What Furniture Stores do you use?

[cks511]

I've bought several items from them and am very pleased I did.  Used furniture, antiques and a little bit of everything.

Round the House
(918) 743-7001
4941 S Peoria Ave, Tulsa, OK 74105

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur



I worked in a furniture store for a couple years.  We only stocked quality furniture and guaranteed all of our furniture for life (except for the fabric), regardless of the manufacturer's warranty, because we knew the quality of the furniture.  Try getting that type of warranty at Sunshine or from Ashley.

ah yes, and where is that furniture store now?

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur



I worked in a furniture store for a couple years.  We only stocked quality furniture and guaranteed all of our furniture for life (except for the fabric), regardless of the manufacturer's warranty, because we knew the quality of the furniture.  Try getting that type of warranty at Sunshine or from Ashley.

More then 1000 miles away.

ah yes, and where is that furniture store now?

[Townsend]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

quote:Originally posted by inteller

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

ah yes, and where is that furniture store now?

More then 1000 miles away.

Yikes, I don't even like to move furniture around a room.

[Kashmir]

Does Mathis still molest you as you walk in the door while continuing to hump your leg as you walk around?  That place is so irritating.

[TURobY]

I went into Rooms Today a while back, and had a pretty good experience.

Furniture Factory Outlet on-the-other-hand was a nightmare. I had no problem with them when they were located at 51st and Sheridan, but as soon as they moved to 71st and Memorial, they became the pushiest bunch of people I've ever encountered.

My partner and I were looking for a couch a while back, and at every couch we stopped in front of, we were immediately accosted by a salesperson. We would politely let them know that we were just looking and that we would contact them if we found something of interest. The entire time in the store, we spend more energy telling them that we didn't need help than we did looking at furniture. We finally left without purchasing anything because they kept hounding us. It's a shame for them too, since there was actually a couch that we liked, but refused to purchase from them.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Kashmir

Does Mathis still molest you as you walk in the door while continuing to hump your leg as you walk around?  That place is so irritating.

oh yes.  that is like their business model.

[RecycleMichael]

Take your children and their friends to play in the Mathis Brothers show room on all the stuff you like.

It will show up on sale in the scratch and dent room the following week.

[Jonette]

Wow!

Got some great responses on this subject.

I can't believe I forgot Craigslist. I look there alot and have gotten some great deals there also.Sold some stuff also.  

Sunshine, well I went in there a couple of years ago with a friend and I agree about the atmosphere. But if I am looking for a good deal, then atmosphere really doesn't figure in to the equation. My friend was a little upset that they don't assemble the furniture for you, she said if she wanted to assemble the stuff then she would just go to Walmart or Target and get stuff in a box. Their prices are a lot better than Mathis though.

Mathis makes me feel like I am being followed all the time. Last time I was in there I must have been asked 20 times if I could be helped,I know their job is customer service and they get a commission but leave me the hell alone. I CAN find my own way around the place, I am NOT blind or STUPID!!  

Cost is really at the top of my priority list.

I can browse by myself and don't need a guide.

As far as FFO, well when they moved to the pricier part of town for retail then their costs surely went up and they had to push harder to make more to pay more for that location.


Round The House does have some select nice pieces, but can be a bit pricey also.


I go into Snow's but never really buy anything there. The sales people there follow you aggressively also.



[]

[waterboy]

We bought a nice sofa at Penney's Home Store at 71st & 169. We shopped all over town and found they were more than competitive and carried a variety of price points. The sales clerk was attentive but not overpowering. She was a fountain of knowledge about construction, materials and design.

Most people are unaware that department stores lead in sales of home furnishings. Dillards, JC Penney, Sears etc. The employees are usually longer term, more knowledgeable and less pushy than private stores or "warehouse" stores. They receive bonuses but pretty much live off of salary. Special orders are available. The purchasing power of a chain of Dillards or Foley's stores means better selection and quality. Never saw any Ashley in their stuff. We shopped the other stores as well but the entire experience was superior.

[RecycleMichael]

My wife read this thread and now wants to go buy some new furniture.

Oh, the power of TulsaNow...

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by TURobY

I went into Rooms Today a while back, and had a pretty good experience.

