Furniture in NC - anyone ever make a road trip?

[mom2brina]

We are looking for a few different pieces of furniture, and I haven't found exactly what I want at local furniture stores. It seems like the selection has really dwindled as furniture stores have closed and gone out of business.

We are considering going to NC. Before we make the trip, I want to know if there is a good selection of mid-quality casegoods (not upholstered) furniture and if it is worth it price wise?

 

[DVCmom1960]

Yep prices were good but I think they charge tax on out of state purchases now Good Luck!!!!

 

[pklein09]

We went to Furniture Land South about 8 years ago when my sister graduated from Elon. It's located outside High Point and Greensboro. Their website is www.furniturelandsouth.com. Have fun!

 

[torinsmom]

Yep prices were good but I think they charge tax on out of state purchases now Good Luck!!!!

Did they use to NOT charge tax to out of staters? There has been a state tax on purchases as long as I have been alive, at least for NC residents. How did they get past that?

Marsha

 

[pklein09]

Did they use to NOT charge tax to out of staters? There has been a state tax on purchases as long as I have been alive, at least for NC residents. How did they get past that?

Marsha

Something changed because the State of NJ contacted us about a year after we bought our sofa and said we owed sales tax, and I had to pay up. I think NC agreed to release where and to whom their furniture shipped their merchandise.

 

[tar heel]

Not only did they used to not charge state tax when the item was shipped out of state, but they also used to not charge the county/local tax when you bought furniture in another county within the state. For example, and this is hypothetical, if the statewide sales tax is 4% and the local/county tax is 3%, you just got charged 4%.

I personally cannot imagine taking a trip several states away to buy furniture unless I knew exactly what I was looking for. I mean exactly -- brand, item number, etc. I'm in North Carolina, but I've always shopped by going to stores until I found exactly what I wanted, then getting on the phone and asking places to price it for me. When you do that you will find a very wide range of prices, and everyone is happy to ship it. With the internet, you can usually go the manufacturers website to help with your research. Back in the dark ages when we bought high-end bedroom furniture, I called the manufacturer and got a list of stores that carried it. The price range I got from those stores varied by more than $3,000!

One caution -- EVERYONE discounts furniture b/c the mark-up is 200%.

Furnitureland South is pretty splashy (I've found the best prices at places with less overhead), but it might be a good place to look and you can certainly get them to send you their very big catalog.

Good luck. Just b/c I couldn't buy furniture this way (I look for months) doesn't mean you can't.

 

[krcit]

About 9 years ago I was looking for bedroom sets for my 2 dds. I went to a bunch of local furniture stores and found what I liked. I then called a place in NC and the prices they quoted me were over 50% off the local places. I think it cost $200 to have it delivered from NC to LI, NY. The place I used is now out of business but I bet you could find someplace else. Good luck

 

[luvmy3]

I'm in NY and I have purchased furniture from NC and have had it shipped for less than what the local dealers here had it for. Even if the store is located in NC, it doesn't mean they actually ship from there, I have had things ship from PA but they were ordered from a dealer down south.
I would call a bunch down there, give them the model and manufacturer and see what their prices are with shipping, you might not need to make a trip.

 

[surfgirl]

I've done this in the past and had good luck, but I'm also furniture shopping and am NOT doing it this time....

1) many of the stores have gone out of business. some horrible complaints.

2) when they deliver you pay by cashier's check. I got one large check. So if there was a problem (and there was), I couldn't withhold part of the check.

3) if there is a problem, customer service takes *forever*. It was months before I had the problems solved. All the delivery company does is deliver... so if there is a problem, you are dealing with people over the phone.

4) prices in the industry have come down overall making it a less attractive proposition than it used to be.

What specifically are you looking for ? I've done lots of comparison shopping recently and can share some thoughts... send me a PM.

 

[mom2brina]

Not only did they used to not charge state tax when the item was shipped out of state, but they also used to not charge the county/local tax when you bought furniture in another county within the state. For example, and this is hypothetical, if the statewide sales tax is 4% and the local/county tax is 3%, you just got charged 4%.

I personally cannot imagine taking a trip several states away to buy furniture unless I knew exactly what I was looking for. I mean exactly -- brand, item number, etc. I'm in North Carolina, but I've always shopped by going to stores until I found exactly what I wanted, then getting on the phone and asking places to price it for me. When you do that you will find a very wide range of prices, and everyone is happy to ship it. With the internet, you can usually go the manufacturers website to help with your research. Back in the dark ages when we bought high-end bedroom furniture, I called the manufacturer and got a list of stores that carried it. The price range I got from those stores varied by more than $3,000!

One caution -- EVERYONE discounts furniture b/c the mark-up is 200%.

Furnitureland South is pretty splashy (I've found the best prices at places with less overhead), but it might be a good place to look and you can certainly get them to send you their very big catalog.

Good luck. Just b/c I couldn't buy furniture this way (I look for months) doesn't mean you can't.

You are lucky to live in NC - the capital of the furniture world!!

