Pier 1 leather recliners - a quick look

[drcollie]

I haven't been in Pier 1 in years, but found myself in one last week as my wife shopped for Christmas Ornaments. Of course, I gravitated over to the leather recliners they had on display just to see what kind of build they have on them. I have to tell you, I've seen a LOT of leather furniture over the years from many different makers, and this has to be some of the worst. I was pretty stunned by how poorly they were made and decided to take some iPhone shots of them not to bash the brand - but to show you some things to look for when you go shopping, other than the price tag (got that, too!). They had these two recliners on display.



And here are some details. Notice in the area around the price tag, how wide spaced the stitches are. Good furniture has MUCH tighter, finer stitching. That one horizontal seam you see above the price tag is so open in the stitching that I have concerns it will pull apart over time.



There is virtually no foam padding on the frame, its just leather draped over the plywood frame, you can see it when I pinch the back. A lot of makers cut this corner, so when choosing a chair or sofa, pinch the arms and see what you feel. If you can put your fingers around the wood in the frame - that's not good.



because I can only add five photos per thread post.....continued....

[drcollie]

The devil is in the details, and from 10 feet away these recliners don't look too bad...but when you get closer you see that the detailing is disastrous. Here's the inside corner of the chair arm on one, look at how rumpled and uneven the seat edge is sewn, and the corner around the arm itself is poorly tailored as well, uneven and the panel doesn't lay flat.



And finally, look at the outarm details. This is a disaster. Not only did they not seam, they have simply folded leather over and tacked it to the frame using the decorative nail trim! That's as bad as i have ever seen in the business. This is what you get when you throw a piece together as cheaply as possible.



Now look at a inside arm detail on a Hancock and Moore Parkway recliner by comparison



I hear a lot of younger customers come in my store and say "I don't need an expensive recliner, just something that will last 5 to 6 years and then I can replace it, so cheap is fine and I'll throw it out when it breaks". I am always amused by this for two reasons 1) the younger generation likes to think of themselves as environmentally responsible, yet they don't even give pause in putting pieces like this in a landfill in a few years. 2) I don't think they will go 5 to 6 years. Nonetheless, for $ 700 you can buy a cheap recliner from Pier 1 that is poorly executed and likely will break by the 5 year mark, or spend $ 1,100 on a decent Bradington Young that will go 30 years plus. Do the math!

Be Careful out there in shopper-land. Lots of traps, and these recliners are one of them.