by March 16, 2021 – The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame has received a generous $500,000 investment in the Building Fund from Bill and Carolyn Hinks of Furniture Mart USA in Sioux Falls, SD. The gift will designate the central gathering space as the Bill and Carolyn Hinks Celebration Hall. The new permanent Hall of Fame home is located at 311 S. Hamilton St. in High Point, just one block from the IHFC in the heart of the High Point Market.
“When I first learned about the plans for a home for our industry, I thought it was amazing and that this project will give young people a focus and a sense of the legacies of our industry and the people who have made it great,” Hinks says. “It’s going to be an inspiring showplace where we can meet during markets, and as a result, amazing things will happen. That’s what we want to do – to get people new to our industry involved and for all of us to be able to get to know one another and to have a place to share ideas.
“We chose this naming opportunity because we love that our industry is like a big family,” he says. “The Celebration Hall will be the heart of our new home as a training ground and a center of leadership, events and activities. We are so pleased to be involved and I can’t wait to get a shovel into the ground and to see this building under construction,” he says.
The 17,500 sq. ft. building will be transformed into a spectacular 23,500 sq. ft. building with a two-story, Grand Story Wall, a digital matrix of videos and photography that faces the street to draw people inside. It will feature a Tribute Wall, theatre, interactive Discovery Exhibits, the Tell Us Your Story video booth, a Library, History Center, the Leaders Board Room, and a coffee and cocktail bar. The exhibits are organized around four themes: the Industry, the People, the Process and the Products. Designed for flexibility, with special functions in mind, a full-service hospitality kitchen will provide comprehensive food service.
The project currently is in the final planning stages, with completion expected in 2022. The building is designed by Freeman Kennett Architects in High Point. The exhibits are being designed by Roto, an international exhibits firm based in Columbus, Ohio.
Capital campaign donors include Jim Sneed, Affordable Furniture; Michael Amini, AICO; Aminy Audi, L. & J.G. Stickley; The BB&T Foundation; Lyle Harris, Behold Home; Donald Belgrad; Roger and Martha Bland; John Bray, Vanguard Furniture Company Inc.; The Broyhill Family Foundation; Bobby Bush; Keith Koenig, City Furniture; Randy Coconis, Coconis Furniture; Bruce and Kena Cohenour; J. Don Coleman, Coleman Consulting LLC; Patrick Cory, Joseph Cory Holdings LLC; the DRIVE Foundation; Chad Spencer, the Dufresne Spencer Group; Jerry Epperson; Bill and Candy Fenn; Mickey Holliman, Five Star; Andy Bernstein, FurnitureDealer.Net; The Furniture Foundation; Hassell Franklin, Franklin Corporation; David Gebhart, Global Views; Haverty Furniture Companies; Bill and Carolyn Hinks, Furniture Mart USA; Hooker Furniture; The Ina Mae Kaplan Historic Preservation Fund; International Market Centers; Lacquer Craft USA; Amir Loloi, Loloi Rugs; Manwah; Markor; Nebraska Furniture Mart; New Atlantic Construction; Norwalk Furniture; Nourison Industries; Phillips Collection; Martin and Mary Ann Ploy; Karen McNeill and Stephen Pond; Prestige Arts/Art Trends; Jeff Child, R.C. Willey; Lawrence Rogers; Schwarz Properties; Bill and Julia Wittenberg; and Imogene Zimmerman. Gifts may be received from individuals, companies, other nonprofit foundations and the government, or through a DTC transaction for appreciated securities.
The American Home Furnishings Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc., is an industry-wide organization founded to preserve its history, to celebrate exceptional individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the U.S. home furnishings industry, and to inspire a new class of innovation and leadership. Membership includes eligibility to nominate candidates for consideration by the Selection Committee, and the opportunity to help preserve the history and heritage of the industry. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, 92 percent of all funds support our history and leadership programming. The organization currently is based in High Point, North Carolina, at 202 Neal Place, Suite 101, and can be reached at 336.882.5900. Watch for ongoing developments and details about the grand opening of a new permanent home, which is targeted for 2022.
