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Thread: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Lakewood Ranch, Florida
    Posts
    243

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Duane..

    Are there any cycle rental companies you could use on the west coast for a vacation/bike adventure? Waiting for the 20 piece order is a stretch.

    Maybe that's a business opportunity, bike rentals for vacationers, sorta like RV rentals. You could use RV dealers for your network and stock on/off road bikes at the great riding locations in the USA.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    There are, but its not *my* bike <g>. I have a heavily customized BMW that is set up for me to ride miles n' miles in comfort. Stock bikes are horrid! I just need to strike out and do it - takes a lot of time though. Hard to close up the store for that long.

    BTW, Larry, even though your Leathercraft chair is out of warranty for the mechanism, there's a new assembly lever that was UPS'ed yesterday from them at no charge. Should be here at the store tomorrow I would think, or Monday at the latest.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Lakewood Ranch, Florida
    Posts
    243

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Duane... that's good news. The chair is just 2 years old so I was not sure about the warranty period on the mechanism. Let me know when it arrives and I truck on down to Alexandria. It would be good to see you and check out what your floor stock is these days.

  4. #14
    DaleRK Guest

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Duane,

    My wife turned me onto the Garden Web furniture forum; then following your answers to folks' questions; then this'here forum; and, now it's motorcycle touring on the west coast down the Pacific Coast Highway......fantastic! I'm out west; ride motorcycles for 30+ years; though living in Gilroy (Garlic Capital of the World) a short jaunt from the PCH, and do have a second home just outside Yosemite National Park; and, am looking for four pieces of H&M furniture....not quite 20

    Now that I've hit all your "hot" button issues (notably motorcycling out west), maybe you can rent a smaller truck, tie-down the old'steed, and make it out west. Some of the most beautiful touring on the PCH is from Monterey...south down Hwy 1. Think 30-55 mph with quite frequent stops wearing out the digital camera's sensor on some of the most beautiful real estate on this planet. The ride to Yosemite ain't bad either....day trips are frequent reminders why motorcycling is the way to see America especially when time-constrained.

    To the furniture needs.....we're looking at Kodiak sofa, Miller lounger and some type of upholestered side chairs as a groupo. Will contact you personally.

    Great site, and terrific responses.

    Dale

  5. #15
    NJBirdlover Guest

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Duane, what a wonderful life story to read! You are an inspiration for sure. When my husband saw me asking questions on this forum, and I told him that you help all these people with furniture questions, he said, "well, he probably wants to help people get the straight scoop about furniture. There's a lot of game-playing out there." It sounds like that's exactly your goal. Praise God that you are a cancer survivor. God bless you and your wife in your long happy marriage.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,890

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Pretty much that's right on the money. I happen to like well-made things, and detest shoddy goods. My experience in life is that you usually "get what you pay for" as the saying goes, and then the trick becomes learning the ins and outs of what makes a good product worth the money! For example, I have a huge tool-box in my garage at home full mostly of Snap-On brand tools, which are used by professional mechanics and I worked my way through college as a full time motorcycle mechanic and have pulled my own wrenches on my cars and trucks ever since. A standard open end wrench set is $ 300, where you can go to Sears and get a Craftsmen set for $ 40. Is the Snap-On Set worth it? Yes it is.....because they are thinner, stronger, and have tighter tolerances and grip the fasteners better then the Sears tools. Maybe not so important if you're tightening a lag screw into a 2' x 4', but if you're working on the exhaust manifold on a Porsche and snap or round off that stud it sure is. A lot of my friends bring their cars over after they buggered up the bolts because they know I have the tools to get the fasteners off.

    I approach furniture the same way I do tools. The product I carry in my store costs more, but its also worth more because it has the performance and quality that less expensive pieces to not. I've chosen to help folks identify how to see that quality so they can make a judgment call as to if they want to spend the money on the more expensive product. Give everyone the facts and let them decide. But the furniture industry has done a poor job on educating our customers, which is why I started this forum (and participate on others). I certainly don't know it all - but I know enough to help folks understand there is more to furniture selection than looking for the biggest red sale sign. Like my cancer surgeon, Dr. Mike Choti of Johns Hopkins is fond of saying "Knowledge is Power".
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  7. #17
    levitt11 Guest

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    Pretty much that's right on the money. I happen to like well-made things, and detest shoddy goods. My experience in life is that you usually "get what you pay for" as the saying goes, and then the trick becomes learning the ins and outs of what makes a good product worth the money! For example, I have a huge tool-box in my garage at home full mostly of Snap-On brand tools, which are used by professional mechanics and I worked my way through college as a full time motorcycle mechanic and have pulled my own wrenches on my cars and trucks ever since. A standard open end wrench set is $ 300, where you can go to Sears and get a Craftsmen set for $ 40. Is the Snap-On Set worth it? Yes it is.....because they are thinner, stronger, and have tighter tolerances and grip the fasteners better then the Sears tools. Maybe not so important if you're tightening a lag screw into a 2' x 4', but if you're working on the exhaust manifold on a Porsche and snap or round off that stud it sure is. A lot of my friends bring their cars over after they buggered up the bolts because they know I have the tools to get the fasteners off.

