Tell us YOUR favorite places to get things for new home. Where to avoid.

[graciegirl]

We returned to Ohio yesterday from a ten day settling into our new home in Hadley.

We brought a trailer full of things to furnish the house and we have visited Bargains and Treasures four times. (MY FAV)

Potters, Not so much. They jump on you, and although the quality of outdoor furnishings and accessories is good, the prices are not bargains. We want good quality and comfy furniture for Lanai since we look to spend a lot of time there.

Of course Target, and Walmart for ironing board, iron, pot holders, more bowls, etc.

Found some nice accessories at TJ Maxx. We went twice to Dockside, bought a couple of accessories. Saw a lot of things from really junky to fairly nice at Dockside. Second day, I arrived with my hands full of swatches and a throw pillow I use for matching and they approached all three of us and gave us coupons for 30% off any one item. We used them but had to pay cash or separate credit cards.(They will let you use three coupons at one time, but the company frowns on it, thus the reason for three different transactions.) If you go there ask them for a coupon or coupons. FYI.

Of course my favorites too, and sometimes my home away from home when we are doing house projects; Lowes and Home Depot.

I think that Southern Lifestyles has a lot of nice, up to the minute and good quality things but priced higher than I am used to for the same brands and products. I did not find anything there that wasn't about 10% or more above similar offerings in Cincinnati.

Anyway, here we are back home, and I am still wondering what I missed.

Would love to hear your opinions. I am trying to decorate this house quickly for obvious reasons, and am buying moderately priced things,(read CHEAP or inexpensive, but they have to be of great quality and look gorgeous, ;);D) to replace when we move to TV full time with some of of things from home, or replace at leisure when I figure out a little better whether I am decorating in beach, cottage, or beach cottage. (You girls will get my drift)

Any opinions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks and hugs in advance.

[islandgal]

graciegirl -

I don't know if you have a Home Goods store in Ohio -
but it is one of my favorite spots for home decor and furniture accents.
You might want to check it out during your next TV visit.

http://www.homegoods.com/search_results.aspx?postcode=32162&image12.x=5&image12.y=10

[gfmucci]

In the new little shopping center on 466A (Publix Center) is a little Dollar Store-type place (not a Dollar Store) where you can get some houshold/hardware store type things in a pinch. Boy, could we use an Ace Hardware on this south end of town. Although I understand it's not too far to the Ace in Wildwood, though I haven't been there yet.

[tucson]

Old Time Pottery in Ocoee, 1hr drive time on Fl.Tnpk.& right off the exit on W. Colonial Dr. Great Prices and a HUGE inventory. It's worth the drive.

[nONIE]

I agree, Old time Pottery is huge and has so much to offer for very low prices. I could spend the day shopping there and sometimes I do!

Have your tried Ayers used furniture on 44l. Forgot the name of the plaza its in. Very much like Bargains and Treasures but on a smaller scale. I have found some beautiful things there, just have to hit it right.

[tucson]

Yes, Ayer's is in Baylee Plaza, I also found some great looking end tables for a very small amount of $$. But, like all used furniture stores, you have to keep looking as timing is everything!!

[Bryant]

In our quest for a reasonably priced wicker lanai set, we stumbled upon Rattan & Wicker World in Leesburg. Our set was $300 less than anywhere else we checked out. You get to pick out your fabric and it was ready in one week (not 6-8 like the other stores quoted). The chairs are on casters and we love it. Happy hunting ;)

[Villages Kahuna]

I learned this lesson when trying to acquire some teak furniture and an outdoor wicker set for a home in Michigan. At the time we were shopping in north suburban Chicago. We found brand-named items we liked, but the prices caused the rapid onset of indigestion.

