Port Madison Home offers home furnishings mostly in the middle to upper middle range of quality and price. When you pay more, you can expect more. When you pay less, you can adjust your expectations accordingly. Seems like a mature viewpoint. Most of us have learned by now that if you expect to have your cake and eat it too, you're headed for disappointment and resentment.
But there are those that blatantly tell us, "don't pay more -- just get more!" Doubtless you see the same full-page ads we see in the newspapers for $398 leather recliners and $598 leather sectional sofas. More furniture for less! Why wouldn't everyone buy one? And why doesn't Port Madison Home offer them?
And how about those ubiquitous imported shiny espresso "leather" chairs, sofas and benches sold at A____, P_____ B___ and elsewhere for what seem like bargain prices?
It's a truism that nearly all furniture looks good when it's new (if you like shiny brown reconstituted leather or those giant folds that typify so many recliners and put us in mind of Jabba the Hut). And in times like these, a sweet price can be compelling.
But does it bother you that those cheap leathers from China come from some environmentally nasty processing plants or that the shiny espresso finish betrays multiple layers of petroleum-based coatings that turn that cheap leather into something barely resembling leather?
Likewise, many of those heavy rustic tables and cabinets are made of solid wood that's not kiln dried, so downline you can expect them to twist and split, sometimes in a sudden and almost violent way.
Now, the fact that furniture is made in China, Vietnam, Thailand or Central or South America doesn't necessarily mean its quality is inferior. In fact, many American and European companies are manufacturing off shore at a high level of quality of design and materials and are using responsible finishes. They're doing this because labor costs there are much lower than here and because the quality many of us demand just can't be achieved here at prices we're prepared to pay.
Furniture crafted by Americans in America of sustainable American materials will cost more than that made in Asia or Central or South America. If those values are important to you, plan to pay the price and spare the space in the landfill.
Please let us know what you think.
Well put. You get what you pay for is alive and well in furniture world. We speak often of "pre-cycling". Buy it once and keep it for 20 years vs. buying it 4 or 5 times. I find that people are more willing to pay more and recognize quality product if they have purchased the $300 leather chair and are now replacing it. We may not get them on the first purchase but during the second or third round of purchasing.
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