like nibble. Give our designers as a sneak peek that’s coming that those who are going to get excited for I know things are still getting published. So at time of recording this, not everything has been released.

00;32;21;15 – 00;32;22;03
Rebecca Hay
Yeah.

00;32;22;03 – 00;32;23;23
Marisa Wilson
So I don’t know everything.

00;32;23;24 – 00;32;25;27
Rebecca Hay
If not, they’ll just have to go get the Cool Girls guide.

00;32;25;28 – 00;32;44;03
Marisa Wilson
Well, everybody needs the Cool Girls guide for sure. I was going to mention a couple of other places that have great events. I don’t know what all of them are yet, but like you can always count on like universal has great education events you mentioned and Niagara, I’ll go to anything she’s doing that is like some serious content.

00;32;44;05 – 00;33;06;02
Marisa Wilson
And my friend Erica saw it also so great. All of her events are wonderful. There’s oh, the Da mixer an award. So diversity. Oh I love that initiative. And they pick really great companies and people to honor that are involved with that. The Cheryl party is always like the kickoff party that you have to go to on the Friday night.

00;33;06;02 – 00;33;08;16
Marisa Wilson
So they’re celebrating their 80th anniversary.

00;33;08;18 – 00;33;12;05
Rebecca Hay
I don’t think I’ve been there ever on a Friday. So what is this party?

00;33;12;08 – 00;33;35;08
Marisa Wilson
They just have like great DJ, great food, great vibe. Everybody goes, there’s not a lot competing that night like Saturday. There’s a million things. Sunday there’s a million things. But Friday night there’s not usually as many. And like they just really throw a great party. So I always recommend that one. And then well, that same night actually Woodbridge is hosting a game night, which is kind of fun.

00;33;35;11 – 00;33;44;09
Marisa Wilson
That’s a little bit of a different spin. So they have game there. Like you love games. We have we love game tables. Let’s do this. So I think that one’s going to be pretty fun.

00;33;44;09 – 00;33;45;06
Rebecca Hay
And that actually.

00;33;45;06 – 00;33;46;04
Rebecca Hay
Sounds super.

00;33;46;04 – 00;33;47;01
Marisa Wilson
Cool.

00;33;47;04 – 00;33;51;01
Rebecca Hay
Yeah I hope everyone like hangs out playing board games I know.

00;33;51;01 – 00;33;53;16
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. It’s so good. So fun.

00;33;53;18 – 00;33;54;25
Rebecca Hay
You go, you have to report back.

00;33;54;27 – 00;33;57;22
Marisa Wilson
Yes. We’ll have to do a recap again.

00;33;57;25 – 00;33;58;13
Rebecca Hay
Totally.

00;33;58;13 – 00;34;17;00
Rebecca Hay
Oh my god that’s amazing okay. Yeah. And then food I mean food is always the one that you have to remember to make sure you’re eating at market because you can get really tired, especially if you’re having some drinks. And my tip is always like, don’t start drinking early because you’re going to you’re going to peak and you’re gonna be so tired if you drink alcohol, I would hold off till later on in the day.

00;34;17;05 – 00;34;24;02
Marisa Wilson
It’s very available everywhere you turn, so it’s easy to just be like, oh sure, sure, sure sure sure, sure.

00;34;24;06 – 00;34;27;04
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, I’ll have a mimosa. Yeah, I but and.

00;34;27;05 – 00;34;34;08
Rebecca Hay
I think that’s like an occasion. And then you got to meet a wrap and talk about a project like. Oh.

00;34;34;11 – 00;34;36;01
Rebecca Hay
Exactly. Yes.

00;34;36;01 – 00;34;43;28
Marisa Wilson
So there’s like a lot of nibbles. So you gotta make sure you’ve actually like eaten the right quantity. Also like at a certain point.

00;34;43;28 – 00;35;01;11
Rebecca Hay
I have a question. Actually, this came up on my call the other day. One of the designers who hasn’t been to market in a few years said it used to be, and I disagreed with her. But I’m curious your take, she said. It used to be that you couldn’t go to a supplier for lunch unless you did business with them or had like an appointment.

00;35;01;15 – 00;35;08;01
Rebecca Hay
I said, I don’t think so. I think you can kind of go and have if someone has a lunch or breakfast, you can kind of go and eat. What’s your take on that?

00;35;08;08 – 00;35;23;12
Marisa Wilson
There are some that are more stickler than others. You kind of have to get a feel for, like some of them do want you to have an account, but you know, you can still schedule it an appointment or have an appointment after lunch after you’ve done it, because it’s really it’s for them, you know, for the people that they work with.

00;35;23;12 – 00;35;26;26
Rebecca Hay
And appreciation. But that’s to get new business.

00;35;26;26 – 00;35;41;24
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, exactly. It is to get new business. So I mean, I think don’t be deterred, but some might have a more friendly attitude about you being their current company comes to mind. So welcoming, so generous. And they have great coffee to you. That’s another hot tip.

