The furniture industry is one of the oldest industries in the United States and North Carolina is the largest supplier of that furniture with more than 50% of all manufactured furniture coming out of North Carolina. North Carolina, besides its vast number of trees also has an almost equal number of artisans and skilled craftsman, making it an appropriate location for the furniture industry. And High Point is the furniture manufacturing capital of the world. North Carolina is also known as the place to go to find the least expensive furniture in the U.S. Before High Point, Thomasville, Drexel and Piedmont put North Carolina on the furniture industry map.

When shopping for furniture in North Carolina, you may want to consider renting a small moving van, as there are hundreds of manufacturers, retailers and discount outlet stores across the state. Making the decision on where to start can be a matter of geography, choose a point on the map or you can be more selective and choose based on style, type or brand of furniture you are looking for.

Doing a simple Google search for North Carolina furniture yields more than 2 million hits ranging from furniture stores to outlet centers to a 2003 book entitled “Shopping the North Carolina Furniture Outlets: How to Save 50-80% on Your Next Furniture Purchase” by Ellen Shapiro. Although customer reviews of Shapiro’s book indicate that her opinions of some of the furniture stores seem over inflated, some do indicate that it’s a good resource for contact numbers, but with so many companies listing their information online, you may want to save your money and stick to the internet for your North Carolina Furniture shopping.

If you do elect to take a furniture shopping trip to North Carolina, do your research ahead of time. Make a list of what you plan to purchase and shop or call around to your local retailers to get an idea of local pricing. If some of the North Carolina furniture stores have inventory online, also price check online. If the price is lower, check with your local retailer and see if they are willing to meet or beat the North Carolina furniture price. If the price difference is significant enough, it might be worth the trip. But keep in mind that shipping can be costly, particularly with gas prices continually going up and ship time can be anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months.