Len Lewin

Dear Len,
My husband and I were fortunate enough to find and purchase your book last year. It helped us tremendously when we were ready to look for a new couch and chair. In January we received our beautiful new Henredon furniture from Boyles in NC. All of our living and dining room wood furnishings are Stickley, and we were happy to see our highly you think of their craftsmanship.

Here’s my question: We are now looking for teak patio furniture. We’re having a difficult time finding out which manufacturers produce a sturdy, high quality line. Three that we are considering are Gloster, Barlow Tyrie, and Smith & Hawken. Can you please help us?

Thank you for providing such an outstanding guide to nailing down quality furnishings. Your book was very interesting and immensely helpful!!

- Dawn

Dear Dawn,

What a nice note. Thank you so much for your kind comments. You have made my day. A house full of Henredon and Stickley is hard to beat. Any of the lines you are considering for your teak furniture would be find; but if I had to choose, I believe I would go with the Smith & Hawken. They have had an excellent reputation for a lot of years now. Would love to see some pictures of your home if any are available. Did you use an interior designer or did you put everything together yourself? Thank you Dawn.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

Len, What is MDF and why is it used? What should I know about it when buying a piece thats has it and how do I tell it’s being used?

- Thanks, Tom

Hi Tom,

MDF means “Medium Density Fiberboard”. It is used in the furniture industry in a number of applications but the only applications that you want to see on a piece of furniture that you would buy is: MDF used as dust bottoming ( a panel that fits under the drawers in a case piece that is intended as a barrier for dust, a back panel for a case piece (wooden panels are best but MDF is not a total turn-off), and possibly as a core material. If used as a core you would not see it or be aware of it at all. HDF (High Density Fiberboard) is more often used for cores and is better but not dramatically better).

Now if you see MDF used in any other application it is a cheap, you don’t want to buy it piece. You know it is being used because by law a manufacturer has to tell you what items go into the production of a piece but they don’t have to tell you exactly where it is used. A good sales person should be able to tell you where on the piece you will find it. The places where I said it is ok are very visible with the exception of the core material. Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact me at any time.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

Do you recommend a leather sofa with connected (or attached cushions)? I realize the cushions cannot be rotated, etc. Is this a big problem? - Carol

Hi Carol,

It is not a big problem. The cushions on any good leather sofa are only half leather on the bottom of the cushion. You can’t put leather to leather facing without creating a kind of ski-slope so you can’t reverse the cushions but you can rotate them right to left and this does even out and extend the wear. The back pillows are often leather front and back but being situated differently than the cushions are easier to rotate but even them are often “winged” right and left and thus can only be flipped right to left.

So where does all this leave us! Often the most classic leather looks have been tufted seats and tufted backs. More importantly than the tight seat/tight back style is the quality of the leather and if you are buying good leather then your wear with tight seats will be more than adequate. I would bet that the average person buying good leather gets tired of the look long before the sofa wears out. Now if you are buying the “new” looks out of China or Italy at entry level prices ($899 sofas) then you can’t expect the 20 to 30 year wear you will get out of the $2,000 plus sofas from Hancock & Moore or Roche B.. I think leather is so good to live with (even the inexpensive leathers) that I would say go for it. If you get 5 to 7 years out of a nicely styled sofa at $899/$1,299 then you have done OK.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd Edition

Len, I am interested in a curio/etagere that has bonded leather on the front of metal/steel frame (two strips, 71 inches ea.) Is there a downside to this?

- Gwen

Hi Gwen,

Sounds interesting. I don’t see any problem with the technique as long as it is done properly. I would expect that the key element is the proper bonding agent so that the leather is firmed fixed to the metal. Keep me posted. Who is the manufacturer and how much are they asking? Just curious. Accessory items/decorative items are very hard to shop in a competitive sense since they are often so unique.

Len Lewin; “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

Thank you for your advice & speedy reply. I learned of your site while reseaching leathers. I believe the manufacturer of this curio is Comfort Design & the dealer is Z Futons and Furniture. They are charging $622.49 plus shipping.

It is interesting that you mention how competitive accessories are. I compared a coffee and end table with same specs. One from the above dealer & the other with Feldman furniture and there is a difference of $295.00. Both have a 30-day return policy with shipping responsibility of buyer.

Thanks again.

