Why are Recliner Mechanisms more problematic?

[byhammerandhand]

I did the work for the Drexel Heritage / Henredon store when they were open here in town.   I can't say that I was really impressed with their product.

If one stops and thinks, I would venture that people today do not know what a Drexel, Heritage, or a Henredon furniture product is?

Times change,

Doyle

[sofadoc]

I used to do repair work for a now-defunct furniture store in my town. They carried brands like Drexel, Broyhill, Heritage, Henredon, as well as La-Z-Boy.

I considered those brands to be "mid-grade" in quality. But the local perception around here, was that they were extremely "high-end".

I had a guy in the shop last month complaining about his new sofa. "It's a Mayo, it's s'posed to be a good 'un" (insert redneck drawl).

Funny comment from Doyle talking about how people wouldn't think twice about paying $700 for an electronic device that'll probably be outdated before they're done paying for it.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that those $700 I-phones cost less than 50 bucks to produce and distribute. I'll bet the packaging cost as much as the phone does.

[gene]

What Doyle may not be thinking about is that you can't take a sofa or club chair into a movie theater or symphony performance or church or wedding or funeral and have your PERSONALIZED RINGER go off on the highest volume setting just to let everyone know that you have a $700 cell phone!  8)

gene

[wizzard]

What Doyle may not be thinking about is that you can't take a sofa or club chair into a movie theater or symphony performance or church or wedding or funeral and have your PERSONALIZED RINGER go off on the highest volume setting just to let everyone know that you have a $700 cell phone!  Cool

I have to add to the $700 cell phone the slim LED/LCD/Plasma TV mostly in a monster size, one finds in customers home and complaining about our labor price that we are too expensive.
The priorities of the general public just has changed quite a lot.

But now going back to the Recliners......
I have noticed that in 90% it just does not pay to do a reupholster job with Recliners and most customers think they can get the job for $300.- done when they only paid $399.-- at the box store.
And usually there comes the question, oh can you fix this too, there is just something loose (even though the mechanism is broken).
Nevertheless enough of whining and complaining, I do have many customers which do appreciate a nice reupholster job, which keeps me going.

[byhammerandhand]

Not everyone can afford a $700 phone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[baileyuph]

I did the work for the Drexel Heritage / Henredon store when they were open here in town.   I can't say that I was really impressed with their product.

Those brands several years ago, 25 or 30, were top quality. 
So was LA-Z-Boy.

It is obvious that today non of the top brands are doing things the way they did that long ago.  It has been stated before, but the brands that offered old quality are high on the list of brands going out at the retail level.  Competition has driven those brands to lower quaity in order to sell.

Which leads to a question:  What is considered a top brand today for making quality products equal to 30 years ago?

The newer supposedly quality stuff coming into my shop today is not equal to their old standards.  Broyhill?  Flexsteel? Ethan Allen?

You say you are not impressed with those previously mentioned, name a few brands today that have not lowered their standards, to stay in business? 

Being fair minded, even though standards have been lowered, most traditional manufacturers still put out a better product than the cheap stuff the rental stores sell, agree? 

I see items coming into the shop that do not display a manufacturers label, sometimes inside it is determined that it the manufacturer is one of the Asian countries.  Vietnam to name one.  Their hardwood is not equal to our hardwoods, seems more brittle. 

Price sells is the bottom line!  Can't blame the manufacturer, in that perspective.

Doyle

[kodydog]

When I did factory work over 30 years ago these companies were considered top of the line; Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Lane, Thomasville, and the company I worked for Hickory Chair.

Most of these companies paid by the hour and not by the piece and they maintained strict quality control even turning down pieces that weren't up to company standards. A good upholsterer could be proud to work in one of these companies.

Today these companies are all owned by Broyhill. One would think when Broyhill acquired these companies they would maintain the quality and even bring their own standards up a bit. But of coarse the opposite happened. Broyhill brought the standards of these fine companies down to their level and now we can see very little difference between Henredon, Drexel Heritage and Broyhill.

We could blame it all on China but the furniture is still designed in the good old USA and if China is sending us sub-par furniture we should turn it down, send it back. Problem is the consumers want cheep and that's what Broyhill is giving them.  

[baileyuph]

Kody you explained it well, thanks.

BTW Kody, I didn't know that Broyhill had acquired the companies you mentioned.

How does Furniture Brands fit into this equation or do they?

I do know FB stock is pretty low.

Doyle

[kodydog]

I'd never heard of Furniture Brand so Googled it and found their home page.

http://www.furniturebrands.com/

I'm still not sure who they are. Sounds like their a manufacturer/designer with all the name brands I mentioned but maybe more a distributor or wholesaler?

[baileyuph]

Furniture Brands is a corporation that over the years bought up brands and became an amalgamation.  They manufacturer and off shore a lot of work but due to the business climate over the last 10 years, their stock has languished.

I have followed their stock a long time, they have been close to bankruptcy a number of times and obviously aren't making money, note their stock value.

Price sells, all manufacturers are struggling (furniture in particular) to keep prices down.  All this is reflected in the quality of furniture from premier brands. 

In a word, I don't think I would invest in the furniture manufacturing segment.

Doyle