Fewer people attend NC furniture market down since LGBT law

Fewer people are attending a world-renowned furniture market in North Carolina, where state law defines which bathrooms people can use and limits legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Attendance at the High Point Market's fall event dropped 2.4 percent compared to October 2015. The spring event also drew about 1,000 fewer registered attendees than in April 2015.

High Point Market Authority CEO Tom Conley didn't respond Monday when asked how much of the decrease might be blamed on calls to boycott events in North Carolina over House Bill 2.

The taxpayer-supported authority was one of the first North Carolina business groups to warn the law could hurt commerce. The twice-a-year markets together generate about $5 billion in statewide economic activity.