How Do I Furnish This Place When Everything is Backordered?
By Bridgett Biagi Garratt
My husband and I did something we said we NEVER would do! Now, before you think of something naughty, it doesn’t fall into that category. We said we would never buy a vacation home. The reason for this is that we felt we would have to spend every vacation at said home and never venture out to new places. We have been married for 30 years and both held firm to this feeling. In a matter of a long weekend, that all changed. In a matter of 3 months, we became owners of a vacation home.
This change of heart happened rather quickly. I went on a long weekend girl’s trip with my tennis team in September. One of my teammates had a wonderful place on 30A in the Florida Panhandle. We had a fabulous time playing tennis at Seaside Tennis in the morning followed by mimosas at Modica Market, then on to the beach! We had great dinners out at the wonderful restaurants in the area and closed out the weekend with a beach bonfire.
My husband said my voice sounded so happy and relaxed, he just blurted out “do you want to buy a place there?” I blurted back without hesitation “YES!” No discussion or second guessing, we both quickly forged ahead.
Luckily my teammate’s husband is a realtor and introduced us to his business partner in the area. I knew the location I wanted, and was prepared to find a place already built, fully furnished with a golf cart. We did stick with the location, however we ended up purchasing a newly built townhouse where nearly EVERYTHING had to be purchased. We put in our offer on Halloween and closed on December 10th. In the meantime, I was a woman on a mission. My mission was to furnish a three-bedroom place with all furniture plus washer, dryer, and lighting. Our goal was to be able to comfortably enjoy this place over the holiday season and I had to consider every furnishing angle.
I had very little time to head back to Florida to make my purchases, so I went online only to discover most items are not readily available. Just about everything I liked was backordered until March 2022 at the earliest. I decided to look at local furniture places in Franklin, Tennessee, where our permanent residence is located. I am so happy I did this, because I found wonderful small businesses with the most fantastic customer service!
My first stop was to Riverside Franklin located on Bridge Street in Franklin, Tennessee. When I told the salesperson of my dilemma of needing to furnish a vacation home 7 hours away, he immediately told me that if I purchase enough furniture from them, they will drive it, for a cost, all the way to Florida! Well, that got my attention! I found my kitchen table & 6 chairs, entertainment console, 2 family room chairs, a chandelier and lamps. The owner also told me to come in the next day to finalize my purchase because they were having a huge sale where you spin a wheel and get a percentage off your entire purchase. I got 15% off all of this! Riverside did not have bedroom furniture, so I had some more hunting to do, but I was off to a great start!
That same weekend, a monthly sale of furnishings was happening in the Nashville, Tennessee area called Sara Sells. I had friends visiting that weekend, so I was sure to miss this golden opportunity. As it turns out, my teammate/friend shot me a text to let me know that items that did not sell would be for sale online. I quickly got on the website and found a couch (with stain resistant material) and a coffee table! They deliver up to 100 miles from their location. Husband and I decided we would now hire a truck for our move.
I went to Classy Cat Consignment in Brentwood, Tennessee. I have purchased items there in the past. They always have quality furniture and deliver large items for a reasonable fee. I found two pendants that will be perfect over the kitchen island.
I still needed bedroom furniture. I went to another local business, Headsprings Depot, a family-owned business with its warehouse less than 3 miles from my house! When I met with the salesperson, I told her I could only purchase what was readily available. I found my master bedroom and 1 of the guest bedroom furniture plus the mattresses. She also showed me a bed that I said “oh, that’s not what I had in mind’ only to be told that Dolly Parton has that same bed! Shame on me, I should have bought the Dolly Parton bed. I love Dolly Parton and of course she is a patron of family-owned small businesses, because that is the Dolly Parton way!
The only thing left was the other guest bedroom. Being the 11th of 12 children, I want at least one room to fit as many sleepy nieces and nephews as possible in for beach time slumber parties. I could not locate two sets of bunk beds in a store, but I did find them in stock online at Pottery Barn. I ordered two sets of bunk beds and 4 mattresses. The estimated arrival was to be 2 weeks before the moving trucks were to come! It was going to go as smooth as butter! I could just picture it! But guess what still is not at the home as I type this on January 10, 2022? The freaking bunk beds!
All the local family-owned businesses delivered the items when they said they would but not the big-time place. That being said, I did order my washer and dryer from Lowes and it was delivered on time, so shout-out to Lowes!
Two Men and a Truck Movers arrived on December 10th, loaded all my items, drove it to Florida, and delivered them the next day, in perfect condition, just as they promised.
In conclusion, if you need quality furniture in a timely manner here is my advice:
*Look for Family-Owned Businesses
*Look at furniture resale places
*Let the salesperson know your situation. They may offer to deliver and offer a discount for large purchases.
*Let the salesperson know that you must have items that are immediately available.
Links to businesses where I made purchases:
Headsprings Depot
https://www.headspringsdepot.com/collections
Riverside Franklin
https://riversidefranklin.com/
Sara Sells
Classy Cat Consignment
https://classycatconsignmentfurniture.com/
Two Men and a Truck
Lowes: