Excerpts from chapters 7-12
7. Leather – Its Rich Beauty Comes from Natural Variations!
8. Personal Style – Of Recliners and Designers, and How to Get the Best from Each
9. The Store Is Not the Enemy – Preparation Is the Key
10. Brands and Stores – Here’s Where to Shop for Furniture, Wherever You Live
11. Advertising – Reading Between the Lines Helps You Become a Smarter Shopper!
12. Learning More About It All! – You Already Know How to Shop!
CHAPTER SEVEN: Leather - Its Rich Beauty Comes from Natural Variations!
Here’s where you can really lose a lot of money by not shopping smart!
If you think buying fabric upholstery is tricky wait till you go shopping for leather upholstery! Leather is at the same time the most exquisite, the longest lasting, and the most traditional of upholstery covers! If you buy right, leather can be a ‘best buy’, even if it costs you more money up front!
You will see leather sofas and chairs advertised from $799 to $3900 or more. You will see terms like “top grain”, “full cut”, “aniline dyed”; in fact, you will be entering a new world of terminology. Remember, there are no “Furniture Police” to protect you and your hard earned money. The only expert you can truly count on is yourself when you are out there shopping for leather or for that matter any furniture. When was the last time you believed the fox when you asked him what happened to the chickens? When you are counting chickens or buying leather upholstery you must be prepared. That is not to say the furniture salesperson is dishonest. I wouldn’t say that. I would say that the uninformed buyer can be his or her own worst enemy! Don’t let this happen to you.
If for no other reason than you are interested in leather upholstery, this chapter alone is easily worth three times the price of the book when it comes to saving money and being a smart leather shopper! I have included in this chapter virtually all of the facts for making a good selection when it comes to leather upholstery. Leather is a natural product. New super soft leathers that can cost you a lot of money will be a nightmare for you if you are the type of homeowner or housekeeper who is bothered by changes in natural products. I will promise you that the supersoft, creamy white–beige, pure aniline–dyed sofa you just bought for perhaps $3000 will look like an old catcher’s mit in two years of soccer meetings, PTA groups, Save the Pit Bull meetings, and Sunday NFL events.
Good leather will rarely wear out; but it will change in appearance from week to week. Many people love the look of natural coverings that change with wear and tear. Ralph Lauren proves that! But you better be clear in your mind with what you can live with when it comes to today’s leathers. In today’s leather world you must be armed with the facts as you will continually be challenged with more kinds, more types, more colors, and more qualities of leather than have ever been used before!
Again, in this single chapter, you will find saving and smart shopping opportunities based upon the solid and reliable facts of what to look for, what to watch out for, and what to expect when it comes to leather!
Here are some of the key terms you will hear when shopping for leather.
Aniline: A transparent dye used to color leather all the way through. It is considered transparent because it doesn�t cover or conceal range marks or any natural graining of the leather.
Pure aniline: Somewhat redundant, it is a term often used to denote an unprotected aniline-dyed leather. It should mean “watch out” if you cannot stand to see an item of furniture change and develop character–that means it is getting marked up.
Semi–aniline: Also called aniline–plus or protected aniline. Top–grain leather aniline–dyed and coated with matching pigment (color) to even out the over–all color and provide some protection.
Antique/distressed: These terms apply any time a leather has been given marks to simulate natural aging and wear. These terms also apply to wood furniture treated to create aged looks.
Corrected grain: Leather buffed to remove undesirable blemishes and embossed (a pattern pressed under pressure into the leather) to simulate an attractive grain (like crocodile) or other decorative texture.
Full grain: Top–grain leather with no corrections or alterations to the natural grain pattern. Not often seen except at the very high end. This term is used in Europe interchangeably with “top grain”.
CHAPTER EIGHT: Personal Style - Of Recliners and Designers, and How to Get the Best from EachThe ugly duckling that became a swan!Recliners are better than ever, don’t let a designer talk you out of them! True, there was a time when they were ugly, but not anymore! In Shopping for Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide, I have addressed the very important question of whether or not (and when) you should use a designer or a decorator. Designers are one thing and decorators are another. This chapter includes valuable information that every furniture shopper should know, such as
* What are the differences?
* Are they important? (The short answer is YES, the long answer is in the book)
* Is the best designer in the world the right one for you? (Maybe yes, maybe no)
* What to look for in a designer.
* What about the store designer or decorator?
The more shopping you do on the Internet the more important it is for you to consider design help. Thank goodness for Martha Stewart, Alexandra Stoddard and Ilse Crawford! These three ladies have contributed so much to making the celebration of the home within the reach of all of us.
It is easy to have a beautiful home if you are making $500,000 a year and can hire all your help. HOWEVER, this book is written for the other 99% of us. Up until now, many of us have mistakenly decided that it is only money that can make a home beautiful. We too often have bought furniture to fill space and when done felt cheated! Well, that does not have to be the case anymore! This particular chapter will show you how to avoid the pitfall of thinking you must be buying with big bucks when in fact you should be buying smart with the power of information and all the “free help” that is available to you!
