May21

A Tale of Two Furniture Shopping Experiences

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Recently I went shopping for a bed and nightstands. Although I shopped at four furniture stores, I had two types of furniture shopping experiences. I shopped at three national franchise stores and one Amish furniture store. In A Tale of Two Furniture Shopping Experiences, I’ll tell you how my shopping experiences were similar – and different.

Franchise Stores: Eye-Appeal and Price

As soon as I walked into the three chain furniture stores, I was greeted by friendly sales associates. They each told me their name, and they pointed me in the direction of the beds and nightstands. Also, they told me to seek them out if I had questions.

The conversation I had with a sales associate in one of the franchise furniture stores typifies the focus on eye-appeal and price. When I told the sales associate that I liked a queen bed, she proceeded to elaborate on the bed’s great finish and an attractive price. And, yes, I found the raised panels topped with decorative slats and a crown molding rather beautiful. Plus, I thought the cherry finish was appealing.

Then, the sales associate told me that the bed and matching nightstands were on sale. Good to know! So I asked here where the pieces were built.

“Someplace overseas,” she responded.

“What type of wood are they built with?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “I believe they’re a mango wood veneer.”

I looked at the back of the bed’s headboard and noticed that the gleaming veneered surface was attached to particleboard. Then I opened the drawer of the nightstand. The beautifully finished raised panel front was also particleboard.

Amish Furniture: Quality Throughout

Then I visited Weaver Furniture Sales in Shipshewana, Indiana. Like with the other stores, I was greeted by a polite sales associate who directed me to the beds and nightstands. I was struck by the luster of the genuine hardwood on all the pieces I saw. And when I opened the drawers, I noticed dovetail joints and genuine hardwood. I gently pushed the drawer, and it closed on its own.

Weaver Furniture Shopping Experiences, a local Shipshewana Amish furniture retailer

Weaver Furniture Sales is located in the Shipshewana, Indiana, Amish country.

“That’s the undermount drawer slide,” the sales associate told me.

When I exclaimed how beautiful and “solidly constructed” the pieces were, the sales associate proceeded to tell me about their construction. I learned that Amish craftsmen handcrafted each piece. Also, the Amish men use solid hardwoods like oak, cherry, and maple.

The salesperson added that the Amish avoid using bargain substitutes like particleboard and veneers. And for all these reasons, the bed and nightstands I was looking at should, with proper care, become heirloom items.