Jul 07, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Orders for new residential furniture fell dramatically in April, according to a survey of manufacturers by High Point accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard, The Business Journal reports. Furniture sales have been on a persistent downward trend for months, but the timing of the High Point Market may have contributed to the 27 percent year-over-year plunge in April, according to the survey’s author. The High Point Market is the largest wholesale furniture trade show in the world, and it was held much later in the month this year than in 2008. Still, year to date, furniture order activity is off 22 percent for the first four months of 2009, following a decline of 26 percent for the same period of 2008. About 93 percent of the surveyed manufacturers said their orders are lower this year compared to last. Shipments of completed orders were also down, by 21 percent both for the month of April and year to date. The number of factory employees fell 3 percent from March to April, and by 21 percent from a year earlier. It’s possible the economy and the furniture industry are nearing a bottom, said survey author Ken Smith, but the evidence is mixed at best. Even if things do start getting better, he warned that “we are looking at baby-step improvements over the next several months, if not longer.”