Furniture Consignment Gallery Blog

My Italian grandmother had a few choice words for folks who wouldn't mind their own business. "Vicino ficcanaso," she would mutter darkly, which translates loosely to 'nosy neighbor'. 

Last week, while picking up a truckload of consignment furniture in a suburb of Boston, we ran into a guy who qualified. His shirt billowed over his beer belly as he sauntered down the street and over to our truck in his flip flops.

"What's goin' on?" he asked. "They movin' out?"

When it comes to busybodies like this guy, we're polite but vague. Then, we ignore them. That's our policy at FCG. After all, our clients want and deserve privacy. But this particular schmoe wasn't getting the hint.

"Nice dresser," he said, eyeing each piece as we were loading into the truck. "What's the deal?" When I left to talk to our consignor inside the house, he seized the opportunity to mosey up the ramp of the truck and poke around inside. "Donations?"  

Tony tried hard to extract some info from our delivery guys. They cheerfully explained consignment, but it seemed to baffle Tony. That probably wouldn't deter him from delivering a report to the rest of the neighborhood, though.

Inside the house, our consignor was fuming as she peeked through the curtains. "Ohhhh, she groaned. "That's Tony. He thinks he's some kind of neighborhood watchdog."

Finally, unable to stand his prying eyes a moment longer, she poked her head out the door. "Get a job, Tony!" she barked. "And get outta here!" He smiled, waved and sauntered off. Some folks just don't get the message.

What's the best time to snag a bargain on candy? The day after Halloween, of course. And when should you stock up on gift wrap, ribbons and bows? December 26^th. Buy your school supplies in late September and your winter boots in February.  

Smart shoppers know exactly how to time their purchases to find the best buys. And I'll let you in on a secret: there are similar strategies to finding furniture bargains here at Furniture Consignment Gallery! 

Leather furniture is snapped up quickly in our showrooms from October through February. That's when homeowners are eager to furnish their homes for those long winter nights. Leather is especially popular just before the Super Bowl. Spilled beer and salsa stains? No problem!  

But come May, even the best of leather lingers in our stores. Most shoppers are too busy hunting for beachy items like slipcovered chairs and wicker tables for their summer cottages. Patio sets are hot, too, at this time of year.

That's why it's not surprising that FCG has a beautiful Ethan Allen leather sectional at our store in Hanover. New, it cost $6,500. Our price: $4,299.

Also in Hanover is a pair of American Signature chairs in merlot with nailhead trim and an ottoman for less than $1,500. These are just what you'll want when the Patriots are preparing to win their 6^th Super Bowl, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything like these next January.

However, if you come prepared to take them home with you today, you can get them placed in your living room just in time for a two minute horse race. Then you can enjoy them all year long. 

When you shop consignment, a little planning makes for a great shopping expedition. Think ahead. That rowdy game-day party is closer than you think.

"I love it!"

One of our newer employees was enthralled with a ruby red sofa she found on Wayfair, the online furniture retailer. The sofa was sleek, modern and half the price of any in our showroom. So she ordered it – and that's the beginning of her very sad saga.

Wayfair delivered the sofa to her doorstep in a box too small to hold the furniture of her dreams. "Must be a mistake," she recalls thinking. She wrestled the box into the house and it burst open. Out spilled a clutter of parts. Her foyer looked like the children's game of pick-up-sticks. Even her dogs sniffed a problem and slunk away.

Assembly required, the instructions said. Fair enough, she thought, for such a delightful bargain. She extracted an Allen wrench from the tangle of stuff on the floor and set to work, diligently threading screws through washers and tightening lock nuts.  Hours melted away.

Finally, as the day was waning, she stepped back to admire the finished product – only to realize her sofa looked like a Picasso, all crazy angles. Suddenly, her fantasy of snuggling up on her new sofa with a cozy blanket seemed ... well, life-threatening.

Wearily, she called the company's customer service department. English was the rep's second language, or maybe third. In any case, it was difficult to get anyone to express any enthusiasm for her problem. Perhaps that's because it was the middle of the night halfway around the world where the company had outsourced this most vital department.

The customer service rep informed her she would have to disassemble the sofa and put it back in the box out of which it had exploded. After a lengthy hold and a brief fight, the company conceded that would be mission impossible. Keep it, Nofair said grandly, and consider it our gift to you, a free sofa.

