Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can I try out a rocker in my area?
A. Not in a store or gallery. We sell directly to patrons from our shop without a retail mark-up. If there were a retailer in your area the price would be double or just shy of double. But you can try out a rocker in your home. If you don't like it, put it back in its box, call us, and we'll have it picked up and refund your money, including shipping.
Click here to see the Guarantee in full.
Sometimes a patron, in the glow of just receiving their furniture, offers to show it. I am grateful, but I'll never ask.
Q. Do you discount your chairs for a quantity purchase?
A. No. We always build chairs in batches of 8–12. The prices are based on those costs.
Q. Do you sell to stores?
A. No. Our mark-up is low. The internet has made our market the world, at very low cost. We would have to sell to stores for the prices you see on this site. They in turn would have to double the price to stay in business. Then to protect our retailers, we would be honor bound to not sell for less than they do. This compromises our strategy of being the lowest cost provider of the best stuff.
Q. Do you discount to designers?
A. No. Because there is no retail mark-up, there is nothing to discount. Everyone pays the same price. We often work with designers who get paid a fee for their service, and whose service includes placing the best furniture they can find. Q. Do you sell plans for your rocking chair?
A. No. When I was designing this chair, I was designing tools, machines, jigs, and fixtures to make it. The process, as we do it, has become one with the object. I could step back and re-draw the chair and describe the steps, but this is an effort of many, many days and I have not undertaken it.
Q. How do I order from you?
A. We don't have a shopping cart and online sales. A phone call, visit, or email is required.
We take VISA and MasterCard and checks, and ship on time.
The process, step by step, is described here.
Q. What if I don't like the furniture when I get it?
A. Put it back in the box and call us. We'll have it picked up and refund your money, including shipping. See the Guarantee.
Q. What if the furniture is damaged when I get it?
A. The furniture is not yours when we ship it. The furniture is yours when you are happy with it. Therefore, it is our responsibility to see that you get what you ordered in perfect condition, and we will do so — collecting for damage, filing a claim, and haggling with a carrier are our responsibilities, not yours. We do ask that you note any damage to package or item on the freight bill that you are asked to sign, but even if not noted, we will take care of the problem. We crate well and have had very, very little damage.
Q. Can I try out a dining chair in my area?
A. Yes. We will send one to you by Fed-Ex ground at our expense. After you test it, return it to its box, and we'll have it picked up — at our expense. See Dining Chair Test.
Q. I am short and my husband is tall, will both of us be comfortable in your rocking chairs and dining chairs?
A. If I say, "yes with very rare exception," it sounds impossible or dishonest. So I ask you to visit the testimonials, and the guarantee, and to read the pages listed in the sidebars of the rocking chair and dining furniture sections of this site. Q. What are your lead-times?
A. They vary with the item in question and the time of inquiry. Sometimes we have rocking chairs or footstools for sale in the showroom. We build furniture in "jobs" or "runs" of 10 or so like items of the same species of wood. We know the completion schedule of the next several jobs. On Wednesdays, we update the Prices and Shipping Dates Page, which lists the next shipping date for each of our catalogued items.
Q. Do you do custom work?
A. Yes, occasionally for established patrons or for those ordering a set of dining furniture – which certainly makes them established. This page on the site addresses the subject: Custom Work.
Q. Where do the names of your furniture pieces come from?
A. They are family names. Wilson is Leslie's maiden name, McCoy was her mom's. Phillips was my GranGran's maiden name. I learned to make things watching her sew (and to respect machinery when I stuck my finger in the drive wheel of the Singer). And so on . . . names and stories.
Q. What style is your furniture?
A. I don't know.
|
