When we received the news last fall about the extended dates and hours for the High Point Market, I immediately began planning our home-away-from-home stay.
First on my list was to find a comfortable place to stay for that length of time. A hotel was not going to cut it for the 10 days that would be required of us. We lucked up and found a comfortable little bungalow for rent in Winston-Salem, about 20 minutes away from the High Point Market. I didn’t know much about Winston-Salem, so I got busy doing a little research. I discovered we would be staying within walking distance of Old Salem.
The city of Winston-Salem is a product of the merging of two neighboring towns, Winston and Salem, in 1913. The original town of Salem, now known as Old Salem, dates to January 1753, when it was settled on behalf of the Moravian Church. Salem was a typical Moravian settlement and public buildings of the congregation were grouped around a central square, today known as Salem Square. Salem was incorporated as a town in December 1856 and is home to “God’s Acre,” the Moravian Graveyard since 1772. Salem Square and “God’s Acre” are the site each Easter morning of the world-famous Moravian sunrise service. The service attracts thousands of worshipers each year.
A few weeks prior to the High Point Market, we needed to do some work on our new Telescope Casual showroom, so Tim and I decided to give our little bungalow a test run and rented it for a couple of additional nights. As we traveled to our temporary residence, I spied the entrance to Old Salem and could feel my curiosity immediately rising. The entryway gate made of old timbers and lined by beautifully blooming Black-eyed Susan drew me in. I knew there wouldn’t be time on this trip to explore, so I started planning my High Point Market escape.
On the ride home from our first stay in Winston-Salem, I decided to broach the subject with Tim. I knew he would not be able to leave the showroom for the length of the show, but I thought just maybe I could convince him that in order for me to keep my sunny disposition throughout our stay, I was going to need to hit my reset button and have a little time off. You probably know what the old proverb says, “all work and no play…”
This is how it went…
Me: Hey honey, I think I’d like to take Sunday off during the market. You know to catch up on my rest, get a little exercise, and perhaps do a little exploring.
Tim: The show is 10 days and WE need to be there the entire time.
Me: Well, honey, you can just call me Chick-fil-A, because I don’t work on Sundays!
I’ll let you guess how that went over. In Tim’s defense, since I started traveling with him, we have been joined at the hip, and we have done our best to make time to enjoy the sites even while on business. It was hard for him to imagine me jaunting around town without him in tow. He didn’t take me too seriously that day, so I moved on to Plan B.
As we began to prepare and pack for our 10-day stay, I started baking. I baked just enough goods to get us to the halfway mark, which by no coincidence was Sunday! You might see where this is headed…
As the baked goods started to dwindle (I was giving them away left and right) he took the bait.
Tim: Hey, I was thinking it might be a good idea for you to take a little time off on Sunday…
Me (interrupting): Oh wow, that’d be great.
But then he continued…
Tim: to do a little baking…you know “the folks” coming into the showroom have really enjoyed it.
No worries, this Girl Scout came prepared. I never mentioned to him that my little cookie bar baking extravaganza was only going to take about 30 minutes. I was thrilled and couldn’t wait to make my way to Old Salem.
Sunday morning was the perfect October morning for a stroll around Old Salem. The air was brisk, the leaves were turning beautiful shades of orange and gold. Old Salem did not disappoint. The old buildings and homes on the square were captivating and left me wishing I could step back in time to when it was originally settled. God’s Acre graveyard is absolutely breathtaking and unexpected emotions overcame me as I walked alongside the graves.
As I toured around, I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling of guilt—yes, guilt. I wanted more than anything for Tim to share the experience with me. I promised myself on our next trip we would definitely make time to visit Old Salem, and that we did just a few weeks later.
Markets are definitely a time of work, but I highly recommend building a little time into your schedule to explore the area outside the showroom walls. Until next time, stay safe, and I hope you will find some time in your work travels to play a bit.
Jamie Wood of Southwood Marketing hits the road with her husband Tim, representing brands such as Telescope Casual in the Southeast.
