By Donna Birch – The Modesto Bee
\nDecorating tips<\/p>\n
Jennifer Williams of Crow Trading Co. shared some tips on decorating with vintage or antique pieces:<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Decorate with pieces you love. Go with what you like and will work for your lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid to decorate in an eclectic style, mixing styles and ages of furniture. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A clean-lined red painted antique Chinese cabinet can look great with your great-grandmother\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Victorian chair.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d
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\n\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Families with children can incorporate antique furniture into their decor, too. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some people think of antiques as being too fragile for an active family,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Many of the pieces we sell have been around for generations and have many years of use and enjoyment left.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
MODESTO, CALIF. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d When Kristin and John Webb were ready to buy furniture for their home, they didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t go to a showroom or big-box store in search of brand-new pieces.<\/p>\n
Instead, they headed to Crow Trading Co., a Modesto, Calif., store that sells antique and vintage furniture, decor, accessories and collectibles.<\/p>\n
Money was a concern for the first-time homeowners, who recently moved from Los Angeles to Turlock, Calif., Kristin Webb\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hometown.<\/p>\n
With a new mortgage and a 15-month-old toddler, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we were trying to find things we can afford,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Kristin Webb, 36. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like we have money to burn.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
At the store, they found a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153really cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 100-year-old solid wood Asian buffet-style cabinet.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll backlight it and put all of our wine and martini glasses in it,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n
Webb loves its unique look and that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a multifunctional piece that can be used in any room.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buy new pieces,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153But from a design standpoint, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want my whole house looking like a Pottery Barn catalog.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
With uncertain economic times ahead and high prices on everything from food to gasoline, many consumers are watching their hard-earned dollars more carefully.<\/p>\n
Unable \u00e2\u20ac\u201d or unwilling \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to plop down hundreds of bucks on brand-new couches, beds, armoires, coffee tables and such, shoppers are taking a fresh look at consignment, antique and used-furniture stores.<\/p>\n
Used furniture can be found all over: in thrift shops such as Buy-Rite and charity-affiliated stores such as Goodwill, the American Cancer Society\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Discovery shops and Community Hospice\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Hope Chest. There also are consignment stores.<\/p>\n
How a typical consignment store works: An employee evaluates the merchandise a person wants to sell and assigns a fixed price based on its condition. The piece is then displayed in the store for sale.<\/p>\n
When someone buys it, the store keeps a previously agreed-upon percentage, which can range from 40 to 60 percent of the selling price. The rest goes to the original owner. Consignment is an option for people with gently used furniture to sell who don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to deal directly with potential buyers or haggle over price as they would at a garage sale.<\/p>\n
J.S. West Bargain Annex and K.P.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Consignment are two Modesto stores that buy and sell pieces on consignment.<\/p>\n
K.P.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, in business since 2004, carries everything from armoires and chaise lounges to sectionals and dining-room sets.<\/p>\n
J.S. West\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Bargain Annex, which carries used and new discount furniture, has offered consignment services since the early 1980s, according to store manager Donna Sinchak.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We get customers who want gently used furniture,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sometimes people get tired of their homes having the same old look but they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to spend a lot\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to redecorate.<\/p>\n
There are also those who come there to sell their stuff.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We get people who are downsizing,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Sinchak added, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153including retirees moving into smaller quarters.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The Bargain Annex does a 50-50 split with its consignees. If a piece doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sell in 90 days, the owner receives 50 percent of the final marked sale price.<\/p>\n
Ellen Bobian of Modesto has been a regular at the Bargain Annex store on Eighth Street for about 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t buy anything new anymore,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Bobian, 62. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why, if you can find something just as good \u00e2\u20ac\u201d if not better \u00e2\u20ac\u201d at a lower price?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Bobian said she likes to change her furniture often, so she buys and sells items on consignment at the Bargain Annex all the time. Previous acquisitions include a Victorian-style settee with a matching chair, a Flexsteel couch and a buffet.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I paid $600 for the Flexsteel couch,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Bobian said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I saw the same couch in a store and it was $3,000.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
There have been occasions when she waited to buy an item to see if the price would be reduced, and her patience paid off. But a few times, she delayed too long and missed out. But that comes with the territory, she said.<\/p>\n
Just for kids<\/p>\n
Stores such as Once Upon a Child and Little Ones, both in Modesto, Calif., specialize in children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s merchandise.<\/p>\n
Katie Hansen opened Little Ones in the Roseburg Square shopping center in June. The store is different from a typical consignment store because it buys items outright, said Hansen.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good business to be in because babies are always being born,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition to clothing, toys and strollers, the store has infant and toddler furniture: cribs, bassinets, high chairs, beds and bookshelves. The store\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s furniture inventory varies depending on what people have brought in.<\/p>\n
People come into the store \u00e2\u20ac\u0153looking for good deals because they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re tired of the high prices in regular stores.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153A lot of people are struggling,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Everybody wants to save a penny.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
The most requested items are cribs, she said.<\/p>\n
Hansen said she gets a lot of business from grandparents who want a whole setup for their own house \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a crib, changing table, high chair, swing, etc. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d for their grandchildren when they visit.<\/p>\n
Shops that sell used children\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s furniture, especially nursery items, usually have strict requirements regarding what they will and won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t accept.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It has to be clean and in good, resale condition,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hansen said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No broken or missing pieces, no rips.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
She\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also likely to turn away furniture that is six or more years old because of safety concerns.<\/p>\n
Parents who want to sell their gently used nursery furniture should do a bit of homework.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Customers should call first to make sure we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re accepting what they want to sell,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Hansen advised.<\/p>\n
They should also have the item\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manufacturer, make and model information on hand. Store employees will check to make sure the item has not been recalled.<\/p>\n
Hansen said any used item brought to her store should be assembled so she can verify its condition. And, she added, potential sellers should have realistic expectations about pricing. She prices nothing in her store over 60 percent of retail value.<\/p>\n
Nothing beats a bargain<\/p>\n
Kristin Webb of Turlock, Calif., said that although she does have some newer furniture, when it comes to substantial pieces \u00e2\u20ac\u201d such as the buffet cabinet from Crow Trading Co. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d she prefers old over new any day.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It lasts forever and is visually interesting,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To get what we got, if we went into a store and bought something similar brand new, we would have paid double the price. I felt like I got a great deal.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Donna Birch – The Modesto Bee Decorating tips Jennifer Williams of Crow Trading Co. shared some tips on decorating with vintage or antique pieces: \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Decorate with pieces you love. Go with what you like and will work for your lifestyle. \u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid to decorate in an eclectic style, mixing styles and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-furniture-indonesia-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5234\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indonesia-furniture.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}