Don’t be one of those who simply gave up and then wondered why their homes are such drab dungeons of despair! (Sorry I couldn’t resist that!) Even sadder, don’t stay among those uninformed that don’t even think about their homes, and wonder, without knowing why, why they aren’t energized by their home!
We know instinctively that just throwing money at furniture isn’t the answer! You certainly aren’t going to leave the price tag on the furniture to show that although it doesn’t look good in your home, it is at lease expensive! Of course not! This chapter is focused on just that, putting quality furniture in your home, furniture that you know belongs there and fits there (at the right price, of course)! hroughout this chapter and others in the book, I provide you with that knowledge of the ins and outs, the insider information of the furniture world that will make you a better shopper, a better buyer, and will save you money while at the same time increase the look of your home and increase your enjoyment of your home.
Remember, a home is a terrible thing to waste!
Listen to the message in the following quotation from a major interior design book written for working designers: “Many designers frown on the use of reproductions, regarding them as a form of fakery that is dishonest when it truly deceives, foolish when it fails to deceive. Designer and client must judge this issue according to a particular context. For example, reproduction captain’s chairs in a restaurant designed in a particular style may seem easier to accept than a brand new imitation Chippendale breakfront in a living room!”
Give me a break! (Incidentally, it serves no purpose for me to identify the writer of that statement. I have the information, if anyone is interested, but the individual really isn�t important–this is an example of the arrogance of many in the design trade when they come into contact with the great unwashed public.)
CHAPTER NINE: The Store Is Not the Enemy — Preparation Is the KeyBelieve it or not, your attitude toward the store you go to is a very important factor in how successful your furniture shopping experience will be. Be alert, be aware, come armed with the facts you will read about in my book, but remember, the store is a RESOURCE! And should be treated it as such. It’s there to serve your needs.Excerpt from Chapter 9:
We all have to learn how to relax when we walk into a furniture store. The store isn’t the enemy until we make it so and so often our attitudes make our search for best buys and best merchandise almost impossible to achieve. Why? Well I’ll tell you. I have been watching the opening scenario at furniture stores for almost fifty years now. A consumer walks through the front door and is greeted by a receptionist or floor person almost immediately; and if you are not greeted immediately you are either in a poorly run store or one that has very few personnel. What do you do? Well if you are like most people you will say, “No I don’t need any help I am just looking”. So you stroll around the store and look at a few prices sit in a chair or sofa; perhaps go to the bathroom, and then you turn around and leave. Heaven’s but that is not the way to gather information or to gain any real appreciation as to what the store is all about.
CHAPTER TEN: Brands and Stores - Here’s Where to Shop for Furniture, Wherever You LiveOK, so how do they rate?! Let’s name names! In this jumbo–sized chapter I tell you.Shopping for Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide will teach you about the brand names you will be seeing in the stores. Finally… here it is, an unbiased and knowledgeable name calling! I have listed the 100 Top Furniture Stores (by volume) in the United States and shared with you those stores I “wouldn’t want to miss” if I were a shopper. After so many years in the business (in virtually every aspect of the business I might add), I know what to look for when shopping for furniture and home furnishings. My whole purpose in writing this book was twofold: 1. To share with you those insider tips to make your shopping better, and 2. To share with you my love and enthusiasm for the home and shopping for the home.
I make the statement in the book that “few industries are as pro-consumer as the furniture industry”. For all of it’s faults, reliance on discounts, poorly trained salespeople, long shipping cycles, bad advertising, too much reliance on the past, the lack of a real secondary market for used furniture, too expensive credit, poorly trained service people, all this and more: the furniture industry, manufacturers, and retail outlets are still the most eager and most pro’consumer of all of our consumer industries! They want to help you; they just haven’t figured out how to do that yet! At least they’re not as bad as having to resolve a problem with a car!
Throughout Shopping for Furniture: A Consumer’s Guide, but particularly in this chapter, you learn that (and how) you must be the most important factor in shopping for furniture; further, it offers the specifics for you to keep in mind that you, only you, will have to be the expert. Waiting for the stores and manufacturers to really get their act together will only result in your spending more money than you should and grow old waiting for change. Now is the time to acquire the power of knowledge in shopping and making those valuable money saving decisions on your furniture!
Ethan Allen Furniture Company: One of the great success stories in the furniture world. Its product assortment and store presentations have set the standard for all other producers to follow. You will never be unhappy with an Ethan Allen purchase. Generally priced at the lower end of the Drexel and Thomasville lines.
Ferguson Copeland: A newer company that is offering a tremendous amount of style and pizzaz for the money. Check them out.
