Can I visit the factory/showroom in north carolina and talk to those guys??

armstrongarland -- I will have a review for you when I receive my sectional... I ordered about 6 weeks ago at this point (it was a custom size.) I can't say anything for sure, and I had the same concerns as you did about the reviews; however, one thing stood out to me online......... The company did not have a bad review anywhere. I think that speaks volumes in itself...

Anyway, I will be sure to post when I receive my furniture...

I do want to add that based off of my experience with Casco Bay thus far (researching extensively, speaking with their rep and the ordering process,) I fully expect to be 100% satisfied with the end result.

(armstrongarland, you are new to this list and just registered, right? so I guess people register when they have a motive to register and post for the first time.... be it your post here or reviews by others.)

Hi Armstrongarland, Re Casco, I am new to this forum but not to Casco so I thought I should respond. I purchased a set of Manchester Brompton Cocoa (sofa chaise and loveseat) over a year ago for our primary residence in Florida. Its wonderful, well made and order, delivery and set up were excellent. We were satisfied enough that we orderd a Manchester sectional for our home in Black Mountain, this time in a Brompton Vintage. Order process and entire experience went very well. Robert was great to work with but the real star this time was Rick from Peace Transport. He delivered the furniture on a Sat at our request and the final resting place was in our loft. He (and we) lifted the furniture over a railing 14' in the air. The sectional is beautiful, I think its very well made but admittedly this piece is only a week old. Love the leather and look of both sets as do our guests. We've found Casco and Peace Transport both great to do business with. You are welcome to contact me offline at your convenience if you have questions.

After much research into sofas, we contacted Casco Bay. Robert was extremely knowledgable and informative. After seeing Restoration Hardware's offering and price we were looking for a high quality sofa similar to what we saw in RH. That's when we found the Madison at Casco.

Robert walked us thru every step, answered every question and assured us of our complete satisfaction. We absolutley love our 90" Madison in Brompton cocoa. It is even more superior in quality than we expected. Beautifully made, gorgeous looking and a solid piece of USA made furniture (opposed to China where RH manufactures).

Monty and Travis from Peace transport delivered our sofa 3 hours early, at our convenience. They were totally professional, organized and very careful This was not an easy delivery to our 2nd story in a historical home. They took great care in setting it up without one mishap. And to top it off, I couldn't bear the sight of the old loveseat so they hauled that out as well. White glove delivery and they went above an beyond. Thanks guys.

Why am I writing this lengthy review? Because I am just like you, counting on the reviews of fellow purchasers. I can not be more satisified with the quality of the product and the service from the first phone call to the day it was delivered. Thanks to all of you at Casco Bay.

I am following up my previous comment; I received my Manchester sectional and ottoman in Brompton Cocoa from Casco Bay today.

FYI - I have been a member of GW for two years and have contributed on various boards/threads during that time. I hope that gives those of you with doubts extra confidence in purchasing from this company. I read reviews endlessly before purchasing items, so I hope my feedback is helpful to others.

My review...

In short: The furniture pieces are beautiful and as advertised. I am happy with my purchase and experience.

Long version... I first contacted CB about ordering on Sept. 1 and confirmed the order specs. on Sept. 3rd. Thus, it took my pieces about 13 weeks to arrive. This wasn't a surprise, especially because I ordered a custom, large sectional (126" x 109" x 48") and a custom, large ottoman (36" x 48".) Also, I live on the west coast and was one of the last stops (if not the last) for the delivery truck coming from NC.

Robert, the CB rep, called me about eight times during the 13 weeks. Most of the calls were during order placement and in the final weeks with updates on where the furniture was. I am pretty sure this is why other customers have raved about the customer service. From what I can tell, they are a small company and can take the time to try to make sure every customer is satisfied.

Delivery was an easy process. The delivery company called one week before delivery (saying it would be in about 5-7 days) and again a day before (saying it would be the next day from 7 am - 10 am.) They drove up around 7:20 am.

As for my furniture pieces, I have looked them over closely and they are beautiful. The leather stitching is flawless, the very large pieces of leather are all beautiful and without imperfections. The CB web site says sectionals/sofas could be off by an inch or two since they are handmade, but mine is exactly what I ordered.

I am likely going to order another leather piece from Casco Bay soon. There is nothing about my experience that would make me hesitate for a second. I think if others are looking for a particular style of sofa (in my case, the Lancaster from RH,) but want a piece solidly constructed within the United States for less money, they also shouldn't hesitate.