Hi Gwen,

Thank you for the feedback. It is always good to hear about stores, product, and trends in different parts of the country. “Accessories” is the category of merchandise where most dealers take the highest mark-ups since most of the product is “invisible” from a brand recognition standpoint and thus difficult for any consumer to price compare. Perhaps most importantly the assessory buy is incidental and works “perfectly” with the major furniture items that were just purchased so the consumer is not working hard on price but rather is looking for just the right touch. After saying all that the “right” accessories can make the room and are definitely a “fun” buy. Icing is always more fun than the cake. Hope 06 will be a wonderful year for you and your family.

Len Lewin

I noticed some comments on Councill Craftsman. Would a mahogany pedestal dining table with three leaves from the late 1980’s in truly excellent condition be worth considering? A neighbor wants $1750.

- Dan

Dan,

A Councill Craftsman mahogany pedestal table in excellent condition for $1,750! Buy it before they come to their senses.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

Dear Len, can you tell me about the After Market sales in North Carolina? Is that the best time to go to find bargains? Do Boyles, FLS and Rose all participate in these sales, or are there other places that you recommend?

Thanks so much, Diane

Hi Diane,

After Market Sales are not what they use to be. The very fact that almost all popular, branded merchandise is discounted routinely from 40% to 50% by the big NC Discounters: F.South, Boyles, and Rose makes what use to be very special events somewhat common-place today.

Your best bet for super savings is to find something you like in one of the “Special One-of-A Kind” warehouses that Rose and Boyles have and I think F.South also. These are the locations where they clear merchandise that comes back to them or is discontinued, etc. and they move the product off their main showroom floors. You will find hundreds of locations in the High Point Area that does business out of these kind of outlets. To really take advantage of them you have to know your product and have a firm idea of what kind of product you want to buy. I would suggest that you call Rose or Boyles and connect with one of their designers and tell them you are going to be in town on X date and you are looking for whatever it is you need. Tell them the price you want to pay and see what they come up with.

Or if this doesn’t work for you tell me when you want to be in HP and I’ll see if I can arrange for an independent designer to meet with you and show you around. The key to the Outlets is to be very familiar with what you like and then see if you can find it there. Keep in mind that the more flexible you are with your plans the more money you can save and still end-up with terrific merchandise.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition

Len, I inherited a bedroom set with a label Hibriten Furniture, Levittown, PA on the back. Can you date this or provide any information?

- Kathy

Kathy,

Hibriten Furniture produced very nice furniture throughout the 20’s, 30’s,40’s and 50’s. Sometime during the 60’s Bernhardt Furniture Company purchased them and phased out the brand name. Hibriten was based in North Carolina. I expect the Levittown, PA marking was the address of the local distributor. The only possible source of complete information on the product would be Bernhardt. Sorry I can’t be of more help.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd.
Edition

Len, I wanted to know if buying direct from furniture showroom/stores in the Highpoint N.C. area are the best quality and price since a lot of furnitue is manufactured there. In 1981 I purchased furniture from there at a substantial discount from the stores in my home state (PA.) I still have it today and it is in excellent conditon and still beautiful. Also my furniture is made from real wormy chestnut and cherry wood. Most of what I see now is advertised as “hard wood solids and veneer” and the wood is colored or listed as cheery, oak, etc.

Thank you for your input, Charles

Hi Chuck,

The biggest difference between High Point for furniture in 1981 and today is the fact that the price differentials between your local PA stores and High Point are not as great. In today’s world stores from Maine to California have to discount everyday to stay in the game. In 1981 local stores still worked very hard to sell their merchandise with very little discounting excepting major sales in Jan/Feb and July/Aug. I would expect the local discounts to be at least 35% off of any MSRSPL while in NC the general discount will be at least 40% off. Depending on your state you also will not pay any sales tax when you shop in NC.

Officially I believe you are expected to tell your state what you have bought and pay the tax but that is between you and the local revenue boys. The biggest plus in shopping NC today is the overwhelming abundance of furniture to choose from. No where else in the world has the amount of furniture on display as is there in the High Point region and the Hickory region. The biggest and best of the showrooms today are FurnitureLand South, Boyles, and Rose Brothers Furniture all with High Point Showrooms. These are the guys I like and trust. There are another 15 that are good and then another 200 that are probably ok. Don’t miss going into the Showroom’s “Warehouse Showrooms” where they get rid of their old, one of a kind, slightly damaged, etc. product.

If you are flexible you can pick up wonderful goods at discounts up to 70% and 80% off. The general discount for nationally prominent branded goods will be about 50% off with you paying any freight charges to your house. Whenever possible use your credit card instead of checks and cash.Good luck and give yourself plenty of time for shopping. You can spend a week in High Point and never see it all.

Len Lewin; Author, “Shopping For Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide”, 2nd. Edition