"Over Coffee" Consignment furniture stores rock!

September 5, 2013

"Consignment furniture stores rock!"

   One of the changes this new world economy has wrought for me is where I might find a new piece of furniture.  Unfortunately, the furniture that is now manufactured in China, which is nearly all of it, is just not up to my standards. I dislike the poor designs, which are all so very cookie-cutter, and I dislike the low standard of quality that comes out of that kind of production.  Even the furniture with so-called “famous” designers’ name on the product is not of the quality I want. No thank you.

   Consignment stores are the go-to spots to find good European and American-made furniture.  We have had some sparkling luck in those interesting places! I’d like to describe what a recent shopping experience was like, a contrast in diametrically different selling methods.

  When our son moved to his own apartment, we were left with a largely empty guest bedroom. When walking through the furniture department of Macy’s, my husband and I saw a platform queen bed on display that we thought we could use. We bought it, along with a mattress and box spring. Then came the long wait because furniture is never sold off the floor anymore at retail establishments. You only get to order it.  It appeared that the platform bed was going to be off-loaded from a container ship from China in Miami in a day or two and we would have to wait until it was assembled and arrived in Atlanta. The mattress and box spring was going to come from somewhere else and was available now.

   Then we were hooked to the Macy’s electronic delivery system which advised us daily of delivery in about two weeks.  Apparently it was impossible to coordinate the delivery of the two components of our order, bed frame and mattresses, for delivery on the same day, so we had to agree to stay home twice. The oh-so-helpful customer service rep said we could get delivery of the mattress early and my response was, “Right. And we’ll put it on the floor? No, we aren’t getting that delivered BEFORE the bed frame.”  That person failed critical thinking!

   So, our new platform bed was finally delivered and the next day, the mattress and box spring was duly delivered. At least Macy’s only charged us for one delivery fee.

   Since the platform bed was now pretty high off the floor, the old tea cart that Great-grandfather Shook made so long ago was the perfect 29-inch height for a bedside table. Since that high bed called for two bedside tables, my husband and I searched the consignment shops to see if we could find a companion table. Incredibly, in Chamblee we found another tea cart with the same dimensions and look as Grandfather Shook’s, just made from a different wood.  Perfect!  It was in beautiful condition. We also liked the unbelievable $133 price and the fact that we could immediately take the tea cart home. (In the photo, the consignment tea cart is on the left.)

   Now, I ask you, which furniture shopping experience would you prefer? (Macy’s will not see us again for a very long time as I am not keen to repeat that exasperating experience!)

   In this age of “just-in-time” supply, the customer gets the shaft. The retail furniture store gets your money up front with your order and you get to wait until your item is able to arrive from somewhere else. How selling methods have changed from the old days! 

   We have moved an elderly relative who lives in another state into a nursing home this year. He had two auctions of his selected fine household goods before he moved to a much smaller space in an independent living facility. When his health failed, we moved him to a skilled nursing facility and had to do something with his remaining household furniture and most of the small goods. Much of the beautiful furniture went to an upscale consignment shop in his old neighborhood . The nearby Goodwill store got a windfall from the rest of the stuff. What else does one do when a household must be broken up and time is of the essence?

   Consignment furniture stores provide a real niche market for people who must offload good furnishings and artwork, as well as for people who are interested in buying such things. Some consignment stores are better than others, but the shopping experience is always an interesting one. There are great treasures to be found in consignment stores and the merchandise changes almost daily. If you are not a fan of Made in China, have a look at consignment furniture stores.