If anyone has questions, please ask.
{{gwi:1532810}}

Hello Lolauren:

Thank you so much for your postings as I am finding these most helpful. I have been wanting RH Maxwell sofas/sectional for several years now and we decided to finally bite the bullet and purchase two of their 96" sofas, until my husband discovered Casco Bay. I have a couple of reservations and am hopeful that you might be able to help me. It sounds as if you too did quite a bit of research before purchasing so am working under the assumption that you are extremely familiar with the RH products.

1. One of the things I find most appealing about the RH leather sofas is both the FEEL and the LOOK of their Brompton Cocoa leather. I see that is what you ordered in your sectional: can you say that you absolutely 100% cannot tell a difference? Is the CB as smooth feeling as the RH? Does it look EXACTLY the same?

2. I know you went with the Lancaster (Manchester)equivalent in CB and we are looking at the Maxwell (Madison) but do you find the depth as comfortable?

I do have to say that at least at the RH store I went to their Maxwell and Lancaster sofas are in terrific shape: the former being on the floor for over 5 years and the latter 9, so feel those PARTICULAR ones would withstand my 5 children. However, they were both produced in the States before production sent overseas.

Lolauren, I would appreciate any more feedback/help you could provide, especially more pictures and how you like your sectional now a few weeks into it. Thank you in advance!

Hi Christine,

Can you email me directly? (I just turned on that feature so you can contact me.) It would be easiest for me to send you photos by email.... also, you can tell me exactly what you want to see in photos in that email?

I am familiar with the RH products and fell in love with them also.... the beauty of the leather since it starts to look lived in, the feel of the leather, the depth of the couches, etc. Ultimately, I was turned off by the bad reviews RH has amassed, the price of their product (plus shipping plus tax,) and the fact that I would be buying that product from China.

I have only had the sectional a week, and I live about four hours away from a RH store. I intend to visit RH around Xmas (when I am visiting family) and can compare at that time in person. With that said, my leather is incredibly beautiful and very soft. It has a waxy feel which gives it a smoothness. I am confident it is the same type of leather and similar color. (Every batch/hide of the leather can have slight color variations..... but from memory, it is the same.)

I can say that the (free) swatch sent to me from CB is exactly the same as the leather that is on my sectional. If you haven't, request their swatch. It will not be distressed like the older RH floor models, but you can distress it by hand to bring out the color variations. You can also order a free swatch from RH (which I don't have.) That will give you a way to compare the leathers yourself.

RE: depth, I'm not sure what you mean. Do I find the depth as comfortable as.... what? I just checked the CB site... the Maxwell equivalent is 46". Our sectional depth is about 48". I looooooooooooooooooooove the depth as I can pull my feet up on the seat cushion quite comfortably. The depth also forces me to relax back into the couch. It is not a good depth if you want to sit upright on the couch with your feet on the floor for an extended period, of course. I intend to buy a accent chair or two for guests who might have mobility issues for that reason..... but for DH and I who will use the furniture daily for lounging, the depth feels heavenly.

Hello to everybody,
I've placed order on Madison in mid October of 2012.
Arrived just yesterday, yey! I took almost 3 months to get it :( but it was worth of waiting! More likely Christmas time and New Years slow down on delivery time... Let me tell you (I know other people who ordered from Casco have same opinion)this piece of furniture is excellent quality and craftsman ship, which exceeds my expectations, period!
Thank you Mr. Robert and Kristina for all updates i got from you! Sofa was bundle like little baby so there was no damage. Guys from Sun Delivery make it easy and fast. It took less then 10 min from their arrival and sofa was in a place. Just want to share few pictures I snapped of my new 9' long 46" deep Madison sofa:
{{gwi:1532812}}

This post was edited by Szelas73 on Fri, Jan 11, 13 at 16:34

Hi, Szelas73!

I love the way your Madison sofa looks. I have been considering buying the same one from Casco bay. Just a little nervous that they have no negative reviews anywhere (that I can find). May be too good to be true?

Anyway, my question is, what kind of leather is it? Is it the Brompton cocoa? I know that leather is a popular one, but I am not sure I like the distressed look which it appears to have on some websites.

How is the sofa holding up? Thanks, looking forward to hearing back from you.

Does anyone have a picture of the Lancaster couch they purchased from casco bay furniture? We like the prices better there compared to RH. Please let me know as we are looking forward to purchasing this couch. :)

Okay, I'm just now joining the club as far as the sofas. Are you owners of the Casco Bay still happy? What about Luxury Leather owners?
I am pining for that Maxwell RH sofa in the Brompton Cocoa but just don't want to put out that much money, especially since I will be downsizing in a few years and will have to get rid of a ton of furniture.
Thanks for any feedback.

