This is my first posting and I have to say how thankful I am to Duane for this forum and all of the information and knowledge he shares with everyone.

Weeks ago we bought some leather furniture "Flexsteel Latitude Dylan group" to be exact. The day after I sat on the chair (in the store) I broke out in a rash on both forearms. I didnt relate it to the leather at that time until I did some research here and found it was totally made in China. Then I came across an online article from Consumers Reports titled "Is your leather furniture making you sick" It talked about CHINESE LEATHER and the use of chemical packets that are installed inside the COMPLETED leather pieces. These are to prevent mold and mildew during shipment. The chemicals eventually permeate the leather and can be transferred to your skin. Again this was with COMPLETED furniture pieces not bulk leather.
I cant say this is what happened to me or that Flexsteel uses these packets. I didn't want to gamble with our purchase, plus after reading Duane's thoughts on the quality of the build of these units we decided to buy a single quality item and next season add to it. The economy has effected our area severely.
I went back to the store and canceled our order explaining the reason. While I was there I rubbed my arms on the chair again and the next day...RASH AGAIN! The sales person said she would call the Flexsteel Rep about this. His answer was "I never heard of such a thing."

The past several days I emailed Duane back and forth asking many questions and he promptly replied with pricing,leather types and finishes,down verses foam cores and a host of other topics. It's rare to find this caliber of a guy willing to go all out for the consumer's interest.

If I'm ever in your area I will make a point of stopping in to shake your hand and introduce myself. I will watch this site often for the valuable information you provide knowing you will be there if asked upon.

P.S. I dont see an option for a profile picture.
Most sincerely,
Paul