Haggling as an Art Form?

The New York Times has a great article today about how to haggle when you go furniture shopping:

Read on:

"But these days, the thinking goes that it’s a buyer’s market for anyone looking to buy anything. And, as it happens, I’m currently in the market for everything, having just moved into a new apartment where the sum total of my décor is two card tables and an old leather recliner. I may not be a regular customer of the design boutiques of SoHo and TriBeCa, but if there is ever going to be a time for me to furnish my home in high style, this would seem to be it."

Read the complete article

We can't help but put in our two cents on this subject.

Now, we know the economy is tough. It's painful to watch. Too much so actually. The worst part of it is, we know it will get even worse in the next 12 months. But we hope that the consumers will see the OTHER side. As a consumer, you have the option of to spend or not to spend. As a furniture store owner though, you are much less flexible. There's rent, employees, utilities, overhead, advertising--fixed cost that come out of our pockets every month.

As we talk to our colleagues in the business, we find most of them are suffering, big time! Especially the small ones. Many have taken out home equity and/or maxed their credit cards out just to keep the business open. Most do not pay themselves a salary. Many of them are barely scraping by.

So when you do shop for furniture and decide to haggle, think about this a little. Stores have to make a profit to survive, and even though the common perception is retailers mark up like crazy, the truth is that after all the overhead, most of them are lucky if they can end up with a profit at the end of the month.

Here is another NY Times article on the home furnishing melt down.

Yes, do haggle if you can, NICELY. Keep in mind, though, stores need to make money to survive. And they are suffering just as much, if not more, than you are.

Otherwise, there won't be any place for us to shop!

Anne Selke for Vanguard Furniture

Do you love colors? We do. In fact, we are totally obsessed with it. To us, there is nothing else that can elevate your mood so quickly, so completely.

We saw the new furniture collection from Anne Selke for Vanguard Furniture and we just love it. Anne Selke is the creative force behind Pine Cone Hill, a very pretty bedding line. Her furniture reflects her aesthetic perfectly. It's pretty, colorful and liveable.

Here are some samples of the furniture. You can see the complete collection at the Vanguard web site.

Rants and Raves-BoBo Intriguing Objects

Have you ever been in love at first sight? We have. With an object, that is.

We first saw BoBo Intriguing Objects at the Atlanta Mart last year and we've been meaning to write about it. BoBo stands for Bourgois and Bohemian, and we have to say, that just describes the products PERFECTLY.

We love this line because it takes reclaimed wood and makes them into amazingly beautiful things-- kinda rustic and organic--but in a very refined and sophisticated way.

Here are some samples of their products. They look WAY better in person, we must tell you. You can check out the rest of the products on BOBO web site. They are a little bit pricey, but that's because the quality of the workmanship is so high.

At the moment we do not carry BoBo products yet, but if you are interested in anything in particular, drop us a line.

Lee Jofa Fabrics-Thread Collection

We drove down to Lee Jofa at the Pacific Design Center the other day to see what's new. We're glad we did because Lee Jofa just introduced a wonderful collection called "Threads".

Thread is a very decadent, very luxurious collection (and yes, they are REALLY pricey), but if you are in a mood for something very upscale, take a look at this line. The colors are muted and subdued; the texture is absolutely sublime, and the look is incredible.

Here are some samples of it. Now, the images alone do not do this line any justice. They look way better in person. You can see the entire collection here. For pricing information or to order samples, please visit our fabric site.

Home Accessories from Lazy Susan

As a home accessories vendor, we are constantly looking out for new vendors with interesting stuff we can buy. Recently, we came across a really cute home accessories line called Lazy Susan.

Now, home accessories are our absolute favorite thing to buy. Truly, there is no better way to instantly add pizzazz to your home.

Here are some samplings of their products. Lazy Susan does not sell directly to the public. We'll be posting their products up on our home accessories site shortly. In the mean time, you can view the entire product line at Lazy Susan web site.