1 Attachment(s)
Has Middle Ground Brands Stepped Up Any?
I think it goes without being said that most here understand the value of H&M and B-Y, but nevertheless has any of the middle tier brands evened the playing field for cost vs quality? It seemed like a few years ago before covid that hooker and others like it weren’t worth picking up vs going usa. Has hooker improved any in terms of parts availability?
Convenience wise it would be nice to go to one place and stick to hooker for all my sofa/love seat/recliner, kitchen table, chairs, bedroom suite, etc needs even though I am accepting the fact that its all imports. We are still in an apartment plus a 3 year old, newborn, and dog so I dont know how comfortable I am with going full B-Y or H&M until we got into a house again. Trust me, I am a stickler for staying on top of them and the value of buying top quality to last for generations but lets be honest, after awhile I get tired of constantly stressing about it and I know the wife gets tired of me constantly harping about things staying nice. Husband coming home from work to the stay at home mom that dealt with the kid/newborn/dog all day and me start making sure the H&M sofa aint hitting the wall or needing to be cleaned just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
With that being said, if its going to cost me 5-6k just to get into a hooker living room setup and for a little more you can get into B-Y, then seems like at that point whats another grand. Of course, you got to draw the line somewhere and the mindset of its only another grand adds up quick.
For context we are specifically looking at reclining sofa/loveseat/recliner package in “hopefully” some type of aniline leather thats not painted which may automatically put us into at least the B-Y camp. Not opposed to a sleeper sofa, reclining love seat, recliner setup.
My local dealer carries H&M, B-Y, Hooker, Bernherdt, Motioncraft, etc. List attached.
Attachment 15998
Re: Has Middle Ground Brands Stepped Up Any?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
ZWilson07
I think it goes without being said that most here understand the value of H&M and B-Y, but nevertheless has any of the middle tier brands evened the playing field for cost vs quality? It seemed like a few years ago before covid that hooker and others like it weren’t worth picking up vs going usa. Has hooker improved any in terms of parts availability?
Convenience wise it would be nice to go to one place and stick to hooker for all my sofa/love seat/recliner, kitchen table, chairs, bedroom suite, etc needs even though I am accepting the fact that its all imports. We are still in an apartment plus a 3 year old, newborn, and dog so I dont know how comfortable I am with going full B-Y or H&M until we got into a house again. Trust me, I am a stickler for staying on top of them and the value of buying top quality to last for generations but lets be honest, after awhile I get tired of constantly stressing about it and I know the wife gets tired of me constantly harping about things staying nice. Husband coming home from work to the stay at home mom that dealt with the kid/newborn/dog all day and me start making sure the H&M sofa aint hitting the wall or needing to be cleaned just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
With that being said, if its going to cost me 5-6k just to get into a hooker living room setup and for a little more you can get into B-Y, then seems like at that point whats another grand. Of course, you got to draw the line somewhere and the mindset of its only another grand adds up quick.
For context we are specifically looking at reclining sofa/loveseat/recliner package in “hopefully” some type of aniline leather thats not painted which may automatically put us into at least the B-Y camp. Not opposed to a sleeper sofa, reclining love seat, recliner setup.
My local dealer carries H&M, B-Y, Hooker, Bernherdt, Motioncraft, etc. List attached.
Attachment 15998
I don’t see either an improvement nor degradation in any of the furniture lines at any level.
, from what I can tell it’s status quo for the most part, with stabilized prices since 2022. Every maker is looking for orders now, backlogs are declining and as a result there will more and more promotions coming. Hancock and Moore did a 10% off sale in November for example, and they have never gone that deep before. Customers responded to that, however and bought quite a bit.
What is happening however is lower tier and some mid-tier suppliers are failing. Either closing or selling their operations. More consolidation in the industry and a race to get the best employees from those companies going under.
Hooker furniture is OK, I have two bedrooms of their pieces in my own home. I’m not a big fan of their upholstery, however. It’s not the quality of domestic made product. I would say buy in your comfort zone financially. A little stretch on a budget is certainly doable, but don’t stress your bank account.
I would avoid full recline sofas and loveseats for two reasons. They are more complex in build and won’t have the durability of stationary pieces. Secondly, I don’t like them with toddlers and young kids because they will play with them if motorized and there are no safety stops on the mechanisms if little fingers get in there.
Sleepers I never like. They don’t make a good sofa or a bed.
Some Hancock and Moore is at B-Y price levels, look for the items with an “H” prefix and in the program leathers, they are very competitive in price.
Re: Has Middle Ground Brands Stepped Up Any?
I'm not in the business like Duane but it looks like to me your local retailer sells many quality brands. I would say you can build a relationship with that store so you can, indeed, "stick to one place" as you suggest but I'd consider buying from the different brands they carry rather than just Hooker. Personally I don't care for Hooker. I would consider it to be among the lower tier of what your retailer carries. Their Bradington-Young subsidiary though is good but the B-Y products are American made mostly whereas the Hooker case goods are imported.
The furniture business is so difficult to understand for a new consumer and there are virtually no resources to help one make an informed decision. If I'm looking to buy a toaster, there are thousands of reviews and it's easy to make an informed decision but when buying furniture that is exponentially more expensive, there are virtually none. When I was buying furniture for my first home I bought cheap stuff even though I didn't really realize it was cheap. As I began to replace that furniture and purchase for a second home, I endeavored to learn more about the difference between good and bad furniture and not repeat the same mistakes. I've learned a great deal but it takes time.
The more one learns the more I think their "style" changes. Early on, most young people tend to gravitate to more contemporary looks. I've seen folks ask on this forum for advice on how to find a quality version of some very current look; usually a Restoration Hardware piece. To that question I would say why? Why would one want an heirloom quality piece in a very temporary style. It'll look dated in a few years so why would one pay for a level of quality to last 50 years. If buying quality, stick with more timeless styles. If buying cheap, it's okay to shop for a current look. I find it interesting to watch old TV shows or movies from the 50s/60s/70s. In some scenes the furniture is traditional and it still looks like what one might buy today. In other scenes, the pieces were of-the-moment and now look wildly out-of-date. So if one is paying for well-made furniture always make sure it is also a design that will endure.
So there is a lot to consider. Quality is, of course, important but there are many other considerations. Style is important as I indicated as is how and who will be using it as you've outlined. I kinda think you want your kids to grow up feeling like they are the most important thing so, yes, worrying about a $10k sofa and making them feel bad when they damage it might not be ideal at this stage.
