Depending on how long it has been since you were here, you will probably be sorely disappointed. Most of our great stores have closed down. Do a lot of research online about what stores are still open and where they are. There may be more open in Hickory than High Point these days. The Fall Furniture Market closes Thursday and some of the stores remain open and sell off products at the end of market.

Sorry to hear that. Although I've never been there, the market has always been part of legend; too bad it is failing like so many other enterprises in America!

Market is still here - although somewhat reduced in scope. It is being challenged by Dallas and Vegas, but so far has survived. The public generally cannot get into the market showrooms. It's all the thriving furniture businesses (manufacturers and retail stores/outlets) that are gone. You could get very good quality furniture at a reasonable price. People used to fly in from all over the world and shop here at the large retail furniture stores.

We were at Furnitureland South a few months ago, but I was not bowled over. First thing I saw as we entered were a pair of side tables I purchased 6 years ago for my last house. They are beautiful, but didn't reflect a market change. I have had some success at the Hickory Furniture Mart by shopping in the manufacturer dedicated shops during the post market weekend (1st in November). It can be crowded and challenging. You must go prepared - room layouts, measurements, etc as you will be making fast decisions. My best purchases are usually chairs from Mitchell Gold - most I have reupholstered to get the right color, but $400 for a $2,000 chair works for me. The furniture manufacturer shops certainly aren't like they were 20 years ago - then Henredon ran their own outlet.

This is so sad....I last went about 15 years ago. The people we talked to took all the time in the world to sit down with us, ask us what we needed, looked at paint samples I brought with to try to help me with my color scheme, etc. If I recall correctly, we went to a Pennsylvania House-specific store (or at least they carried a lot of PH) plus some other stores that carried multiple brands. They were all in a single ginormous mall.

That would have been the Atrium furniture mall. Long gone. Furnitureland South is about all that is left and they have a less than stellar track record and reputation. There is Priba but i wouldn't travel here for just that store.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, hard as it is to hear. I don't mind paying for quality but I do hate to pay an arm and a leg for something and then have it fail. With furniture, it's so hard to know (for a lay person) what will work out. I have a Pottery Barn chair that is probably the most uncomfortable thing I've ever sat on, which is a year old. I have two other chairs from a random little Amish furniture store (now closed) that have held up like champs after 10 years of heavy use and abuse.

The service I got from the Furniture Mart was awesome. I had a piece arrive with a little ding, which the delivery man promptly took away and it was replaced with no hassle and no questions asked. My sister, on the other hand, had to argue tooth and nail to get a very large and very expensive furniture chain in Chicago to replace the leather couch she ordered but they delivered in the wrong color. Sigh....

So...any suggestions for good stores in or near Chicago?

tressa150

It's a minefield. I'd advise anyone these days to consider getting some honest professional design help. Much of what you find so accessible online is junk. Pottery Barn upholstery falls into that category, their bedding is great in most cases, an inexpensive accent piece, fun accessories or pillows fine!! Restoration Hardware can be great for occasional accent pieces, lighting....bedding, but upholstery nope! It's a landfill waiting to happen. In upholstery, a construction process of important guts to create a lasting and comfortable piece?......wholesalers such as Hickory Chair, Pearson Taylor King make a very high quality product. At the very high end is Baker, and very moderately priced would be CR Laine. Quality case pieces at Hickory Chair, Hickory White, ......some great style at Global Views, Oly, Artistica, Mr. Brown, Room and Board if you lean transitional or modern. Room and Board is excellent!! on case pieces and beds with super customer service as well. American made, modern to transitional, but I would stay far away from upholstery for serious sitting and lounging from them too. It's a minefield all over : ) as I said. Many more of course, and not enough room to critique the vast range of bad to excellent

Easier said than done, Jan Moyer. The first design firm we hired wanted approximately half of our $50K budget for the design fee (in addition to earning a commission on items purchased through them). The firm we've ultimately gone with has studiously avoided giving us a budget despite repeated requests. They also recommended a kitchen contractor whom we promptly fired after they came back with a design that was twice the budget we had talked about (and additional $30K) and basically unusable because there were errors in it and the items suggested didn't fit the space. The lack of budget plus bum contractor suggests we're not long to work together.

I'd gladly hand the project over to a professional...finding one you can trust is tricky! It seems no one cares about your money quite like you do. :)

In Raleigh on Glenwood drive there are some furniture stores that may be worth a look and still carry nice products. I enjoy heavners furniture ( it is cash and carry and their inventory changes constantly) and Greenfire in Raleigh but there are others as well .Basset furniture is along that stretch too. In Durham there is Riverview galleries and they carry some quality products. Good luck!