The newest Crate & Barrel / Restoration Hardware stores in Tysons Galleria

[drcollie]

The entire furniture industry is very soft right now, a lean Summer is expected. Everyone expects it to pickup in the fall, of course. People do start coming back in early September and of course want recliners for football season and new furniture for Thanksgiving, but they are really too late to order! Build times are still averaging three months or longer so the smart consumers get their orders in June for September delivery!

I’m not shutting down the Forum, just not paying the fees to maintain it due to low traffic. I don’t pay for things that are not being fully utilized, never have! If traffic picks up, it will be revisited

[thomdm]

When I was looking for leather furniture 10 and 11 years ago, I found this forum and absolutely loved it. I purchased a sofa, two recliners, and a sitting chair at that time. I would have never done that without the information you provide on the forum. I am now in the market for a different sofa, and this forum is the first and only place I am viewing to get the information I need prior to making a purchase. I completely understand that you need to make the smart decisions for your business, but please know that this site is incredibly valuable to anyone seriously interested in making a wise investment in their furniture purchase. Thank you for all the time, effort, and information you provide.

[drcollie]

Thank you! I always appreciate the business and try my hardest to provide honest answers to all questions and advice.

[SueCT]

Are you able to see how much traffic site gets apart from the number of actual posts? I suspect the forum is being used much more than the number of new posts would indicate.

[drcollie]

Just seat of the pants, there can be weeks go by with no use besides what I post.

[Griff]

Since buying Restoration Hardware chairs and sofas in the past I have, luckily, come to find both this site and H&M furniture.
Now knowing that leather must be cleaned, etc every several months I need to know how to preserve the other leather that I own. The chairs are, to me, comfortable and I don’t subscribe the “throw away” attitude spoken of by another.

Can you please advise me on, what I presume to be, protected top coated leather that is close to ten years old, in very good condition other than dry.

I appreciate the education I have received here and your great efforts to provide it.
Thank you for answering this.

[Judyg951]

I will hate to see this forum go. I learned a lot around 11 years ago before I ordered my beautiful H&M furniture. I'm looking for something a bit different than what I currently have so I'm back working with Duane again and checking the forum every day to see what's happening. I've always looked for quality and don't want throw away furniture, but I Smith no longer be the norm these days.

[drcollie]

Since buying Restoration Hardware chairs and sofas in the past I have, luckily, come to find both this site and H&M furniture.
Now knowing that leather must be cleaned, etc every several months I need to know how to preserve the other leather that I own. The chairs are, to me, comfortable and I don’t subscribe the “throw away” attitude spoken of by another.

Can you please advise me on, what I presume to be, protected top coated leather that is close to ten years old, in very good condition other than dry.

I appreciate the education I have received here and your great efforts to provide it.
Thank you for answering this.

Here you go, in this thread.

https://www.myfurnitureforum.com/sho...for-all-brands

[andyliu52]

The place to go now is Reddit for more in-depth information. You may consider making a SubReddit for leather furniture and redirecting people there when this forum expires. https://www.reddit.com/r/leatherfurniture is open, for example.

Luxury furniture is the best deal--great leather, beautiful craftsmanship, and also comfort and durability. The value proposition is pretty amazing--$5000 for a beautiful object that you can see every day front and center in your home that will last for decades if you baby it, and if you want you can sit on it and enjoy how comfortable you feel. The only problem is its not a great status symbol since you need to invite someone to your home in order to demonstrate it, and unless its RH or DWR the person probably won't recognize it. C&B looks sensible next to those two stores and they do the showrooms pretty well, as Duane said, so the furniture search starts at RH/DWR and ends at C&B where most people actually buy.

I've read on this forum that Century is going even higher end by targeting interior designers--I think that's the right strategy. Super superstores like Nebraska Furniture Mart are also doing really well--they can buy a container of the same H&M sofa and stock it in their warehouse and then sell at a very competitive price. Everything else seems to be struggling, unfortunately, even the regular superstores. Not sure what the way forward is for the multi-brand furniture retailer but I hope Duane figures it out!

[drcollie]

I don't think its so much that stores are struggling, I have three orders to write today for example, its that there was a major slowdown after Covid that many did not anticipate. For 2 1/2 years the demand for new furniture went through the roof, at the retail store level I would buy ANYTHING my suppliers had available just to keep the floor displays full. A lot of stores, and vendors, got caught up in that and expanded, then ordered inventory big time. They built new warehouses and filled them up. Then....in early 2023, customers had bought all they were going to buy for a bit, and many stores and suppliers got stuck (and are still stuck) with excess product. So now you see sales from everyone, to clear inventory. Business has not really slowed per se, it has just returned to normal for most. Those that over-extended have serious cash-flow issues now, but for those of us who have seen this before, we're in good shape, The Market is sorting itself out right now, and the low end furniture is suffering the most. The high end is doing fine, because of Jobs / Home Values / Stock Portfolios.

The forum is not really going away, its just that I am not paying $ 100 a month to an IT person to update it. In years past, we had techie volunteers do it, they all eventually faded away but it was most appreciated. They in turn, got extra discounts on their furniture buys from me. And again, like all things in business its cost/benefit. If the use of the forum goes up, then its worth keeping around. If everyone is moving to reddit, etc....than its not worth the cash outlay to maintain. So really, its up to the users to determine if it stays updated through use and posts on it.