Ethan Allen sectional alternative

[CMoore]

New member here and thanks for the forum.

My wife and I went sectional shopping Saturday and fell in love with the Retreat Roll Arm Sectional they were displaying... very comfy! Anyways, the wife is insisting on a cloth sofa and the $6,000 + price seems crazy to me.

Does anyone have an alternative to this sofa that would be comparable or better quality around this price point? I would like to find something a little lower in cost, but if it lasts a long time I don't mind spending the money.

We are lookign for a gray/charcoal type fabric that is durable and stain resistant. May also be interested in making it a sleeper if thats an option,

Chris

http://www.ethanallen.com/product?productId=977741

[Monique]

IMO EA is not what it used to be. We bought lots of furniture from EA back in the mid-70's. All of that furniture is still in use in relatives' homes. It was well made and stood the test of time.

We ordered a case piece a few years ago and finally had to end up getting a refund through our credit card company after three attempts to get a piece with a good finish. It was an exasperating experience. It was made in China.

[Briant73]

Living in an are where EA used to have a factory, I can say that factory was closed and the work sent somewhere else (overseas most likely). Various reading leads to believe more than a few people have felt the quality of the EA product suffered since they moved some of their operations overseas yet the pricing didn't come down to reflect the reduction in manufacturing costs.

As an aside, I was sorta watching HGTV this weekend and they had a show on where they follow an estate sale planner and she came in and there were some EA pieces that the person wasn't sure about selling but at the same time didn't seem to want. Finally the Estate planner gets a call giving the go ahead to sell the items at practically new prices. I gather the person went to an EA store and saw what new items costs and set their prices to that. I know some pieces go up in value but it seemed the estate sale agent felt those prices were way to high. I missed the rest of the show but I wonder if the pieces didn't sell, or if they did at what price.

[organic_smallhome]

My understanding is that, generally speaking, Ethan Allen furniture made today is basically crap. Much of it is made overseas and the quality has really gone down. A friend of mine bought an EA sofa and within a year the cushions were shot. Within 2 years, the fabric started to thin out. The frame also became a bit wobbly. For a $2000 sofa. One of my cousins spent thousands on an EA dining set. It's clearly not of the same quality of Treharn, for example.

If I were you, I would check in with Duane about Hancock & Moore. At least, you will know your options.

[drcollie]

Ethan Allen is currently 70% made in the USA according to its CEO, Farooq Kathwari, though back in a 2007 interview he indicated it was about 50 %. Perhaps they are moving back towards domestic production?

http://www.farooqkathwari.com/forbes...s11_23_10.html

Upholstery is very difficult to make off-shore, because there are too many fabrics and covers and the shipping lead time is too long. If upholstery, its probably USA-made. If wood, probably imported. $ 6K is fairly pricey for a fabric sectional - if you're buying in that price range you really want to see the construction elements before you commit. That's at the Taylor King level in price.

It's all about components on the inside, but you really can't tell unless they let you go after one with a box cutter..lol. And that's not very likely.

[CMoore]

OK, we stopped into a higher end local store and they sell a lot of Sherrill, so I think in the next week or so we will be working up something with them as an alternative.

Duane, is Sherrill a brand that would be much cheaper through you?

TIA