I, unfortunately, do not. I live in and area that in the past 2-3 years we have seen many furniture stores close. A few new ones - discount only - have opened; however I have not been able to find exactly what I am looking for. This led me to search online and I have been able to find quite a few things I am interested in. I will call a bunch of NC dealers to see where I can get the best price & shipping, but because I like more than one collection, I would like to be able to see it before making a decision. But, a trip down there might eat up my savings!

Actually, the markup on furniture is more than 200%!! I used to be in the biz. Much of that markup is due to shipping costs from the manufacturer to the showroom warehouse, storage, repairs, and office people who spend all day on the phone calling the manufacturers regarding damaged merchandise or delivery problems, etc... It is really surprising how often furniture comes in damaged or incorrect in some way (wrong finish, fabric, style).

There is definitely a trade off and/or risk when you order it cheaper from someone else, rather than going to a local store. Of course, in my case, I can't even go to the local store!!!

If anyone has any specific recommendations of stores or dealers to call in NC, that would be awesome!

 

[janey99]

I will put in another plug for FurniturelandSouth - we went about three years ago and furnished 5 rooms (we live in NJ).

Flights and motels were reasonable.

DH and I spent 2.5 days - first day walking through finding as many items on the floor as we could (we had researched a lot on the internet and had been working with one of their sales reps who basically prepared a map for us on our arrival - she had marked out where all our items were!). Second day in their design center/fabric room. Last half day actually confirming the order and doing one last walkaround to see if anything caught our eye.

We were very pleased with the whole experience.

We ordered around 40 items, and I think 2 came damaged - one couch cushion had a smudge on it, and one table had a corner crushed in transit. They took them back and replaced them without question. PP is correct when they said you have to have a large cashiers check ready, but this was not a problem - I gave the whole check and we wrote a rider on the invoice regarding the damage/outstanding pieces, and I was perfectly fine with it. FLS has a great reputation.

Feel free to pm me if you have more specific questions.

Have fun!

Jane

 

[IloveDisney77]

For full disclosure, we live in Cary NC which is about a hour from High Point, the home of Furniture Land South and ALLLLLLL of the other furniture stores that both surround it and the one's located in downtown.

We have purchased most of our large ticket items from varying stores in High Point. My wife was/is obsessed with finding just the perfect pieces and spent a great deal of time looking in local stores as well as well as countless trips out there. The selection that is available in High Point doesn't even begin to compare with anything at your local stores. In fact, the furniture we purchased from stores in High Point was actually a great deal cheaper than what we found at our local stores.

Many (a lot less than there used to be) of the furniture manufacturers have their own stores (ie, Klaussner, we bought our King Bedroom set from them when they closed their smaller store (the floor model), 8 pieces with retail price of over 10,000 grand and we got it all for around 1300) there as well so you are not paying for the additional mark-up at say a Haverty's or the like.

If you go to Furniture Land South be prepared for two things....

ONE- It is HUGE...One building has 5 floors and the other has 3. Each floor is the size of a very large department store. They also have a close-out center behind the main building which has a ton of discounted items. We have never found anything there but there are always suvs/trucks backed up putting stuff in.

TWO- The prices on the tags can scare the s##t out of ya. They show the full retail price and are NOT what you will be paying. Almost every item (depends on the manufacturer) is immediately discounted a minimum of 35 to 40 percent. Some items/manufactures up to 40 something percent. Now if you buy more pieces, Furniture Land will kick in their own discount up to 10 percent....so if you buy a few pieces, it isn't unreasonable to get a discount on most pieces of up to 50% off the tag prices.

One last thing, another area to visit if ya'll, I had to throw that in there for you, is Hickory. They have the Hickory Furniture Market which is a massive building with over 100 "stores" with 1000 major furniture manufactures selling close-out pieces really cheap. www.hickoryfurniture.com. Something like half a million people visit it every year...they must be doing something right...It is over 3.5 hours from us and with High Point so close we have never made it over there but we have neighbors who swear by that place. Whenever we head out to the Mountains we drive right past it but heading West we want to get where it is cooler in the Mts and heading East, we want to get back home so we never end up stopping.

Ok...my missive is done...I can head to bed

 

[bunkkinsmom]

HEY!!

I am in Greensboro, like a stones throw from High Point. My inlaws could hit FurnitureLand with a rock from their house.

Here is the REAL DEAL:

You need to call the city of High Point and get the dates for the next Furniture Market. We have 2 markets each year, one spring one fall. Plan yourself a trip to High Point the last 2 days of Market, and go "window" shopping. You will probably not be able to get into Market Square or some of the big venues without a pass, but all of High Point will have merchants. For that matter, find out when you call what you have to do to be considered a "buyer".

(Sorry I don't know the answers to the above, but I have always worked Market and never had to have a pass)

THEN... once you've done your "window" shopping, stick around for a couple of days and offer to "help" the merchants clean up their showrooms. Lots of these merchants spend more to ship the furniture back overseas than they paid to have it made, and will sell the showroom pieces at AMAZING prices. I have a $750 painting in my dining room that was given to me, a lime green shag rug made by the same people who did the sets for Austin Powers also given to me, and a $600 handblown glass water ewer....also no charge. Being in the right place at the right time is key, and the right place is High Point at the end of Furniture Market!!

Lemme know if you have more ?s! I worked Market as a bartender for several years.