Dear AT Boston, My boyfriend and I recently moved into a grand, old Brookline apartment and have begun shedding our more uncomfortable, flimsy IKEA items, including our old, secondhand Klippan. We're in the market for a classic, simple, durable sofa — comfort over style, for about $1000. Where can we find this couch?...
Should we fork over our hard earned money to the claymation guy that yells at us through the TV? You know who I'm talking about... Or how about the two masters of furniture shopping entertainment? Is their selection better than their horrific website makes it out to be? Thanks, Stumped and Understuffed
Dear Stumped, thanks so much for your question and for bringing up a topic we've been itching to discuss here on AT Boston: local chain furniture store. You can't watch TV for more than 20 minutes here without seeing a commercial for Bob's, Jordan's, Bernie & Phyl's, or all three. They blab on and on about discounts and can't-beat-em prices but it all makes us wonder what you are paying for.
Some years ago we owned a sofa "set" from one of these places and while the look was "contemporary" and the price fit our limited budget, they were not pieces we wanted to keep (nor were they all that comfy) and we upgraded at the soonest financial convenience. Looking back, we wish we had held onto our money (and our secondhand couch) a little longer to invest in a piece we truly loved, not just something we could afford.
If you're willing to spend $1000 on a single sofa, we would highly suggest taking your time and looking beyond these discount stores. Spend that hard earned money at a store that advertises furniture above IMAX movies and free popcorn. We know Room & Board gets a lot of grumbles because there's not one in Boston but our first "graduate" sofa was the Archer from Room & Board for $1199 and we invested the $20 for a roundtrip bus ride to NYC just to sit on it before we bought it.
We'd love to hear your opinions and experiences on local discount stores vs. higher quality retailers. What was your first "IKEA Graduate" sofa and do you still have it?
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Comments (21)
If you want to buy local, don't just go to a local retailer. You should be able to find a local furniture maker (do those still exist?) I know that when my parents made their big move from Toronto to Edmonton, they purchased a lot of their funiture from a local edmonton furniture maker. He had a store, but everything he sold was made in town. If you're willing to spend $1000 on a couch, you should support your furniture makers and stay away from 'designer' furniture that is manufactured in China and shipped over.
I bought a couch from a local retailer that was just selling imports from china. sure, they were contemporary and affordable, but the quality of construction was poor and I felt guilty buying something that wasn't made at least on this continent. I ended up selling that couch because it didn't fit in my new (old) house and I bought a canadian made couch from The Bay.
I was browsing through a couple of nicer vintage shops in Portland Oregon last weekend and was astounded by the quality of some of the upholstered pieces and for really good prices, too.
While you are several timezones away from Portland, it might be worth your while to go to some antique shops or vintage stores to survey the goods.
Don't forget about delivery costs, though, too. I'm currently unable to pull the trigger on a Room and Board purchase, because due to my location, they'll charge me $200 for delivering that single item! By the time I add tax and two hundred bucks, the armchair (in my case) looks even LESS reasonable.
I know it sounds like the same realm as the claymation guys, but I had great luck at Cardi's furniture, they have several stores in the area. The service was great, and their furniture looked on par with the pottery barns and crate and barrels that I dream about, for a fraction of the price.
Don't forget about craigslist! I was recently able to score two locally made slope-arm chairs that were originally $1640 COM each but I was able to get them for more than 75% less than the original price (ambassador estate sale)! They were probably only sat on a few times because they were in impeccable condition.
I also scored a 12/yr old Mitchell Gold shelter-back sofa on Craigslist whose fabric wasn't in the best condition, but the frame and seat cushions were just as new. I am in the process of recovering it as we speak.
I was able to get all three pieces for about $1000 (including 15 yards of fabric and supplies for the recovering).
Personally, I'd stick with higher quality furniture, but you'll definitely have to look and be very patient. I think I made a good choice on my "graduate" furniture.
