Shopping for Furniture on the Internet

I used this book and the 1999 version of "Shopping for Furniture" by the same author when I moved in 2004. I had absoultely no knowledge about furniture, live in NYC where prices are high and had limited financial resources. This was the first time in my life that I was going to buy a large quantity of furniture at one time. I had heard about the North Carolina furniture outlets, but with a small child I did not have the ability to go there. Having faith in the merchandising power of the internet, I bought this book and "Shopping for Furniture" and proceeded to search. Through e-mails, and armed with the knowledge and terminology set forth in Mr. Lewin's books, I was able to find out a lot in regard to the quality and pricing for many pieces. I had been told by one manufacturer that I was "very educated" regarding the construction of furniture. Through the use of both books I learned what to look for in a quality piece and how to go about finding the furniture I wanted for the best prices. Although I did not use the any of the merchants listed in these books, I did use the information in them as a springboard for finding other merchants. I did look for furniture makers that Mr. Lewin recommended, searching their lines on the internet, finding out where they sold in my area, and going to these stores to check them out in person. Thanks to Mr. Lewin, I was able to rule out a lot of pieces that looked good but actually were quite poor in quality. For example, each time I opened a drawer on a piece and I noticed that it did not contain dove-tailed joints, I immediately closed the drawer and walked away, knowing that it was an inferior piece of furniture and that it would not last. For my bedroom furniture I decided I wanted Louis Phillipe furniture manufactured by Pennsylvania House (which no longer makes furniture in the USA), a company on the same level as Ethan Allen which waas not really affordable for me). Through the internet I found a merchant whose prices were excellent. Since the merchant was not listed in Mr. Lewin's book, I e-mailed him and he immediately responded that the furniture was good quality, the price was excellent and the seller was reputable. I was able to furnish my bedroom for approx. $5,500 when using local merchants would have cost me well over $10,000 for the same furniture. My dining room and entertainment unit I got for $2800 fully delivered when locally I would have had to pay $3500 for the same pieces (on sale for Memorial Day)plus local tax (which is high here in NY) and delivery. I figure that buying locally would have cost over $4200 for the same pieces. Thanks to these books I was able to get alot of "bang for my buck" insofar as furnishing my house was concerned. Not only did I get info from the books but I also was able to receive advice and info from Mr. Lewin who was happy to hear from me and most gracious with his quick responses. One of my colleagues is in the p