So this is ironic, but I just joined today because I do want to share my experience with Casco Bay with my current order process. I'm typically a lurker on GardenWeb and have learned a lot from people who have posted - I just haven't had much to contribute yet so I didn't create a login until today.

I have been looking into purchasing a leather sofa and almost bought a RH Maxwell, but after reading a TON of reviews online about durability and their poor customer service, I decided not to purchase. I have also noticed 1 and 2 year old RH leather sofas look sloppy and saggy, and that's completely unacceptable to me, especially when I'm forking out a few thousand on a sofa. I saw a few posts about Casco Bay on GardenWeb and like others have observed, I couldn't really find anything negative about the products themselves on the Internet, but did read a few concerns on another forum that I found last night and started freaking out about because I already placed my order and have a delivery date - but again, nothing directly related to the products they sell, just regarding anonymity of the owners, physical addresses and locations, and that they don't have a big showroom like a lot of the other furniture companies have. I looked on their website and found that they do have addresses posted, but I don't care because I'm not going to travel to the east coast just to look at a sofa when I can see pictures online. As long as I'm getting a sofa with the quality they say im getting, I'll be happy. I could care less about where they're located and who the owners are as long as I get a solid quality product that lasts me for the 20-30ish (or whatever they said... A long time) years they said it would.

I decided to order a 95" Madison (Maxwell) from them in the 46" depth, Italian Brompton Cocoa, with upgraded Ultracel 1.8 cushions, 5 year warranty, and the leather care kit. They told me it's not made out of hardwood plywood, is made with 8-way hand tied springs. I even asked about getting a sleeper sofa for occasional use instead of a regular sofa and they talked me out of it because 1) I wouldn't be using it as a sleeper very often, and 2) they said it wouldn't be as comfortable and would just be an ok sofa. He said the 46" depth would provide more than enough room for someone to sleep on and if I need more room, to use a different arrangement. That works for me, saves me money, and so I'll just use a blow up Aerobed if guests come over.

Although I can't comment on the sofa just yet, I can say the process of ordering has been easy, and all of my questions have been answered - and I asked a ton of questions to Robert(?). I placed my order the first week of December and they estimated it would be ready in 6-8 weeks. I received an email notification the last week of December stating the product was complete and delivered to the shipping company, and they'd set up a time with me for delivery. Talking to the delivery company has also been easy. They said they would be in my area within a couple of weeks, gave me a specific date, and a window of time when they'd be delivering it. I will reply to this thread once it's delivered and after I've had it for at least a week or two. I'm concerned how the leather will fare with my dogs, but that's an inherent problem with any leather and dog nails. But I do want to share my initial thoughts and come back to this thread to share updates.

Again, the ordering process has been easy, but this is what I would expect the experience to be like when ordering furniture from any company - good customer service, updates on when I'm being charged, updates on when the item has been made, prompt response via email and phone, and easy delivery schedule.

I can't say anything about the sofa because it's not been delivered yet and I ordered it sight unseen, but I did receive the leather kit last week and I'm really looking forward to delivery soon.

I have been looking for a leather sofa for a while and have become a bit discouraged by what I have seen in the higher end market. I initially was excited about Casco Bay, but thought it might be crazy to buy without testing. We have checked out Ethan Allen, Arhaus, and Hancock and Moore and each have had some downside. Not made in US for the first two and not so comfortable for H&M. H&M also sells "program" sofas at a lower price, but these apparently have been dressed in leather kits assembled abroad. I am now back to Casco Bay, and would love to hear updates from purchasers. Lovemydogs, how is your sofa?

I agree with Shagdash - I'm in the same predicament. I'm shocked people purchase a couch without sitting on it! How do you know it's comfortable? And how do you define comfortable - some think hard is comfortable and some think soft is comfortable. How does this work when you buy something without testing it? I've also been doing a lot of research on Casco Bay and while most of the reviews are positive, it's hard to tell how authentic they are. I also saw a disturbing message stream on another furniture forum site (myfurnitureforum), but again, it's hard to dig into the details there too.

The couch I have now is from Crate and Barrel and it pretty much "died" after 5 years. I'm being told that's a long time for a couch from a company like C&B, but I would like my next couch to last me double that length, especially if I go for a leather couch, which is what I want.

Any input on someone who has had a Casco Bay couch for years would be really helpful! And your decision process on why you decided on a couch without testing it, and if that's your style (i.e. you would also buy a bed without lying on it) or if you took a risk and it paid off.

Thanks!

Every review posted on a Houzz.com professional page has been carefully verified by the Houzz support staff. You actually cannot even post a review without this vetting. Once a review is submitted to Houzz it can take several days prior to its posting. Many of our customers have posted photos of their furniture in their homes along with their Houzz.com reviews. The reviews on our web site also contains pictures, phone numbers and email address and you are free to contact any of these people.

