A View On: Phillips Collection

The astounding Phillips Collection offers best selling organic contemporary furniture, which is skillfully created by artisans from all over the world.  This award-winning company offers a large range of products, including an eco-friendly line called Origins Collection that is backed with the promise that no trees are cut down for the line’s production. Each of their products has a different story behind it, and is thoughtfully designed to be sustainable. Phillips Collections’ unique and creative furnishings are featured in many nightclubs, hotels, and restaurants across the the country.  In 2001, the Phillips Collection moved their headquarters from New York to High Point, which has allowed the company to flourish and continue to grow. We sat down with Jason Phillips, son of the company’s founders, to learn more about the Phillips Collection and how their relocation to High Point has positively impacted their business.

Q. Tell us about Phillips Collection in about 10 words.

A. 35 years of award-winning furnishings, available through interior designers and retailers around the world.

Q. Why was it started and what was the vision?

A. Over three decades ago, husband and wife, Mark and Julie Phillips, took a trip around the world. They found amazing designs, materials and capabilities and wanted to share those discoveries with the world. Their motto back then—and to this day—is every piece a conversation. Phillips Collection products must have a story behind them, be touched by a hand in the design and manufacturing process, and most importantly, be sustainable, unexpected, dramatic and delightful.

Q. What is one thing people would be interested to learn about Phillips Collection?

A. Our founder and CEO, Mark Phillips, has such cool shoes that hip hop artist 2Chainz had to snapchat them to his audience of over a million people when walking furniture market!

Q. What are the highlights and challenges of owning/operating the company in High Point?

A. Only highlights! Our company was founded in New York where real estate is expensive, especially when you’re in the business of warehousing large furniture. During those years we would spend a lot of time down in High Point for the semi-annual furniture market. When we saw a building become available at the turn of the millennium, we decided to move our business and 20 families down to North Carolina. Lower expenses and larger warehouses afforded us the ability to expand, and the proximity to our showroom at the IHFC Building made focusing on this major trade show easy and effective. Our sales quadrupled, and in 2010 we moved into the former Rose Furniture building off I-85 Business. At the end of 2017, we acquired three additional warehouses, bringing our overall footprint to over a quarter million square feet.

Q. How has High Point changed since Phillips Collection was founded?

A. There are the obvious physical signs of change—roads have widened, highways have been built, new restaurants and retail stores, an ever-expanding HPU and a unified Furniture Market thanks to IMC. Then there is the part you can’t see but can feel. There has been a shift towards unification of the residents and progressive thinking. The community feels stronger than ever, and the gap between those who have and those who don’t is shrinking. There are so many signs that this is the start of something big. Everyone knows it starts with working together and respecting each other’s opinions.

Q. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

A. In the furniture industry, in an Amazon-era, customers demand products immediately and the expectations are higher than ever. Free shipping and if they don’t like it, free returns! We of course cannot support the last two but the point is, furniture is voluminous and predicting inventory and trends is a moving target. We have invested in our facilities as much as we have in design. We can’t say we’re perfect, but we have faced this challenge with great results and happy clientele.

Q. How have the citizens and community of High Point supported you?

A. We serve Meatballs & Moonshine during the High Point Market, and the community has given us a resounding “yes!” Jokes aside, we feel the support of our community. We maintain our headquarters with great care, so it is a beacon as you enter the city. Everything from the lawn to the street we reside on, Finch Avenue—which we adopted in 2017—is clean of debris and our neighbors appreciate this. We want to lead by example and support our community by partnering with local organizations and charities. We have internship programs with HPU and get great coverage from the local papers and journals. And we love all the great restaurants that feed our staff on a daily basis.

Q. If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting out in High Point, what would it be?

A. Join local organizations that share your common interests. Visit the local markets. Enjoy a beer at one of the local breweries. Take a walk down the greenway.

Q. What are you excited about for High Point’s future? 

A. The new stadium is at the forefront of all of our minds so that is of most immediate anticipation. But also specific to our industry, High Point is the Capital of the Furniture Industry so we hope things will continue to evolve. Recent evidence shows that things will continue to trend well for our industry and our city. We see an even brighter future for High Point, North Carolina!

As High Point locals, we are always proud to hear how our special city has benefited a successful company, like Phillips Collection, and influenced others to take action towards positively impacting the future of High Point. Since Phillips Collection is a to-the-trade-only company, designers and wholesalers are welcomed to visit their showrooms across the US. If you are not a designer or wholesaler and are interested in purchasing a piece from Phillips Collection, their products can be found at furniture dealers around the world. Check out their website, to learn more about the company!

Keep Discovering our High Points,

The HPD Team

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