In that we had the names, suites, models, fabrics, etc., I decided to shop around online. I found a great place in North Carolina called Black Lion <http://blacklion.com/> We were able to save about 40% from the best price we were being quoted in Chicago. That was for premium quality synthetic wicker furniture. You may run into some circumstances where the manufacturer is strong-arming the re-sellers to sell only at MSRP. If that happens, just keep shopping. Sooner or later you'll make a connection. Black Lion charges no sales tax and ships (at very reasonable cost) using LTL movers who deliver when they accumulate a load in your area. This might take as long as 2-3 weeks, but often delivery is sooner.

We just bought a large teak cushion storage chest for our lanai from another re-seller in North Carolina. It was made by the same manufacturer in England that made our furniture. Savings? Fifty percent from the best price I could find in Orlando, even including the shipping cost!

For appliances, I still use exactly the same store I've used for over 20 years...Abt Appliance & Electronics in Glenview, IL <http://www.abt.com/>. They'll beat any price you'll find locally, don't charge sales tax, and will ship free using "white glove service". (That means they carry the item into your house, unpack it, set it up and get it working and then remove all the boxes and packing material back to their truck.) Abt's prices even beat Costco or Sam's. If you want a real live salesman's name who will give you both good advice and good prices, send me a private message.

[Shirleevee]

I did lots of shopping in Target and Walmart i.e., bathroom, kitchen accessories, framed prints. However, my all time favorite is Home Goods. I shop in the New Jersey store and crazy as it seems at times, I UPS my goodies to TV. I have six boxes of, (OMG!) stuff ready to send to Sailor when he arrives in July. I also bought some nices wall decorations in Bealls Outlet.

Shirleevee

[sschuler1]

We are in the process of deciding what we will take with us when we come down in the fall, and which furniture pieces we will need to replace. Chairs and couches are really hard for us to find because my husband is 6'4" tall and doesn't sit well on most typical styles. We found oversized recliners at many places, but by far the best price was at JC Penney. We will be able to wait until we move down there and just buy it locally. (hopefully there is a JC Penney that will deliver to TV) There is a sofa at Lazy Boy that we like, and the sales rep said we can buy that in Florida as well. The only difference would be that the selection of fabrics is different from region to region. I will miss the sales at Art Van! (but not the constant bombardment of their advertising!) I already asked them if they would deliver to Florida, and the answer was no. I might have to buy my bedroom set up here and bring it down in a moving van. We looked at some of the pieces at Southern Lifestyles and we turned around and walked right out. The prices were way too high.

[borjo]

Can't beat IKEA!!!!!!!! I have a rental and furnished the kitchen, bought pictures, accessories, etc from them. It's just next door to Mall of Millenia in Orlando. They also have furniture, lighting, fabric, bedding and window coverings just to name a few items. I absolutlely love it! It's a great day trip and even has a restaurant! Very reasonable.

[Sidney Lanier]

I can say that we did extraordinarily well on furniture from the Rooms to Go clearance center in Seffner, which is a bit of a trip (outside Tampa), but it is their main warehouse and the clearance center is at least five times the size of any of their more local clearance centers. We felt we needed to move in with basics in place (bedroom set, sofa, dining table & chairs), and not only do they negotiate generously, they were willing to hold everything we bought (which the other clearance centers cannot), and the delivery charge for all the pieces (including rugs that were not part of 'basics' but were so reasonable that we just bought them) from Seffner to TV was only $149 for everything.

If one is inclined to be a little less conventional, there are three Habitat for Humanity thrift shops in towns around TV; we found the best of the three was the one in Leesburg. (As an added bonus, across the street from the store, high in a tree, two eagles had built a nest and were raising an eaglet there the last time we were there, but it no doubt has fledged by now.) Also, yard sales, both within TV and in the surrounding areas (particularly Ocala), are a great source, though of course this is on a catch-as-catch-can basis. While some actual yard sales are publicized on craigslist, shopping on craigslist is like going to yard sales electronically, where you can preview what you're looking for (most items have pics posted) and you can then communicate with sellers either by email or phone (if the seller gives a phone number). Websites: <www.ocala.craigslist.org> is closest to us though small; <www.orlando.craigslist.org> is of course further but much, much bigger.

Good luck!