Furniture Factory Outlet on-the-other-hand was a nightmare. I had no problem with them when they were located at 51st and Sheridan, but as soon as they moved to 71st and Memorial, they became the pushiest bunch of people I've ever encountered.

My partner and I were looking for a couch a while back, and at every couch we stopped in front of, we were immediately accosted by a salesperson. We would politely let them know that we were just looking and that we would contact them if we found something of interest. The entire time in the store, we spend more energy telling them that we didn't need help than we did looking at furniture. We finally left without purchasing anything because they kept hounding us. It's a shame for them too, since there was actually a couch that we liked, but refused to purchase from them.

That FFO is closing. Has anyone tried the place in their old location. It's called BC BC Furniture which is funny since it stands for "Brown Chicken Brown Cow" which.. well.. like everything on the internet, has to do with porn.

[Steve]

I guess your furniture source largely depends on your taste in furniture.  I am a huge fan of mid-20th-Century modern furniture, to go with my mid-20th-Century modern house, and love buying vintage stuff.  My sources have been:

Mod-50s Modern on 15th street.  Bought most of my bedroom suite, some lamps, pillows, and Herman Miller chairs there.  Don't pay the marked price, haggle and bargain.  I completed my bedroom suite from EBAY.

80% of my living room was furnished from online retailers such as www.highbrowfurniture.com  My living room sofa came from Urban Furnishings on Peoria, a great modern furniture store.

Shop the resale shops, used stores, and check the paper for estate sales.  When looking for good condition vintage stuff, one must be patient and be willing to wait it out for the right item to show up, and it usually will in time at a bargain price.

For more traditional stuff, stores like Mathis are OK, but they are way overpriced IMO.  Even when they advertise a "manufacturer authorized 50% off sale," the mark-ups are still huge and they are still making a handsome profit.  Bargain and haggle at stores like Mathis, just like you were buying a new car.  Never pay full price there or even the marked sales price.  If they want to make the sale and you are reasonable in your offer, you can save a lot of money by patiently dealing.  

[AgentOrange]

IKEA, baby.

[nathanm]

quote:Originally posted by waterboy

We bought a nice sofa at Penney's Home Store at 71st & 169. We shopped all over town and found they were more than competitive and carried a variety of price points. The sales clerk was attentive but not overpowering. She was a fountain of knowledge about construction, materials and design.

Most people are unaware that department stores lead in sales of home furnishings. Dillards, JC Penney, Sears etc. The employees are usually longer term, more knowledgeable and less pushy than private stores or "warehouse" stores. They receive bonuses but pretty much live off of salary. Special orders are available. The purchasing power of a chain of Dillards or Foley's stores means better selection and quality. Never saw any Ashley in their stuff. We shopped the other stores as well but the entire experience was superior.

I got a super-neat coffee table a couple of years ago from Dillard's. Only $300 and made out of real wood with some serious style.

As far as salespeople, I used to be extremely antisocial, so just hated them and would do everything in my power to get them to go away. I've since realized that is not the best way to handle them.

Let them help you. They aren't going to be mad if you end up not buying anything that day, although they will give you their card so they can get the commission if you come back and buy later. 99% of the time, they're quite helpful in leading you to the stuff you really want.

When I was shopping for an entertainment center a while back, the salesman at Mathis Brothers was incredibly helpful. We described to him what features we wanted and he showed us 5 or 10 different models that might fit the bill. It was a lot more efficient than wandering around until we saw something ourselves.

Really, though, the best thing I saw was at i.o. metro. When I noticed there weren't any cutouts for wires, they offered to drill a couple of holes wherever I liked for no extra charge. Nice people over there, and all sorts of interesting and wacky stuff.

We ended up deciding we'd rather save the money for the time being and buy some particle board assemble it yourself stuff, but he didn't seem terribly put out. I'd certainly consider shopping there again.

I do have to say the folks at the JC Penney home store can be very helpful if you ask, but aren't at all overbearing. Sometimes they're a little bit too hard to find, though! They make up for it with their excellent sales prices. My SO wants a dining table they have for our new house.

The other nice thing about them is that my credit card rewards can be redeemed for gift cards there. I've got enough points to get enough cards to pay for half the table. []