Happy New Year All,
I will be in the market for dining room furniture in the Spring and saw a Nichols & Stone chair that was the most comfortable yet. I know they have recently become Stickley but wondered if quality was TRULY the same and made in USA...won't settle for outsourced products again. I also wanted Duane's opinion on that line and if you deal in Nichols & Stone. Thanks ahead Duane!
Ho boy, I'm on the spot! I've never carried Nichols and Stone (who have gone out of business) because I think (honestly) their chairs were clunky and not properly made for longevity. The used glue socket joinery in their chairs when is essentially drilling a hole, filling it with glue, and pounding in the legs and spindles. When the chair becomes stressed with use, the glue bond eventually breaks and .... the chairs wobble. They also used plank seats rather than scooped, which means most their chairs have a pitched seat angle, rather than a correctly done deeply scooped seat sitting on a flat plane to the floor. The pitch back chairs are not a comfortable for any length of time.
Stickley is going to make the Nichols and Stone line in both Vietnam and its New York plant. What goes to which factory I have no idea.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
I am so appreciative of your knowledge and honesty! What manufacturer would you recommend for traditional / classic (comfortable) chairs & table. Thanks ahead Duane.
Well, no surprise there...I tend to like the ones I carry in my store! My store is so small, that if I don't think the product is the best value for what it is, then I don't carry it. Best product for the money in high style country is the www.jltreharn.com product line. Strong, well made, beautiful...and fairly priced. There are no dealers in Canada for it, though I've shipped several pieces of it to my Brother-in-Law in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Duane, can you give me a quote on the Treharn three drawer chest - Single Walden Dresser 06SWD - in Tiger Maple?
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.
Duane you seem to carry manufacturer's that have no presence in Canada possibly because of their small corporate footprint. I'd like to be able to see, feel/touch a piece (or at least a sample of one of their products) before considering a purchase. Do you know of any manufacturers (Canadian or otherwise) that produce furniture at the same level of quality as those that you carry?
I'm sorry, I don't. Most the product I have in my store (other than upholstery) is specialty items, and I have several 1-man furniture craftspeople that I commission to build pieces. It can be a logistical nightmare, because they don't crate and ship, so I have to drive to them to get it or they bring it all to me. I do get some Canadian Customers, but everything has to go through brokerage and GST tax and duties, which is a bit of a pain. Its also hard to find blanket wrap carriers to go into Canada, most stop at the border.
There are some makers of this style in New Hampshire and one or two in Maine and Vermont I know of, but none in Ontario that I'm familiar with.
One tip, if you really like the look, is to start out with a simple one drawer nightstand. A nightstand will tell you everything you need to know about a piece as you can see drawer construction, joinery methods, finish and form in a small, UPS-able piece. Ifs its not to you liking, it can be easily reboxed and returned.
Duane Collie
Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.