When we moved in May to our new place we decided we too needed to invest $1K on a nice new sofa. We found a guy on craigslist, http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/fud/922013812.html, and went to check out a couch he had in Stoughton. Turns out he has a whole warehouse full of couches and other furniture at what he claims are discounted prices..."factory direct" I guess. Anyway, it supposed to be good quality, and so far it's treated us fabulously. There was also a totally easy delivery service for I think $75 extra. They were fantastic, helpful guys who treated our new addition with great respect.
Good luck!!
I know you're trying to stay local - but have you considered Macys?
They have a very comfortable sofa in various velvets and microfibers for less than $1000, including tax and delivery:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=310812&PseudoCat=se-xx-xx-xx.esn_results
I just bought the loveseat for my den recently and I love it.
I have the Corona sofa from macys. I got it on sale for $600, and got some other discounts with opening a macys card, etc. In the end, with taxes and delivery and everything, I paid just over $700. It was a steal, in my opinion. This couch is very well made; has a very deep, comfortable seat; firm cushions; and has held up perfectly over the last two years. It's big and comfortable enough for guests to sleep on. It's cute too!
Try Arhaus Furniture www.arhaus.com. Their Filmore sofa is pretty reasonable and they usually run promotions (especially at the end of each month). Their stuff is all made in NC and has a lifetime warranty. They also have a bunch of "same as stock" fabrics where you can get a custom color without the upcharge.
Hi everybody, Stumped and Understuffed here! Thanks for the great comments so far. I had no idea that Macy's sold large furniture! Happy to hear a favorable review of Cardi's too. They are on my list. As for secondhand, maybe living on the border of Allston has jaded me, but I'm too nervous about bedbugs, odors, or other creepiness to go that route!
Boston Interiors has some nice furniture that's quite reasonably priced, and I think they're having a sale at the moment. They have a decent sofa selection in the $800 range. I got their Giselle sofa a year and a half ago and it's holding up well.
There was a discussion the other day at grassrootsmodern about a Macy's sofa. Lots of happy owners with the Corona sofa.
http://grassrootsmodern.com/2008/11/13/corona-sofa/
Macy's is currently having a huge sale on their furniture. They sell a model (I forget the name) that has a nice vintage feel to it: dowel legs and button tufting in the cushions. It's clearly made by Rowe Furniture, and Rowe's name for it is The Giselle. I've seen the Giselle at Boston Interiors for about 800-900.00. The price of the sofa at Macy's--the exact same one--is 699.00. And if you open a charge account, you get an additional 20% off.
**disclaimer: I don't work for Macy's!***
room and board.com has great sofas at your price point that are stylish, comfortable, and impeccably made. And they have great sales.
This discussion make me want to keep saving up dough to buy a nice sofa instead of taking the easy way out with an ektorp. Thanks preventing impulse sofa shopping!
So I didn't realize that Bowl & Board sold couches either. Anyone have experience here?
omg. thank you for the bernie and phylls reference! i lived in rhode island for a few years and totally miss the local commercials! the accent can't be beat!
I just bought two Corona sofas from Macy's with a big discount--629 each and I really like them. They're normally priced at 899. I think the sale is still going on. I really wanted the Room and Board sofa that has a similar style, although I can't remember the name of it, but went with Macy's after reading a previous AT post comparing these two couches. Hope that helps.
Agree that Macy's Home Store is a good choice. I don't care for the three cushions on the Corona. This one is a bit above your budget, but for the comfort and durability, it might be worth a look. The Putnam by Martha Stewart for Bernhardt. On sale for 1299.
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=314089&PseudoMasterProdID=314999&trackingCat=35389&PseudoCat=35389
Forgot to add, 6 months same as cash. No, I don't work for Macy's either... ~:o)
The Piazza sofa from CB2 is one of the most comfortable sofas I have ever sat on. Its not the most gorgeous, but its attractive, deep and you can really sink into it.
Its also very reasonable, at 1,290...
http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=102&f=4881