After a year of carpooling to visit our sons and see some football at the boys’ college in upstate New York, my new buddy made a confession during the five-hour drive last weekend.
“I ordered a new bedroom set a year ago,” he said. “Macy’s just pushed the delivery date again – to next May. I can’t wait two years so I canceled the order.”
Well, buddy, as the song goes, you’ve got a friend.
FCG is going to help him find the perfect bedroom set and, best of all, he’ll have it by Thanksgiving. On that long drive, I did give him an earful of advice on shopping with us and, what the heck, I’ll pass it along to you:
Last week, a regular consignor dropped off a Theodore Alexander side table at FCG. It sold before she pulled out of the parking lot. The buyer was ecstatic. She’d been on the hunt for months scouring our website and stopping by our stores almost daily.
Lesson #1: Visit one or all three of our stores regularly and monitor as often as possible the new arrivals page on our website furnitureconsignment.com
Lesson #2: Curb your perfectionism. Try not to fuss over a small nick or scratch. As a wise interior designer once observed, “Call it patina and appreciate the fact that this piece of furniture has a history.” A well-chosen piece of furniture with a few imperfections sure beats an empty room.
Lesson #3: Let go of any rigidity about style and design. That’s old school. Interior design has embraced a new aesthetic of mixing pieces artfully and even playfully. A contemporary piece can work well in a traditional home. A little shabby chic might warm up a home that is sharply or coldly contemporary. Focus more on craftsmanship and quality.
Lesson #4: Prices may be higher than you expected in the consignment market. Because of a pandemic-fueled shortage of new goods in the market – think cars, toys, appliances, and, yes, furniture – demand is extraordinarily high for pre-owned items. The good news is, you can still find some great values and, best of all, take them home today.
Lesson #5: Think of consignment as a virtuous recycling play. You may find a piece that isn’t quite the style or color of your dreams, but at least you’ll have furniture for the holidays. When that new furniture you ordered finally arrives – from a galaxy far, far away sometime in the distant future – you may be able to resell your stop-gap furniture at FCG.