City Furniture ( Disappointed )
 

Out of curiosity I visited " City Furniture " near Spanish Springs Town Square.

All I can say is what a really huge disappointment.

A) Remember the discount for Village residents ?? " GONE "

B) How about " Free " delivery ?? " GONE "

C) Quality ?? " GONE "

Go and see for yourselves it is really Terrible..My opinion it is 2-3 steps below, get this " Rooms to Go ".

Not surprised - I work in La Plaza Grande and have been watching Ashley furniture trucks coming in like there is no tomorrow. Never thought much of Ashley so I probably won't think much of City Furniture.

If you want quality furniture at a fair price go to Babettes in Leesburg. Wonderful family owner business with a huge showroom.

I think I'll go up there, give them a big order, and then tell them I want
the same discount and delivery I'm used to. If they say no, then I'll say,
OK, NO SALE. If enough people do that, they will change.:rant-rave::swear:

We shopped on line at homelivingfurniture.com
Carry all the brands. Delivered when promised. With white glove service.
Not one problem on any of the pieces.
Owners were very responsive to all our requests, and the prices were excellent.
They have a real store as well as the website.:pepper2::pepper2:

Too bad but when we furnished our house a few years ago, every living room set, bedroom set and dining room set were out of stock a Southern Lifestyles so we shopped at their sister store, Showcase Direct in Spanish Springs. We did buy bedding at White's, actually from a very nice lady that lives in The Villages and was quite pleased. In hindsight, we sort of wish that we bought Laz-E Boy furniture at Whites but we wanted to save a little money. We've had terrific luck with that brand up north. Thankfully, we're all furnished and now, we just ENJOY the lifestyle.

Learning their market
 

We were by there the other day and decided to wander through. Sales staff was very friendly and not pushy at all. They carry many more accessories than Showcase Direct. About half the store is what I'd consider urban/contemporary. Gradually gave way to more traditional/Floridian styles. The styles were different, certainly, than what we were expecting. There were some things we liked and much that didn't interest us at all. However, they will learn their through experience with what sells and what doesn't. Be patient. If they are right, and they tap a bigger market than just The Villages, then good luck to them. If not, they will stay in business by tailoring the product lines at this store to what this market demands. Time will tell. I wish them well.

Ashley Furniture Mfg. is an All-American Success story.

ASHLEY Furniture MFG is also a privately-held family owned business.

The Ashley Furniture Company is well liked by some people.

..........They employ 18,000 people...
.............have over $ 3 BILLION in yearly sales.
.....and......their products made in the USA at Arcadia, Wisconsin.

NUMBER ONE selling furniture BRAND in North America...
......................LARGEST Home Furniture Manufacturer IN the WORLD.

Note: The Ashley Furniture SHOWROOMS are franchises,
most are operated as mom and pop type businesses.

Thanks for the tip, I looked at this web site " Fantastic " get this FREE>>Delivery,No Tax.... .

I've not been to City Furniture and know nothing about them. However, if they are an honest business, I wish them well and hope they flourish.

The owner of City Furniture I believe is either the majority owner of Ashley of one of the major owners.
The two brothers started with Waterbed City in South Florida, and then started selling cheap furniture. Before Rooms to Go they were the cheapest furniture store and you got what you paid for.
One brother passed away a few years ago and the surviving brother runs the show.
They will become a lot more high pressure sales if they follow suit with their other stores.
Again, you get what you pay for most of the time.

They delivered to The Villages from New Jersey?

Shame on the folks [here and on other threads] who diss Ashley furniture without first owning it! We own a gorgeous dining table and chairs up in our Maine home - purchased it at a quality furniture store for what that's worth - and it has served us well for more than 25 yrs that we have owned it. Go ahead and pay more money for furniture than you have to if you need to share whatever prestige you feel is in a brand name or store name with others. For me - prestige is found where the best buy for one's money is found.

A few weeks ago, we were looking at large entertainment centers there. We found one we liked, and it was marked down $200. We said we wanted one, and the salesman came back and said it's been discontinued and they don't have anymore in the warehouse, but the floor model is available, but you have to move it yourself??? What the heck is up with that. How many folks in TV have the ability to move a giant entertainment center??? They also advertised free delivery that weekend only, but if it's a floor model they won't deliver it. We told him "that's is the most stupid store policy we had ever heard of" and proceeded to walk out. The salesman said this is the first store he has worked in that has this policy. Needless to say, they lost a sale, and any future sales from us, we won't be going back.

We also visited the store out of curiosity and found nothing that we would even consider purchasing - at any price. The sales people were like vultures and we were sort of disappointed at the selection. Lots of dark furniture.

Too bad so many of you have been disappointed. You probably don't truly understand just how this particular company works. What you see is what there is....no special orders for fabrics, finishes and most items are in stock for quick delivery....like next day. I have purchased furniture on three separate occasions from City Furniture......the most recent, last Saturday. Delivery was Sunday, with the driver bringing local purchases for Sunday delivery from Ft. Lauderdale. Delivery fees are based upon number of items being delivered. Granted we did have free delivery from Southern Lifestyles and Showcase Direct, but we also might not have had what we ordered, delivered and set in place so quickly.

