Thousands of businesses depend on the success of the Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market every year. When the unprecedented Atlanta winter storm hit just before market, vendors, retailers and local Atlanta businesses feared the worst. Flights were canceled, roads were impassable, and the market center was almost empty.
We kicked off market on January 12 with a barebones staff. Most of our sales team was still trying to work out flight schedules. Members of our IT department, who were able to make it in before the storm hit, pitched in to assist customers. Traffic was slow, but steady. We watched news and road reports hoping for a break in the weather.
Over the next few days, road conditions improved, and traffic picked up. A lot. To retailers’ credit, they were not deterred. They simply adjusted their travel plans with the weather, and carried on. As the week progressed market traffic was much higher than usual.
We are proud to report that we met, and exceeded, our market sales goals, and retailers were able to order the product needed to fill their store shelves – in spite of the worst winter storm Atlanta has seen in years.
