Weekends are too long. Said no one ever. I love the song – Said No One Ever by Jana Kramer. It is so true.
So back in September, I started a home ‘nesting’ project to redecorate my teenage daughter’s room. Out with the pinks and little girl stuff. Get rid of the wallpaper and replace a beat up Pottery Barn bureau that was very disappointing in terms of quality. Lousy drawer construction – should have lasted much longer, but it didn’t. It had to go.
Fast forward (not really), six months later and the room was barely progressing. What was supposed to be an easy part of the project was finding a white, large, quality-made bureau. Boy were we wrong. Web searches – nothing. In-person weekend jaunts to all the reputable furniture stores we could think of…nothing. White was apparently only for nurseries. Off-white, distressed seemed to be the only option and then, even then, the quality was lousy. Frustrated to be finding a real gap in the market for what we needed. Now what?
But chance would lead us to a solution that I am thrilled with and need to share with anyone who reads this blog or needs quality wooden furniture!
Taking my son back to college after a doctor’s appointment, I realize I can’t bring him back to school without feeding him. It is part of my Mom job description to ensure he is dropped off with a full stomach! So, we stop for lunch and unlike this dreary week, the sun is shining and the spot we pick has opened up its storefront for al fresco dining. It’s March so this is a REAL treat! This is where CHANCE puts even more spring in my step in addition to eating in the fresh air.
For anyone who knows me, I pay a LOT of attention to my surroundings. Some (my husband) would say to a fault. I love to look around, soak in the surroundings, hear what other people are talking about, check out styles and groups, evaluate messaging, signage, parking jobs – you name it, I notice it. My father always complimented me on how observant I was and I took that as a HUGE compliment. So, as I am soaking in the sun and checking out my surroundings, I notice a storefront across the street a few doors up with wooden furniture in the window. I notice WHITE wooden furniture and I get quite enthused. I may have stumbled upon a solution to our furniture dead-end.
My top weekend chore that following weekend is to check this place out. I don’ t know about your week, but there is no room in my week for fitting in such personal errands. Plus, I did not have my teenage daughter (critic) with me to weigh in. So another weekend includes an excursion back to Moody Street in Waltham to check this wooden furniture place out. Bonanza! Great options, great service, high quality pieces and all kinds of finishes to choose from. We order a bureau in gray. Even though white was available, my daughter chooses gray to go with the gray/teal motif she is building. We are all happy.
This past Saturday, the bureau was delivered. Mike and his brother Tom showed up on time, brought in the big, heavy piece of furniture to the second floor with great care and professionalism and placed it in its new home. It is really beautiful. The color is rich and the quality is fabulous!
So why am I sharing this?
- Don’t give up. When you feel the market has left you behind, when quality seems to have disappeared with phone booths and written thank you notes, have faith that you will find what you need. Call it chance, call it luck or fate. It happened for us. We did not have to compromise what we were looking for.
- Quality wooden furniture made in the USA is available at Woodstuff Too Furniture. This marketer is not easily impressed. I have high standards for customer service, quality and follow through. Mike was fabulous in guiding us regarding our options (custom orders can be overwhelming given there is so much to choose from), recommending finishes, setting expectations in terms of cost and timeframe and delivering with a big smile and pride in the end product. It is a family business. They are quality people. They are salt of the earth.
- Save Your Saturdays. If you have a wooden furniture need including summertime needs, you know where to go. Don’t leave it to chance. Save many weekends and head to Moody Street in Waltham or check them out online if not convenient.
I have a great memory of having lunch with my son on a sunny March day. I also found a solution to a problem and have now found my go-to people for any wooden furniture needs. There are not enough weekends in life, and while we are still not quite finished with our project, we are MUCH closer thanks to Mike at Woodstuff Too Furniture. We have a quality, beautiful piece that we will have for a long time, with quality made drawers.
I am a big fan of promoting great small businesses. It is national small business week. Support local. Buy American.