The furniture designs may not be what you like, but there are lots of furniture stores around if this particular company doesn't have what you want/need. Sales people have all been honest, fair, helpful and willing to offer suggestions for something I was looking for that they did not have.

Eventually maybe there will be a warehouse located closer to us and we will then have same day delivery as there is at City Furniture in southern FL.

We went for a visit, out of curiosity, too. We were disappointed also. When we moved down here I said I was decorating my home in light coastal colors. We found exactly what we wanted at at Southern Lifestyles in the colors we wanted. City Furniture, to me, has mostly dark wood and black and white. I will not be shopping there as I am a color person and found none in their store in Spanish Springs. No offense meant to anyone who likes dark colors. It just isn't me.

We went to every furniture store around, even used furniture stores. When we went to City Furniture, we tried to explain what we were looking for, but the sales people apologized for not understanding exactly how the Villages worked. So if you are looking for furniture for a rental home, they don't have the floor plans like Showcase Direct did, nor do they know you don't necessarily need complete bedroom sets in each room. The furniture looked ok, more modern than our taste, but we couldn't just buy a dresser, or end tables. And there was nothing that sort of went with what we have.
Ended up at Kent Furniture. Lots more styles, more options, free delivery. Until we can be there full time we didn't want to spend more money on furniture than we had to.
It all depends on what you want, how much you want to pay, and what you are looking for, style wise. I'm sure we don't all shop at the same clothing stores or grocery stores.
To each his own.

Not sure why you couldn't just buy a dresser or end tables....you indeed can and I did buy individual pieces. Were you looking at some sort of close out group that had to be sold all together.

Disappointed too
 

I also visited City Furniture last week and was very disappointed. It seemed they belonged in NYC. Most of the furniture is what I would expect in a penthouse in some New York hotel. This is Florida and a lot of us want tropical, light, fun furniture not heavy, dark furniture. Don't blast me, I know there are some who like the heavy, dark furniture but given where we are I don't think that store caters to southern style furniture. Their furniture may be durable and all but just not what I expected. Glad I bought my furniture at Southern Lifestyles.

Yes they do, white glove delivery.

We were in City Furniture about a week ago. In Sumter. The sales person with a very attentive and knowledgeable. She asked me what model we were buying. The first building seemed to have more dark furniture and she walked us across the street and there was a lot more furniture. It is definitely more mainstream - not really beach theme, but many people don't want white wicker, etc. They have a line with lots of different styles that comes in three different colors: dark brown, a honey brown and white. The furniture is obviously not top quality, but it is relatively inexpensive, and because of this, there are not alot of options. If you need to furnish quickly with decent looking furniture, it will work. Otherwise, shop around to get more options, colors, etc. But I'm not sure they make it clear that many of the pieces can be ordered in white. She told me I could order enough furniture for a three bedroom Courtyard Villa for under $10,000. Obviously you could do it cheaper by shopping around (buying on sale or consignment pieces) or do it alot more expensively for brand name - you are paying for convenience of next day delivery and competitive pricing.

If you decide to seriously shop and hopefully buy at City Furniture, please ask for Chris Hottinger (I think that's her last name). She started at Showcase Direct a little over 3 years ago and transferred to City Furniture. She is NOT pushy and is a delightful, honest, and hardworking lady. She was our saleslady when we bought furniture at Showcase...in fact, we were her very 1st customers and if you mention that, she will even remember our names!

I had a great experience with American Freight in Ocala. I bought a living room sofa, love seat, recliner, two end tables, coffee table, two large lamps for the end table, three large spider type lamps with a chandilier arrangement, Kicthen table and six chairs for .......................................... $2500.

It's brand new furniture and comparable quality or better than Rooms To Go. It's 85% made in America,(North Carolina), and it comes direct from the factory, to the consumer with no middleman. That's why it is a great price. The drawback is a delivery charge of $100 to $125 dollars but you can't beat the price for the quality and quantity of furniture you get. The delivery people are curteous and respectful. I would buy the option of paying to have it assembled, as some assembly is required, (about $60). I was not made aware of the assembly issue but I had a bad experience in CT where the delivery guy assembled my furniture, and stripped the screws, as he used a drill, and was in a big rush, Therefore, I wanted to assemble the furniture myself.

I know a lot of people prefer top quality furniture but if one needs something fast and decent quality, you owe it to yourself to check this place out. A sofa at Rooms To Go would have cost me around $1500 to $1600, American Freight had the same sofa for $$598. It's worth the ride, to look and see for oneself. IMHO

Ask for Reynolds. A nice young man who is patient and will take the time to answer all your questions. Tell him Joe, sent you. :smiley:

We like Blockers in Ocala better (just our opinion), you can order custom fabrics on quality furniture, and their sale prices are hard to beat.