    I approach furniture the same way I do tools. The product I carry in my store costs more, but its also worth more because it has the performance and quality that less expensive pieces to not. I've chosen to help folks identify how to see that quality so they can make a judgment call as to if they want to spend the money on the more expensive product. Give everyone the facts and let them decide. But the furniture industry has done a poor job on educating our customers, which is why I started this forum (and participate on others). I certainly don't know it all - but I know enough to help folks understand there is more to furniture selection than looking for the biggest red sale sign. Like my cancer surgeon, Dr. Mike Choti of Johns Hopkins is fond of saying "Knowledge is Power".
    Duane,

    I could not have said it better than you did so above. I'm looking for a new sofa now, after owning a Henredon that has held up for 26 years, it is now showing wear on the fabric. The cushions are still like new, if not for the wear on the fabric, I would not need to be out looking right now; although I'm thinking of having this one recovered. Your analogy to tools is right on point, as my husband is a technician, and I know what we have spent on Snap-On thru the years and the comparison to Sears is definitely correct. Time is money, money is time when wrenching! Using the proper tools gets the job done correctly.

    I'm in agreement with purchasing furniture made in the USA, and I definitely do my homework which is why I'm now registered on this forum. I've been lurking and reading, but time now to become a member and come forward before I go into an expensive purchase. Today I was quoted $7k for a leather set, but read on the back of the piece of leather it needed to be 2 feet away from heat - that shot that idea . So I'm back to fabric and whether I should reupholster or buy a new sofa, sigh.

    Your story of cancer sounds a like myself 25 years ago, doctor(s) telling me to write up my Will, no chance for survival - but I'm here today - because I'm a fighter as well - and I don't take no for an answer. Same with furniture choices, I want the best for my money, and when I have something that lasted as long as this piece, I won't settle for less.

    Thank you for making this forum, it's been a tremendous help in sourcing information.
    Where exactly in D.C. are you located? We are only 3hrs or so from you, and it might be worth the trip to come to your store, rather than shop locally where we are.
    B&J

  8. #18
    yogibear Guest

    Cool Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Glad to hear somebody born my year is a 4th stage Cancer Survivor... gives me hope as I am EX smoker and a Current biker. Own a Henderson Super X but ride a Victory Vision.
    Thanks for your help with my wife's problem. If it wasn't for the info on this forum I would have been another Made in China 'victim' of what the wife thought was American !
    Plus I read somewhere on Consumer Reports about these Leather Sofas from China that were being recalled because they give people chemical Burns.. Then the BBC writes about it..
    That was an April 2010 article http://chemicalsoup.wordpress.com/20...alth-problems/
    ----------------------
    PU H&M September Sofa in Mahogany Distressed from GreenFront,Manassas yesterday. May come to your store next week to see if I can find something that will match and or compliment it. They had a chair but they did NOT have the correct ottoman for it.
    Last edited by yogibear; 01-08-2012 at 02:04 PM.

  9. #19
    Plaborde Guest

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    I like the 3rd rule! I am a small business owner with several locations and like you, know how to do engineering, detailed calculations, fix a broken diesel engine or win over the toughest customer. There are far too few people like this today. Anyway your 3rd rule reminded me of something my dad told my accountant when he first visited our business, "Tim, interest is something I earn, not pay. As long as you remember that we'll get along fine". It's a principal I live by today.

  10. #20
    Rafree1 Guest

    Default Re: So who is this DRCOLLIE guy?

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    Hi Peter,

    Thanks! My ride is a 06 R1200GS BMW, and last year we rode from one end to the other on Skyline / Blue Ridge Parkway, from Front Royal down to Deal's Gap. It was a LOT of curves (never thought I would ever be thankful for a straight interstate run, but after that - I was).
    I HAVE to respond to this. My husband and I took Skyline/BlueRidge Parkway a few years back starting at the first entrance and we were headed down south. We thought we'd take it all the way down. LITTLE DID WE KNOW we would only be able to drive five miles and hour and that hundreds of deer would be in the road around every bend. It was one of the most breath taking drives I've ever been on, and I was so glad to get off of there. Night fell and we could not find a good place to get off the parkway. So for hours and hours we wound our way...then we hit a "half road" where construction had taken away half the "lane" Dear god, there was no guard rail there and we had to navigate our car with a straight shot down the side of that mountain. In.The.Dark.

    That was twenty years ago and I can still remember my fright. I'm glad I did it once and I will never do it again. hahaha!

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