You probably own a chair or a table or a sofa. And you probably think you know why you bought it. Because it was comfy. Or blue. Or the right price. But what if the style, the color, the cost, maybe even whether you would like it, were choices made for you years before you even thought about buying that piece of furniture.Today on the show: The city that makes or breaks the furniture world. We travel to High Point, North Carolina and meet the people who make the bets – on whether or not you'll want that comfy blue couch.This episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Erika Beras. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Willa Rubin. It was edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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A few weeks ago, I was chatting with a woman named Kristen Hawkins at an awards gala in High Point, North Carolina.
Like, is this a big night? So tonight we are celebrating.
Celebrating because Kristen works at a company that is up for one of the evening's awards.
Well, I'm nervous for you. I know, my fingers are crossed. We're excited. But you know what? It's an honor to be nominated. I know that's like cliche to say, but it is, you know, the pinnacle award. So we're excited to be here.
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