Her joy at the illusory victory dissipated fast as she stared at the mess in her living room. She had free sofa parts, but no sofa. Removal was going to be tiring and time-consuming.

So buyer beware. Online, furniture looks beautiful, comfortable and sturdy. The reality: not so much. At FCG, we're educating our family, friends, staff and customers about the dangers of falling in love with a photo on a website. Don't buy a sofa that comes with more parts than a game of Monopoly.

Since we’ve owned FCG, our stores have been the go-to place for savvy landlords with rental properties on the beach or in the mountains. Our three showrooms are full of furniture that’s built to last, season after season. We’ve learned a lot from landlords over the years, and we’d like to share their advice.

1. Style matters. You may think beach access is your trump card, but renters shudder at shabby rugs and wobbly chairs. The key to success in a rental property is repeat business. So take the time to make your property stylish and comfortable. At FCG, we offer not only furniture but also fun accessories perfect for a beach cottage or lake home.
2. A clean mattress is essential. Stained, lumpy mattresses are a major turnoff. You don’t need to provide lavish amenities like a four-star hotel, but a fresh mattress promises a good night’s sleep. At FCG, we offer a queen-sized Cambridge Plush mattress for $899. Smart landlords use one side for renters then flip it over for their own use, off-season. That’s twice the zzzz’s for your investment.
3. Banish the saggy sofa – and don’t even think of buying a foam living room set from Bubba’s Warehouse. Bubba’s shoddy stuff won’t last the season, and slapping your renters with damage fees because the cheap fabric burst at the seams is no way to win repeat business. Consider a pre-owned sofa with an eight-way hand-tied frame at FCG. A well-made sofa will endure for seasons. At FCG, you’ll find a wide variety of sofas for under $1,000.
4. Invest in a desk. Years ago, Moms and Dads actually took vacations, leaving work behind. Today, renters stay connected while they play, so they bring technology with them. A solid desk will allow them a place to put the laptop, so they can check on that project after spending precious time with the family.
5. Get rid of chipped and broken furniture. At FCG, you’ll find maple, oak and cherry pieces so durable they could withstand the apocalypse. There are no sticky, cock-eyed drawers in our bedroom sets. Splash these pieces with a coat of chalk paint – which we also keep in stock – and you’ll have an updated beachy look.

Furnish your property well and keep your renters coming back year after year.

For many Orthodox Greeks, Easter is the most important holiday of the year, an extravaganza of family tradition capped by a day of feasting and fun on Sunday.

That's when she missed the big house most of all. Fragrant with the rich scent of baking bread and roasted lamb, her house was filled with noise and joy and rambunctious children every Easter.

This year will be different. Years ago, she and her husband had sold the house with its generous rooms and manicured lawns and downsized into a luxury condo. Earlier this year, they'd downsized again. Travel – especially to see the grandchildren – was more important now than square footage.

Amid all the change, though, some things remain the same. Easter, for instance, and the importance of family. Tomorrow, their condo will be jammed with relatives. Every corner of the kitchen will be stacked with savory treats.

Traditions will be observed. Candles will be lit, chocolates exchanged. Children will be hushed for the ceremony when eggs, hard-boiled and dyed blood-red, will be cracked, symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. All this will happen under the eagle eye of her mother-in-law, who at the age of 90, was still the commanding matriarch of this very large brood.

That's why she was in our store this week. Her new condo may be considerably smaller than the sprawling suburban home, but it was being buffed and polished to spotless perfection. She needed new lamps for the foyer so the house would glow brightly.

"This is the final touch," our customer said with satisfaction when she found the perfect shades. "I'm ready for Easter."

Whatever your family tradition this spring, we wish you the warmth of family and friends, the comfort of traditions and the joy of spring. At FCG, we have all the final touches you need to make your home a welcoming place.

Happy Easter to all of our great staff and, especially, our customers. Thank you for letting us be a part of your home and your family celebrations.

I've never really been a beer guy. Bourbon is more my style. But I had the chance to taste a fresh batch of a locally brewed IPA, and I have to admit it was delicious. The beer was smooth and pumped full of zesty hops and citrus flavor. "'Double dry hopped," the tap room manager said, by way of explanation. That's a brewing technique adds a depth of complexity to the flavor and aroma of the beer.

There was a millennial next to me at the bar, all smug in his fake glasses, blotchy beard, untucked shirt and his beer connoisseurship. He treated me to a lecture on India Pale Ales, or IPAs. Apparently, the English created a special kind of beer for ships bound for India; brewers added extra hops and alcohol to preserve the beer during the grueling six-month voyage.

