Enlightening...if nothing else

Now that we’ve started to build furniture, Kevin and I took a day over the weekend to see what kind of furniture was out there, what prices were and just generally seeing what type of quality was selling.

Man, were we surprised. Much of what we saw had been imported from either Mexico or Asia. Even at the upper end furniture stores, we found thin plywood and even cardboard being used for backings that aren’t normally seen. The worst part, at least for me was that craftsmanship was nowhere to be seen. Ninety percent of what we saw had been put together with brad nails or staples. Sad, really.

The prices for these thrown together pieces truly blew me away. Obviously, I hadn’t been furniture shopping in years. For six hundred and some odd dollars, I could get a ‘name’ brand chest of drawers. Thin plywood drawer sides and bottoms, cardboard back and no real style whatsoever. I was astounded, with luck, these pieces might last a year or two with normal use. Sorry folks, I’m not that big of a sucker.

All in all, our little shopping trip made us realize that what we’re designing and crafting is worth every penny we’re asking. And the cool part is…what we’re asking is less than most of the stuff we saw on our travels.

Do I want a new chest of drawers? Yes, I do. But I’ll design them and get Kevin to build them. That way I’ll know, just as with the furniture we’re selling, the chest will be made of solid wood. And you won’t find a single nail, screw or staple anywhere.