Leather Furniture South

Duane,
Wife and I are still looking into sofas. Obviously HM is the way to go, but man, that's alot of dough. Like always I'm sure I'll regret buying a lesser brand. With that said, are you familiar with a company in Charlotte called Leather Furniture South? Also, if we finally decide HM is too much, what other brands should we consider at the next price point down? Thanks.

I've not heard of them, but notice they do not say where the furniture is made. I suspect these are imports, but you would have to call them and ask. Other than that, maybe someone else here knows of them?

If I were to go down a notch from H&M, I'd shop Bradington-Young. I don't have any other brands I can offer up that would be a savings other than that one.

H&M's Town and Country Program, in the lead leathers, is a huge markdown from the standard items. Did you look through all of that? (I have the whole program and prices posted here in the Leather forum). That's the place to buy on a budget.

Other than that, check local stores in your area for clearance and markdowns. For example, I have a Member Sofa in Document Sage in my store marked down to $ 1,999 and if someone wanted a fresh model of the exact sofa they would pay $ 3,295 for it. Every store has a couple of items they want to move out....might pay to look and see what they may be.

I did look through the TC prices. We found some BY locally and will probably shop those. Aside from that we seem to have good access to companies like Ethan Allen, Thomasville. It's a huge investment. I don't want to go ridiculous on the cheap or too much side. Someone equated HM to a Bentley, I don't NEED a Bentley.

You have to buy in you comfort level financially, as well as keep in mind the longevity you want out of the piece. Some folks are ready for a change in decor after 5 to 8 years, so they don't need or want a piece that can last 30 years in service.

I don't equate H&M to a Bentley. That would be more like Karges, where a sofa is $ 15,000. www.karges.com. If you want to compare H&M to a car, it would be closer to a BMW or a Ford F-350 King Ranch.

Ethan Allen, Thomasville? Those are KIA's and Hyundai's. 100 % imported.

Good luck on your search!

Duane, Thanks for all your help. Do you sell BY? If so, I've read your not too thrilled about the married covers. For the HM Sundance in the TC program how much price difference are we talking about with similar leathers?

Yes, I am a retailer for B-Y, and I do not order their married covers for floor display. I find the leather to be exceptionally cheap, poorly trimmed and numerous unacceptable flaws in that program (but only from B-Y).

The 4716 Sundance is a big, complex sofa, so its going to be expensive. Not sure what your question is on this piece, however?? Can you rephrase?

Sorry. I just reread my post. Not very clear. ROUGHLY how much of a price difference is there between the TC Sundance and a similarly equipped BY?

My wife and I have been married 16yrs and this will be our second sofa. The first one was straight out of grad school and prob cost us $750, alot of money back then. So, I don't think it's the money itself, it's just that we're both frugal. I don't want to make a penny wise decision here. Thanks.

Got it. Without having a specific B-Y model to compare to (and they make nothing as complex or sophisticated as the H&M Sundance), figure an average B-Y sofa to be $ 2,000 to $ 2,500 in non-married cover. A Sundance is going to be $ 1,000 more. It easily has that much extra work in it, however.

As always, thanks for info. Wife and I are not quite agreeing. I really want HM Sundance but scared to pull the trigger due to cost. Ideally, we would want the smaller sofa, large chair(not part of TC) and a small chair. The large chair fits the two of us perfectly, which may be my primary reason for wanting Sundance and HM.

Wife wants to go out and buy Natuzzi today at half the cost.

This leads me to two more quetions, I'm sure more to follow.
1-Is there a time of year which is best to from HM, ie a discount?
2-As you know, TC Sundance comes with Berkshire Harness. How does this leather compare to Equestrian or Antelope? The E and A I know are Class 3, while B is Class 2. I hope it's better than Document or Cavalier as it seems many are not enthralled with those two.
Thanks

Duane,
I just sent you a PM. Thanks

The Sundance is a big, fancy, expensive sofa. Lots of button tufting on the sides and back, along with high sculpted details throughout the piece and a gentle curve on the front.

Natuzzi? I'll see you in five years for your H&M order if you go that route. Maybe four. It's not half the price for nothing....!

H&M Town and Country pricing does not change, except for a general price increase and lineup change usually once a year. Last one was late December, 2009. The regular line H&M gets a 5% additional discount in August and February each year, and I assume they will continue with that.

Berkshire is not as nice a leather as either Equestrian or Antelope. Its more coarse, and has a stiffer feel to it as well. I like it better than Cavalier or Document, but not by leaps and bounds. Here's my current favorite hide list (done briefly):

Grade 1: Columbia
Grade 2: Kipling
Grade 3: Antelope, Equestrian, Luggage
Grade 4: Capri