00;35;41;24 – 00;35;42;14
Rebecca Hay
Oh good.

00;35;42;14 – 00;36;09;08
Marisa Wilson
Tip. They have a barista making delicious lattes. So I go get a coffee and then, you know, start out there. So yes and no, not necessarily I mean, I haven’t been to every single show room, every lunch, but there’s a mix of attitude. I think, from some of the showrooms about whether or not it’s just like a free for all or they kind of care, you know, you’re buying from them, so you just kind of feel it out and maybe not go again next time if you kind of felt not.

00;36;09;10 – 00;36;11;12
Rebecca Hay
Not like that. But yeah.

00;36;11;14 – 00;36;20;15
Rebecca Hay
I also not just everybody knows not every showroom has lunch, right? That’s right. And not every showroom, even if they have lunch one day is going to have lunch every day. Yeah.

00;36;20;15 – 00;36;36;07
Marisa Wilson
So that’s one of the things I try to highlight, because sometimes people will post it with the events like that. We’ve got free lunch and whatever. If they’re posting it, they want you to come. So I try to highlight the places that are saying they’ve got lunch, not necessarily the places that I, that I know have lunch because of what you’re saying.

00;36;36;10 – 00;36;38;28
Marisa Wilson
So people who are really open for everybody.

00;36;39;05 – 00;36;54;10
Rebecca Hay
Yeah. I mean one place I love to go for breakfast because I don’t really know that many places to be honest, is universal. They’re pretty welcoming. I mean you do need to check in and all of that. Yeah I have a barista but it they usually it ends at 10 a.m. and if you wait if you’re like, oh, there’s a line, I’ll go later.

00;36;54;10 – 00;37;05;28
Rebecca Hay
Now it’s closed. But they usually have a breakfast and they’re welcoming lunch. I never know where to go. So if you are sharing in your guide for people this time around, that’s amazing.

00;37;05;28 – 00;37;20;17
Marisa Wilson
You know, if you ever get in a bind, there are like the food trucks. There’s other different little cafes and places. So like, you’re not going to not be able to eat. You might not just be able to score like the free lunch, which is fine because someone planted in my head when I first went, you don’t know what you’re doing.

00;37;20;17 – 00;37;22;05
Marisa Wilson
Basically, if you don’t, if.

00;37;22;05 – 00;37;23;09
Rebecca Hay
You pay for food.

00;37;23;09 – 00;37;36;23
Marisa Wilson
Yeah, and it made me feel like a loser if I ended up buying something from the food trucks or whatever. But sometimes you just want something different, then you want to choose what you’re eating and not just whatever somebody is catering. Yeah, don’t feel like a loser.

00;37;36;25 – 00;37;55;11
Rebecca Hay
And not all of the lunches, to tell you the truth, not all the lunches at all the showrooms are created equally. They’re not all what you want. Sometimes you go and you’re like, oh, I really don’t want roast beef. Like, that’s not what I feel like. And that it’s very limited. So the food trucks are amazing. I end up buying some of the food trucks.

00;37;55;11 – 00;38;11;13
Rebecca Hay
They’re pretty good. There’s like a taco truck. There’s all these different trucks. And. Yeah, and I’ll say, if you’re like me and you like to be in the outdoors, the great thing about the food truck is you can get your food and you can sit down at a table outside and get some sun on your face and some fresh air and a break from the showrooms and all the people.

00;38;11;13 – 00;38;16;01
Rebecca Hay
And so I do, actually. I enjoy going to the food trucks. Yeah, yeah. But you have to pay. So, you know.

00;38;16;03 – 00;38;18;09
Marisa Wilson
Hooker is another one that has great lunch.

00;38;18;11 – 00;38;26;25
Rebecca Hay
Hooker okay. Hooker. Hooker furniture has great show place. Have I been there for lunch? I don’t think so. I’m gonna have to listen to this the next time I go to work.

00;38;26;28 – 00;38;28;12
Rebecca Hay
Who knows? I might change.

00;38;28;14 – 00;38;43;20
Rebecca Hay
What does have you back every time. Both. That’s true. Oh my gosh. Okay, this has been super informative. I know the designers who are listening right now who are going to market are probably feverishly taking notes. If not, they’re going to listen to this. Everybody needs to go get the Cool Girls guide because there’s even more information in there.

00;38;43;20 – 00;38;48;25
Rebecca Hay
Plus great tips too. The last nugget of wisdom for our designers today I.

00;38;48;25 – 00;39;10;01
Marisa Wilson
Like to put out a PSA. That market really is for everybody in the industry. Sometimes I’ve heard, you know, I’m intimidated. I don’t want to go. I don’t think my business qualifies or something like that. And I just want people to know that they are welcome to be there. It is a very friendly, welcoming place, and they want you to be there.