The location of our company and the names of our management are posted in our contact area on our site and in our BBB report, in which we are rated A+. Our warranty is insured and professionally managed by an outside company. Factory tours for our customers, are available at Jonathan Wesley Upholstery in Taylorsville, NC.

Patricia0711

Yes it's Brompton Cocoa leather with ultra cell cushions. With each year pass leather looks even better, more distressed :) I'm still 100% happy with this purchase. Good luck with your purchase.

I have been considering buying the same one from Casco bay. Just a
little nervous that they have no negative reviews anywhere.

To all who still not sure if they should buy from Casco Bay Furniture... I'll say go for it! It's well worth it! 3 years owning, no sagging, leather got more softer and nicer to touch and is aging nicely. Just use cleaning leather kit provided with sofa once a year and enjoy! Casco Bay is 100% legit.

Hi - I am looking into a Madison sectional in a fabric option. If you own a Madison can you comment on the cushion comfort? Does it feel like the RH model when sitting down; do you sink in a good comfortable way? The couch I have now is poly fill (no down wrap) and it is so uncomfortable; it is new, but I will still celebrate the day we get rid of it!

I like the RH Maxwell, but if it's made in China for that price I don't feel right about it. Especially reading the longevity of the cushions in reviews. They should have kept manufacturing in the US :(

Thanks for any information you can provide.

tb we offer six down
seat cushion options to suit every type of seating requirement
including down blend wrapped cushions with three types of Ultracel foam
cores in soft, medium and firm. We also have two down blend wrapped cushions
with Ultracel spring down cores in regular and heavy duty. We also offer three different
back cushion cores comprised of a down, feather and a fiber mix. The back cores
come in regular, firm and extra firm.

Keep in mind that
cushions do need to be broken in. The cushions you sat on in the store may have
been in the store for years and were probably well broken in.

Our
favorite seat cushion is a medium softness Ultracel spring down cushion. This cushion is
comprised of a series of coil springs which are individually wrapped in fabric which are then collectively wrapped
in a "blanket" of fiber. The coils and "blanket” are then
wrapped in several inches of medium softness Ultracel foam (1.8 21 IFD),
which is then wrapped in a down, feather and fiber blend. This cushion gives you a
lot of "ride", when you sit in the cushion you sink deeply into the
cushion and when you stand up it resumes it shape. The cushion has a more full
appearance when it is not being sat on. It is also very long lasting and it has
been tested for 20,000 impressions. This cushion takes about a month to break
in. We also carry a heavy duty version of the spring down cushion in which we can
vary the density and softness of the Ultracel foam which surrounds the springs (2.5 25 IFD or greater) and the strength
of the springs used in the coils.

The down/feather blend is sterilized and
contained in a ticking and the leather or fabric casing but we do also have down alternatives. If you are looking for
something else we can also special orders seat or back cushions based
your personal requirements. All of our cushion casings are zippered.
As a result all of our cushions cores are easily replaceable.

> All of our cushion casings are zippered.
As a result all of our cushions cores
> are easily replaceable.

Sounds like a fact that should be mentioned on your site, preferably with pictures to show the same. I don't remember seeing that fact anywhere.

Good point.

Having a Brampton cocoa petite Madison fr 6 month now, and we love everything about it. Can anyone recommend a care product ( conditioner or wax ) to keep it in best shape?

Thanks

Smasmahope we carry a particular product just for this leather. You should not use just any product on this leather. We have been carrying it for over 9 years and found through our own experience and from feedback from our customers that it works very well. The cost is also very reasonable and it is easy to apply. As with any leather it is important to clean and hydrate your leather sofa. Dehydrated leather can eventually develop cracking. Once leather has cracked it is very difficult if not impossible to repair. Give us a call and you can purchase it if you like. Thank you for the compliment.

Does LoveMyDogs or anyone else want to share impressions a few years into their use of Casco Bay sofas?