He nattered on about hoppiness and history for a while. Then, his pal offered a simpler explanation. "Beer is like bread," he offered. "Fresh is best."

Well, that's true in a lot of businesses. As I stood in line for a batch to take home, I thought about the customer we just had in our store in Natick. He'd driven almost an hour to the store to buy a mattress from FCG. With all the mattress stores between his hometown of Hudson and Natick, I was understandably curious why he was such a fan of our mattresses.

He explained: He'd heard that FCG's mattresses are constructed by a third-generation company in nearby Hartford, Connecticut. FCG's mattress maker not only believes in hometown craftsmanship, the company makes it standard practice. All the mattress materials are locally sourced – and workers are hired locally. Even the owners work in the factory.

Most of all, our customer said, "I like the fact that your mattresses are fresh."

What does that mean? Well, when you order a mattress from FCG, our supplier makes it the next day. Unlike our competitors, we don't buy our mattresses from China. Our mattresses aren't stuffed into plastic bags, packed into containers, shipped across the ocean, then jammed into a warehouse for months.

No, FCG's mattress are fresh, just like a great craft beer or an oven-hot loaf of bread. And it doesn't take a snobby connoisseur to know the difference between stale and fresh.

Like a gorgeous poppy, the sofa lit up the room. It was a massive tangerine sectional, custom-made by an interior designer. Only a few years ago it had been featured in a photo spread in New England Home. The original cost of the sectional: $17,000.

Now, the homeowner was redecorating. Tangerine was not on the new color palette. She wanted to consign the sectional at FCG, but first we had to agree on the price. “$3,499,” I suggested, hoping she wouldn’t faint at the steep decline in value.

“I understand,” she said. “That’s fair.” After all, orange is not the new black, grey or beige. This weekend, her sectional will be featured in a show-stopping display in our store in Natick, and hopefully it’ll score a quick sale.

Negotiating the price of consignment furniture is a challenge. Pre-owned furniture typically sells for a fraction of its original price. Even hand-crafted pieces with exquisite detail won’t fetch anywhere near their original prices at consignment.

Furniture used to be an investment. Now, it’s more like fashion. Styles and colors come in and out of vogue quickly. The hard truth is that furniture depreciates rapidly and dramatically. For some first-time consignors, that’s stunning news.

Consider the tale of two rugs. One was an 8’x10’ Ethan Allen in popular muted tones. We’ve sold similar rugs for around $800. “Absolutely not!” this consignor said, offended at the suggested price. “I paid four times as much for that rug years ago.” She left, dragging her rug with her. 

Later in the day came another consigner with a gorgeous hard-tied rug that originally cost $25,000. At FCG, that rug will likely sell for about $4,000. That’s a fraction of its original price, but the consignor was a realist.

“I’m happy to recoup even a portion of my investment,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed the rug for years. Now, someone else will have a chance to do the same.”  That rug will be on our showroom floor this weekend.

Consignment pricing is an art. Many homeowners are eager to consign their furniture. And we’re eager to have those pieces on our showroom floor. But, first, we need to agree on a price. Our years of experience selling the finest in pre-owned furniture have sharpened our pricing instincts. Trust us on that.

At Furniture Consignment Gallery, we’re always trying to strike a balance. We want you, the consigner, to get the highest price for your furniture. We also want to provide our customers with the great bargains they’ve come to expect from FCG. That’s a high-wire act we try to do every day with grace and skill.

“What’s taking so long?” I grumbled.

Diana and I were newlyweds, looking for our first home. I’d walked through the house briskly noting the necessities. Roof, garage, furnace? Check, check, check. Ok, done. Meanwhile, Diana was evaluating each room with the intensity of a diamond cutter.

“Shh!” the realtor said. “Give her time! She’s imagining your furniture – and your future – in this house.”

Moving to a new home is a major life event. It can be physically, emotionally and financially challenging. Over the years at FCG, we’ve become experts in helping our customers over these hurdles, whether they’re navigating a corporate transfer across the country, upgrading into a bigger family home or downsizing after the kids have grown.

Here are some tips we’d like to share:    

1. Consider your new home – and how you want to live in it. Are you moving from a formal suburban colonial to a casual oceanfront cottage? A sprawling single-family home to a compact city condo. Are you shrinking square footage or expanding? These questions will help you determine whether some of your furniture – or any of it – will work in your new home.