00;39;10;01 – 00;39;26;13
Marisa Wilson
And the people open the doors and greet you and smile and say hello, come on in. I just want people to know there’s no like size of business. It really is for everyone to participate in. I know people who were, like scared to go and now they’re like, on their on the stage, they’re on panels or on the stage.

00;39;26;13 – 00;39;44;25
Marisa Wilson
They’re like running the tours. Your business and your place in the design world can grow from going to market. Yeah. I will personally invite you to come and reach out to me, and I will help you get over some of the fears about going to market, because I just want everyone to know that they really, truly are welcome.

00;39;45;01 – 00;39;56;04
Rebecca Hay
I love that message. Yeah, it is intimidating 100%. So thank you for saying that. I love that. I love that guys. You’re always welcome. I will personally tour you around. Yeah. No I’m just give me a DM.

00;39;56;04 – 00;40;02;14
Rebecca Hay
Send me a date. You’re going to be a of the DRC. Like it’s my first time. Can we hang out? I heard you, Rebecca’s podcast.

00;40;02;17 – 00;40;05;02
Marisa Wilson
And then I gotta be like, download this, download the guy.

00;40;05;02 – 00;40;09;16
Rebecca Hay
Yeah, just get my guide. You can start leading groups. You can do a group tour guide.

00;40;09;20 – 00;40;28;02
Marisa Wilson
You know, I’ve thought about that. Yeah. In the guide you’ll find a map. You know, I’ve curated some shows for people. And if it’s on there, then in the showroom you’ll see something that’s featured in the Cool Girls Guide. And you can scan the guide from that. But it also helps, you know, like you’re in a really good place because it’s cool, girl.

00;40;28;03 – 00;40;31;19
Rebecca Hay
Because it’s handpicked by you. Yeah, that’s a lot of work to do. All of that. Wow.

00;40;31;23 – 00;40;33;15
Marisa Wilson
That’s amazing.

00;40;33;17 – 00;40;34;09
Rebecca Hay
I love.

00;40;34;09 – 00;40;43;07
Rebecca Hay
It. Wow, designers, you are so freaking lucky that this has been created for you. Okay, the people who are listening, if they’re like, I need my hands on this guide, where do they go?

00;40;43;07 – 00;41;01;21
Marisa Wilson
It’s on my website and it’s Rachel Wilson interiors.com also High Point Market guide.com. It’s it goes to the same place. And it’s also available at High Point market.org. And then also if you want to find it on Instagram it’s at Cool Girls Guide PMK for High Point Market. It’s everywhere.

00;41;01;22 – 00;41;09;03
Rebecca Hay
It’s everywhere. Yeah okay. So any of those places they can go and then if they want to follow you on Instagram because you said you’re posting things as they come up, where is that.

00;41;09;03 – 00;41;17;06
Marisa Wilson
Cool girls guide? MQTT is the best one to follow and get any of the last minute things. And I’ll be posting about round Top there too, if people are curious too.

00;41;17;06 – 00;41;27;02
Rebecca Hay
I am so excited that we’re going to do this again next year, but it’ll just be for Round Top. I’m so excited and I want to go. So maybe next year, my year, maybe I skip high point. I go to Round top, I don’t know, we’ll see.

00;41;27;08 – 00;41;28;16
Marisa Wilson
Do it. Okay. I’ll meet you there.

00;41;28;23 – 00;41;33;15
Rebecca Hay
Okay. Amazing. Thank you so much for joining me today. This has been such a great episode.

00;41;33;16 – 00;41;37;05
Marisa Wilson
Thank you so much for having me.

00;41;37;07 – 00;42;01;01
Rebecca Hay
That was such a juicy episode. I didn’t realize we would be sharing like, concrete, specific tips and resources. The resources that she has in that guide are amazing. Go get your guide. It is free. You could just look her up on Instagram, the Cool Girls guides. She’s there and honestly, you are going to find it so supremely helpful.

00;42;01;03 – 00;42;21;10
Rebecca Hay
I think that one of the hardest parts about market is that even though you have that app that I mentioned is that there’s an overwhelming amount of possibility, not only are there is there an overwhelming amount of showrooms to go to, and some of them are very large and they’re tiring. And sometimes you get stuck with a rep who takes like an hour walking you through and you’re like, I don’t want to spend an hour here.

00;42;21;12 – 00;42;40;19
Rebecca Hay
But it can be overwhelming knowing, where do I get my food? Where are the cool events happening? Like, she has you covered. And so I think there is such a great place in the market for this. Anyhow, get your guide. Even if you’re not going this year, I think it’ll get you inspired to go in the spring. Thank you to Marissa for being my guest today.

00;42;40;19 – 00;42;56;17
Rebecca Hay
Go give her a follow and share some love and maybe she’ll give you a little tour. High point. All right, that’s it. I’ll see you soon.