Jersey if you will review our 112 reviews on Houzz.com many of which have photos of the furniture in consumer homes, additionally all of the reviews have been verified by Houzz. Houzz checks IP address of each review and takes other measures if needed to verify reviews you will find many customers who have posted reviews of their furniture having had the furniture in their homes for several years. I recall a few which had their leather sofas for 5 years. Just as an FYI I have Casco Bay Madison sectional in my own family room and it is 6 years old. My wife and I have a 3 and 5 year old grandchild who spend a lot of time at our house including many vacations in which the grand kids stay with us and and our sectional in Brompton Cocoa still looks like new. The Brompton Cooca leather has held up pefectly. There is no sag to the cushions or springs. If you want to email us I can send you a picture of the set. One reflection of the quality of product is our clearance area which is generally reserved from most companies for returns and you will find nothing in clearanxe as rarely do we ever get a set back. Generally all we have in clearance is photo samples. We have sold over 12000 customers in the past 12 years. We take no short cuts in the materials used in the construction of our sofas. Most of our upholsterers were sample makers from other high qulity companies with 30 years expereince. One of our factory owners owned Taylor King, one of the premier companies in the industry with his family selling the business to Hancock and Moore where he continued to run the factory after the sale. After a period of time he re-opened as Jonathan Weslley Furniture who makes a number of our sets under a private contract to our specs. All of his upholsterers were his former employees. We use the same suppliers used by other top quality companies selling sofas at twice our cost such as Moore and Giles of Forest Virginia as our our exclusive leather supplier, Associated Hardwoods of Granite Falls, North Carolina as our exclusive hardwood supplier and Ultra Mech also of North Carolina as our exclusive mechanism supplier in our recliner program. These are the same suppliers for example used by Hancock and Moore. Please give me a call if I can be of any further help. I personally have 41 years of expereince in the industry and would be happy to impart any knowledge I have to you whether or not you choose one of our sets. I enjoy talking to people. Robert

Honestly can’t remember exactly how many years ago we bought a South End soca from Casco Bay, but it seems like it’s been at least 4 years now, perhaps more. We bought it soon after they started offering that style, sight unseen except for photos (they are in ME, we are in CA). Very very happy with it — no complaints and it has held up beautifully. So much so that we’re thinking of ordering another one.

6+ years with our Casco Bay leather sofa. I love it. My husband doesn’t think it’s comfortable, but he’s super picky. It’s a very deep, soft sofa, and he prefers narrow and firm. But the leather wears well. It definitely breaks In nicely. If they have a firm option, I recommend that, but all in all I’d recommend the company!

Hello we have been building these sofas for almost 13 years. As far as seat depth we do now carry our deep seated, Manchester and Madison styles in three depths. We offer our popular Kingsbridge and Brighton tufted sofas in two depths. We also have 6 seat cushion options and three back cushion options. Our most popular seat cushion option today is what is called an Ultracel Spring Down cushion. We offer this cushion in firm, but most people prefer the regular version of this cushion. As far as leather, 98% of the leather we sell is full grain, full aniline dyed representing the top few percent of leather used on upholstered furniture. This type of leather is dyed all the way through. Most of our leather comes from one tannery in Bassao Del Grappa Italy, The oldest and one of the finest tanneries in the world. As this tannery is part of the European Union. The leathers they produce do not contain formaldehyde which can be found in leathers tanned elsewhere. In fact we do not carry any leathers produced with formaldehyde. Similarly our frames are all 5/4 hardwood which do not contain formaldehyde as they are all natural, unlike the plywood frames used by most manufacturers. Plywood generally contain formaldehyde and glues. Similarity as our furniture is also produced in North Carolina it is not shipped from overseas. Many sofas shipped from Asia for example, will have a chemical in the container or stapled to the frame called DMF. This chemical is used to prevent mold, but it is toxic and banned in the EU for consumer goods but not in the US.. If you are interested in learning more about the use of Formaldehyde found in furniture have a look at this link: https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/fact-sheets/formaldehyde-furniture-products . If you are interested in knowing more about DMF used in the transport of furniture refer to this link: https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/allergy-to-dimethyl-fumarate . Thank you very much for recommending our company.

Mchembree thank you for your nice comment . The South End is a beautiful sofa. 5/4 solid Maple Frame, True 8 way Hand Tied Hand Knotted Springs, Hand Needle Tufted. Full Grain Full Aniline dyed leather. Made in Taylorsville, NC,

Hello, we have had a Madison 95 inch sofa and a recliner in Brompton leather for almost 6 years and we have been very happy. The leather has worn well and aged nicely despite daily family and dog use. I would definitely order from them again. The quality is way better than the leather furniture we saw in stores.

Shagdash, thank you very much for the compliment.

We've had a Casco Bay sofa in Brompton Cocoa for over 7 years now. We've moved (5 times) and abused this sofa (two young kids) and it looks awesome. I expect to pass it down to one of our children many years from now. The photos show how great it still looks but don't be alarmed by the difference in the cushion color and backing color- that's less distinct than my lighting and camera made it out to be. It all looks very cohesive in person.

Rose thank you very much for your comment. In as much as you have owned your sofa for 7 years with an active family I have to agree that the sofa still looks great. We do build our sofas to a high standard. With proper care your sofa should continue to look great for many years.