Yesterday a nice lady came in the store to look at Hancock & Moore, specifically the Austin High Back Sofa # 8138NB in Viking Chestnut leather, a Just-in-Time program piece. She had just been to Greenfront Furniture in Manassas (they also sell Hancock and Moore) and was told that the Viking is a no-maintenance leather, nothing ever had to be done to it - just use it.

My reply was "That's not correct, all leather - if you want it to last - has to be cleaned and conditioned, otherwise it will soil, degrade the tanning agents, then peel and crack." This surprised her and clearly she was struggling whom to believe, the salesperson at Greenfront or me? Granted, anything no maintenance is appealing to us all, but what item do you own and use that is truly no maintenace?

To support my position I said to her "Those blue jeans you are wearing, what would they be like in five years if you never laundered them? Never got the dirt and soiling off them? They may be still usable, but they will be deteriorated and won't have the lifespan of jeans that are cleaned regularly." That seemed to make sense to her and I think she was coming around to the idea that leather needs to be taken care of to maximize lifespan.

Leather maintenance is not hard. Clean and Condition twice a year - and that's any leather - and you're good to go.

The thought later occured to me, whom do you believe as a consumer? Lots of sales pitches out there often made by people who have no idea of what they are talking about. Caveat Emptor.