Attendees line up to register during the first day of market on Wednesday.


Celebrating its 50th year, AmericasMart Atlanta opened its doors this morning for the Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market (Jan. 12-19), together with the Atlanta International Area Rug Market featuring the National Oriental Rug Show (Jan. 13-16). Buyers arrived and thousands more are expected over the course of Market.

All four AmericasMart buildings -- with more than 7 million sq. ft. of product -- are open for the eight-day Market run, featuring more than 3,000 permanent showrooms. The Market Temporaries, which feature an additional 3,000-plus companies, will open on Friday, Jan. 14. For more information, visitwww.americasmart.com.