I live across the street from a farm. Shortly after dawn, the hungry horses start kicking the doors of their stalls, demanding breakfast. That's my alarm clock.
There's a mountain of emails waiting for me every morning. In fact, FCG gets over 100 requests every day from folks who want us to evaluate their furniture for consignment. My mailbox is full of photos of furniture ranging from dusty old pieces in a rattletrap farmhouse to sleek modern items in a high-rise overlooking Boston Harbor.
I sift through all of them to select the great bargains you find in our showrooms.
Early this week, I had an unexpected assistant. Robbie, my nine-year-old son, woke up early and wandered into the kitchen. Looking over my shoulder at the computer, he grinned.
"Hey, Dad, I can help!" he said. Why not, I thought. Let's see if the kid has an eye for quality furniture.
First up was a sofa. Robbie frowned. "Well," he offered, "it looks a little squiggly." Darn right, I thought. The fabric on that sofa looked like a misprint in a geometry textbook.
Next, a canopied bed. "Nice bed," he said, "funny color."
Right again, I thought. A mustard-colored canopy? That wouldn't exactly fly out of our showroom.
The third email was the jackpot: a leather sofa with a built-in power recliner. Robbie lit up with delight. "Dad!" he said. "I want that for my room!" Recliners rock! Even nine-year-olds know a prize piece of furniture when they see it.
That's when it dawned on me. Kids have a unique perspective. So ask them before you buy that sofa with the white squiggly fabric or the delicate glass coffee table for your family room. They'll remind you how much pizza-and-a-movie night means to them.
