Furniture Consignment Gallery Blog

Dear Furniture, Let me tell you my story.

Posted by Jay Frucci on Fri, March 16, 2012 @ 02: 56 PM

61t2IbsP0tL. SL500 AA300 In 1944, as war raged across Europe and the Pacific, Joline Anderson married Robert Wright in a borrowed gown with a bouquet of flowers nipped from her mother's backyard. For something old, the couple had an heirloom ring. Something new was a wedding gift from a friend and furniture maker: a Salem chest.

   

  For sixty years, that mahogany chest held the treasures of a long and happy marriage: baby booties, poodle skirts, cashmere cardigans, prayer books, postcards from the kids, photos of the grand-kids. It was one of the most special pieces in our showroom for the few days that we had it.

  

   Consigned by a $(KGrHqQOKpME6eOZ(vnjBOpze pH2!~~60 3family member who, sadly, didn't have room for it in his home, the chest seemed to whisper the secrets of lives well lived in homes well loved. There's magic in knowing the history of that chest.

     Indeed, stories are important. When I was in high school, I used to keep a journal. It was full of adolescence angst, alternately heartbreaking and hilarious when you read it twenty years later. I got a little lazy about writing when I went to college. Entries were terse and infrequent -I was majoring in English and channeling Hemingway - but there is one telling item written when I was a sophomore:

 

"I met a girl named Dianna today. She was pretty and nice." 

 

I may have spelled her name wrong, but I got the relevant facts right. She was pretty - and nice enough to marry me four years later.

    To some, it would seem silly to write down fleeting thoughts about our cars, our clothing, our furniture, our homes. But these are the details that illuminate our lives. Who doesn't 59mirrorworld 60badwolfroseremember their first car with all its loveable dents? Or that sofa that you managed to squeeze into your first apartment? Or the dining room table where you hosted your first Christmas dinner? All the nicks and scratches tell their own stories, often about the best days of our lives but, sometimes, about the worst days, too.

 


     We witness many a reflective moment with our consignors when they are turning over to us the furniture they've enjoyed for years. They'll tap a desk or a dresser gently with a far-away look in their eyes and relive a memory before entrusting it to our care.    

    

 

    So on the next rainy day, take a moment and jot down the history of some of your most prized possessions.  Even if it seems silly now, your story may have meaning for someone who may someday own that piece. Your words will enrich somebody's life - if only the consignment guy who opens a drawer and finds your note on a yellowed piece of paper.

Topics: Will My Furniture Sell, Furniture Consignment Boston, Furniture Refinishing, Furniture Consignment Hanover, Furniture Consignment Newton, Furniture quality, Furniture Consignment Gallery in Hanover, Furniture Consignment, Furniture Value, Furniture Style, Furniture Consignment Gallery Newton, Furniture Spotlight, Furniture Care, Furniture History, American Made Furniture, 1940s Furniture

3 Ways to Get Beyond Furniture Seller's Remorse

Posted by Jay Frucci on Wed, January 12, 2011 @ 02: 58 PM

Seller's RemorseSeller's remorse shifts into overdrive when we think about what we paid for something and look at the realities of the marketplace for similar pre-owned items.  Inevitably we stare off into space and say to ourselves, "what was I thinking??"

We are working with a customer who spent over twenty thousand dollars each on a handful of fine Persian rugs that no longer fit their living space.  They are moving cross country where the styles are different and the rugs need a new home. Finding a buyer for these rugs at even a few thousand dollars a piece will be a challenging task.  This couple is struggling with this reality.

Custom Made Rug

Getting beyond Seller's Remorse is very difficult for many couples.  Here are three ways to combat Seller's Remorse:

  1. Think logically about your situation. Did you purchase a product or a vision?  Paying for upgrades and customizations to achieve the exact right look for your living space often leads to overspending.  It happens a lot and it is not worth beating yourself up over it.  Move on!
  2. Consider that even though you may be forced to part with a piece for far less than what you paid for it, feel good that someone else will use it and will appreciate it.  Accept the silver lining as it beats the alternative of paying additional moving and storage fees for furniture that you will never use again.
  3. Make up for it on the other end.  There is a great deal waiting for you on your next purchase.  Spend some time hunting before you jump. We know of a great Furniture Consignment Store in Hanover, Massachusetts where you can quickly counter your loss.

Topics: Value of Your Furniture, Will My Furniture Sell, Selling Furniture, Sell My Furniutre, Pre-owned furniture, Furniture Value, Where To Sell Furniture

Bad News for Boomers: Your Furniture is Dated

Posted by Jay Frucci on Thu, December 09, 2010 @ 03: 14 PM

You got married in 1969 and it took a few years to establishFOR SALE 009 resized 600 yourself so you bought your furniture in 1982.  That was a good year.  The year you rennovated your kitchen, put on an addition and bought new furniture. 

 

Fast forward to 2010 and the 4 Bedroom colonial in the quiet neighborhood that used to be home to your crazy kids now is the playground for someone elses.  With much debate, and sleepless nights your decision is made; it's time to downsize.  However, many challenges lie ahead.  All of that stuff has to move.

 

What a great place in life to be, but the challenge of letting go is old dressermuch more difficult than you anticipated.  The kids don't want much.  In fact, they hardly want anything at all.  The boys will take back their trophies and baseball cards, but the daughter in-laws don't have interest in much else.  You are not offended becuase you hardly blame them, but you're disappointed all the same.  This was nice stuff.  Expensive stuff.  You worked hard for it!  But you get it. 

No problem. The family doesn't want it.  Somebody will. You hope.  Or are your items dated?

colonial table

You have 2,800 square feet of quality home furnishings to divest.

Styles come and go so quickly:

  • Pastel Rugs
  • Flame Stitch Queen Ann Chairs
  • A Speckled Cherry Bedroom Set
  • Washed Pine End Tables
  • French Provincial Dining Set
  • Dark Pine Bunkbed and Desk
  • Colonial Cupboard and Kitchen Sets

It's not that all of your home furnishings are dated and Dated Sofaundesireable, they could still find a great home, but the styles from the 1970s and 80s now have a very limited market.

 

The very traditional chippendale and Queen Ann styles still are marketableChippendale Chair as long as the wood is not speckeld, but upholstered pieces from the 80s are going to be at the end of their useful life.  These are hard conclusions and certainly consult with your local consignment shop, but be ready for the bad news:  your furniture might be dated.

Topics: Will My Furniture Sell, Sell My Furniutre, Furniture Value, Where To Sell Furniture