Agree
 

When we closed on our home in August 2013 we shopped around for furniture for the living room, dinning room, master bedroom and another bedroom. We got the other bedroom set from a 2nd hand store and most of the other items from Southern Lifestyle. We also went to Babettes as well. They also offered free delivery as well as a 5% discount but were a little higher in price then what we got it for from Southern Lifestyle. They have a very large store and sales people were nice to work with.

Last week we went to City Furniture as we were looking for a wall item for one of our walls. Overall we were not happy with what we saw. I'm sure for the right buyer they are great but just not for us. Time will tell how well they do here, but I wish them well.

We bought a credenza from City Furnitue and noticed today that the hinges are out of alignment on one of the doors. Called City to request maintenance to adjust the door. They said after 24-48 hours your warranty doesn't cover transportation of the technician. They come from Miami so the charge is $50 bucks! I'll never set foot in their stores again!

Went to White's on 441 in Summerfield. Found the perfect Master Bedroom suite. Service was perfect throughout the sale. Gentleman named Ed helped us. Very nice and helpful. We'll definitely go there first to look for additional furniture.

Another vote for Babettes. Good service and high quality.

The Good And The Bad
 

For new merchants opening businesses in The Villages, they need to understand...

The good thing about The Villages is that news travels fast. The bad thing about The Villages is also that news travels fast.

I recently visited City Furniture and was not very impressed. What I saw was boring, neutral furniture without much color or style choices. I talked with one of their sales persons, and he admitted to me that there were many comments from potential customers that the furniture selection was quite "boring".

We went to Babetts and ordered a table set. Next day went to City Furniture and saw the same set and it was a $300.00 difference even with the $60.00 charge for delivery.
Babetts came down $217.00 when I called to cancel the order. Babetts also has a restocking fee and a cancelation fee. Need to pay attention before ordering furniture.

I visited the two City stores over the last few weeks and I liked them both. I prefer Lake Sumter but both were nice.

The prices on the Bernhardt furniture was better than the price we paid thru Southern Lifestyles a few months ago. Its seems the Southern Lifestyles stores raised the prices and then gave us the Villages discount and free shipping.

Recently City had a special for free delivery.

I think anything that you if you intend to have for a long time should be neutral. Colors should be brought in with paint, pillows and accessories. Window treatments should be neutral if custom made as they can be very expensive. Colors become dated quickly. I do notice a lot of cornice boards in TV, a less expensive way would be to make a valance on a board.

My experience with City Furniture:
- Went to buy a swivel chair and give them a try. A pithy10% same day discount sale was not extended to the following day until I could match colors, measurements, etc.
- Bought the chair at full price the next day and when the staff helped load the chair into my vehicle they dropped it and damaged it. Since they did not have another in stock I had to negotiate hard for the floor model since I did not want to wait several days for another shipment. The manager would not discount the floor model, was infexible and did not seem to care about this situation.
- I tried calling the corporate office to talk to the VP's Anthony DeAngelo and Mike Lennon about my issue with them but they do not return phone calls - that is if you can get someone to answer their phone.
- Needless to say they do not offer Village discounts, charge for deliveries, are not flexible, do not know the Villages style of homes/layouts, are bureaucratic and disengaged in delighting their customer. I will not patronize this store again.

When we moved here 3 1/2 years ago I furnished my home from Babettes & Kents. I for one was never too impressed with Southern Lifestyles (to each his own). We recently bought a new patio villa for a rental and I needed to furnish it within 2 weeks. My first stop was Babettes, since they couldn't deliver within the necessary time frame they referred me to City Furniture. I took a floor plan with me and I must say the sales people were very helpful. I do like modern contemporary and unique pieces and no they weren't all dark and heavy and it wasn't just cheap furniture. I decorate with a lot of color and the tropical touches so I don't need all my furniture to reflect a tropical look. I furnished the entire villa with nice furniture and accessories at a reasonable price. No I didn't like paying delivery, but I needed it so I paid.
I personally wish them all the best.

Thanks for the tip, Joe. Their site has the special below listed today. We'll probably go over there since we need to furnish a rental.

Today's price: $998
18 pieces of furniture, including: Sofa, Love Seat, Coffee Table, 2 End Tables, 2 Designer Lamps, A 5 PC. Dinette & A Queen Size Bedroom Suite with Mattress and Box! Items shown are for advertising purposes only.

Can anyone tell me what happened to Southern Lifestyles furniture store? I wasn't that crazy about the store but they did have some pieces that would do in the pinch. Not familar with City furniture. :wave:

Southern Lifestyle was in name only, sold to City Furniture and it is Ba Bye as in No Longer around just a memory. Try Wayfair on line great prices, no tax, and free delivery, also Kane Furniture (Ocala), and Kent Furniture Belleview 27/441N.

Ba Bye