2. Don’t delay. As soon as you list your current home for sale, contact FCG. We can help you determine the value of your furniture. Some pieces may have limited resale potential. Others could generate cash quickly. Our promise: we’ll be prompt and honest with our evaluation.

3. Coordinate with your realtor before you move the furniture. Most realtors will want to stage your home to appeal to potential buyers. Few want to sell an empty house. Your realtor may want you to keep some furniture in place for showings while getting rid of oversized or outdated pieces.  

4. The P&S is the trigger. Once you have a “purchase and sale agreement,” you have a sharply defined timeframe. That’s when you’ll need a precise moving plan. If you haven’t yet contacted FCG, send us an email with a link to your home listing. Based on the listing photos, we can evaluate your furniture for possible consignment.

5. If you do decide to put furniture in storage for a time, take photos – and make some notes about the size and condition of the pieces. Trying to remember the dimensions of a beloved china cabinet in storage is difficult when you’re in that new home. So grab that camera or cellphone before the moving van arrives. Later, if you decide your furniture won’t work in your new home, you’ll have the info we’ll need to decide whether those pieces can be sold at FCG.

6. In fact, catalog everything that is going into storage. Label boxes clearly. You’d be surprised how quickly you’ll forget what is stacked in the farthest corners of the unit. Storage is expensive; fees run about $150 a month and up. Do you really want to pay to store those old board games?

Over the years, we’ve helped thousands of customers with their moves. We can help take some of the stress out of a move. As you plan this next new phase of your life, let us put our experience to work for you.

Our customers and consignors know that we’re fussy about furniture at FCG. Only quality pieces are selected for our three showrooms. We’re choosy, not only about the style and age of the furniture, but also brand and condition.

What you might not know is that we’re just as fastidious about our pick-ups and deliveries. We treat your time, your home and your furniture with care and respect – and, if we do mess up, we promise to do our best to make it right.

New England’s weather often makes that a challenge. Case in point: last week’s blizzard.

When the first snow warnings were sounded, FCG reluctantly decided that all deliveries had to be scrapped on Tuesday. Once we’d made that decision, our team immediately jumped to the phones, alerting customers of changes to the schedule.

By Wednesday, though, our guys were back on the road. Arctic air and high winds? Not a problem for our crew. Armed with shovels, sand and a can-do spirit, they navigated icy roads and snow-clogged sidewalks to keep their promises to our customers.

FCG is fortunate. Our guys are pros. Once committed, they are ultra-reliable. Your furniture – and your time – are valuable. That’s why we promise to be at your home within a two-hour time window. This isn’t your typical cable company with its sloppy work and hollow promises. We’re the Marine Corps of movers.

Despite the lingering snow, spring is coming – and so are all those special events: weddings, graduations, showers, and reunions. FCG has the furniture you need to entertain family and friends. Shop with confidence. Your furniture will be delivered on time. You have our word on it.

"What's selling these days?"

Well, that depends. Ask a suburban realtor and the answer is a four-bedroom bedroom colonial with an updated kitchen. Ask a car dealer and it's a Tesla for the nouveau riche and, for the rest of us, a pre-owned low-mileage mid-size SUV.

Lots of people ask that question of us here at Furniture Consignment Gallery. The easiest answer is what's not selling: soiled chairs or sofas, country dining room sets with chicken wire instead of glass on the china cabinet, television cabinets as big and heavy as sarcophagi, or anything Queen Anne, Italian Provincial, or Mediterranean.

The fastest selling items in our showroom? Predictably, those are the pieces in neutral colors with classic lines. A white sofa with simple lines sits on the showroom floor for about five seconds. As soon as one arrives, I can close my eyes and silently count "one, Mississippi, two, Mississippi" – and the sofa vanishes instantly!

What I love are the bold, the daring, the fun pieces. Purple velvet chairs with nailhead trim stop our customers in their tracks when they're strolling around our showrooms. Everyone pauses to brush the soft velvet with their hands and exclaim over the rich color and style. But when it comes time to buy, they opt for the white swivel chairs every time.

Take a walk on the wild side, folks. Don't be afraid to show some personality. Give the neighborhood something to talk about. Buy the purple chairs or the orange chaise and make a statement. Style should be exciting, enthusiastic, and opinionated. It's your home. Have some fun with it.