Flexsteel Furniture Company: One of the country�s largest producers of upholstery product. Good, solid, reliable upholstery, well-priced and well-styled.
Hancock & Moore: Excellent leather furniture. Generally considered to be the top of the line for leather upholstery.
Hekman Furniture Co.: Upper-end company manufacturing mostly occasional furniture. They have an excellent desk program. Good quality. Priced near Drexel and Thomasville.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Advertising - Reading Between the Lines Helps You Become a Smarter Shopper!It’s a fact, the furniture industry, both manufacturers and retailers, are the worst advertisers in the United States! You could ask a hermit what the best watch in the world is and he could tell you it’s probably Rolex and it probably costs $8,000 dollars. You could ask that same hermit what a Mercedes costs and he could probably tell you about $60,000 depending on the model. But if you ask most people what Drexel is, most will say a drug store. Ask most people what Baker is and I’ll bet no one says anything about furniture.Furniture advertising on the national level is little more than pretty pictures. Furniture advertising on the local level is seldom more than a discount: 20% off, 40% off, 60% off. No payments, no interest, no, no, no. When was the last ad you saw that taught you anything about the product? When was the last ad you saw that gave you any real information? To make matters worse, all the manufacturers and all the retail outlets use the same words regardless of their quality or price level: best, tomorrow’s heirloom, without equal, since 1938 or 1948, exclusive, beautiful, comfortable, lifetime, new, fresh, and so on.
In this extremely value–conscientious chapter, I’ve used real and specific ads to show you what to watch out for. I then took these same ads to expose for you how tricky words can be. This is not to accuse anyone of attempting to “cheat” you; but more to show you that everyone is selling dramatically different qualities of product but using the same words to describe each. Wow, if you don’t know what to look for, how are you going to buy right? Without the insider facts of what is going on behind the scenes in advertising, how will you fare?
You simply must know the facts. You must know how the game is being played. You must be educated! You must know because very few of the other players in the game are well prepared. In this book, and especially in this chapter, you will learn the facts, the knowledge necessary to be in control! And how being in control will save you money and make your home better than ever.
I am reading my local newspaper, “The Sacramento Bee”. Let’s see: here is the first ad on page 2: “Endless Summer” is the headline and then we see “Patio Furniture Clearance: Buy Now and Choose: Extra 10% Off or 1 Year Free Financing* No Down, No Payments, No Interest. Up to 50% off: Hurry! Many Quantities are Limited. 5pc Dining Sets: 48″ round umbrella table w/4 dining chairs”. The ad then goes on and lists 9 pictures of 5 piece patio dining sets from different manufacturers showing discounts of 25%, 30% or 50%. This was an ad from “California Backyard” which has four locations and is my favorite outdoor patio items store in the region. But what have we been told by this ad? Nothing except you had better hurry to buy and the discounts are up to 50% off. We learned nothing about patio furniture except that this dealer is running a sale. What would have been nice to learn is whether or not the items shown were plastic, or wood, or metal. Did the umbrella table have a plastic top or tempered glass? Are the finishes on the items warranted for any length of time? In short we learned little of value beyond the price that is advertised.
CHAPTER TWELVE: Learning More About It All! - You Already Know How to Shop!“Learning more” is just what it means: this book will provide you an ongoing resource of up–to–date power shopping for furniture opportunities. I want you to consider LenLewin.com as an ongoing resource for you to increase your knowledge and awareness of what is going on in the furniture world.When you elect to buy my book, I hope it is because either you want to become a better shopper for furniture yourself, or as a gift for someone special that you feel will have the need in the coming years to get the very most from their furniture dollars. If you do, this book will end up saving you money, time, and stress; and as importantly, I hope that the book can help you to understand more about the fascinating world of furniture and to how to enjoy the furniture–shopping experience all the more.
My overall goal in offering you this book is to provide you with a resource of extensive information so as to help you in your endeavors to improve your home through the comfort, pride and usefulness of quality furniture. I feel that your home should be a place that revitalizes you, energizes you, excites you, rewards you, comforts you. It should be a safe harbor for you to renew yourself in, and it should send you out each morning refreshed and ready for the mad world we live in. It can and will be all of this for you if you know how to make it happen for you.
After you’ve had the opportunity of reading this book, I offer you my personal assistance! If you contact me by clicking on the “Get Free Advice” logos found in the upper-left hand menu, I guarantee a personal replay to your questions, comments, and experiences. Consider me your furniture coach. My goal is to help you succeed.
Some wag in the industry years ago said, “Only the rich can afford to buy cheap furniture.” I agree with the sentiment. I hope you now understand what I mean when I say that the discovery of wonderful furniture items, new, old, modest, or expensive, is a journey of discovery–of yourself and of those objects that reflect your personality. Don’t be trapped by the expectations of others or the latest buzz words and hip solutions. We are talking about your home and, with permission, “A home is a terrible thing to waste.”
