If you look at the manufactures suggested by spolina (Baker's Milling Road Collection, Hancock And Moore, Bernhardt, Lexington Brands, Swaim) then you can definitely buy below MSRP. Check Boyles in NC and Lexington Furniture Company in Lexington, KY. I have never gotten a better price locally. The best price has always come from these two stores. You just need to find what you want by looking in your local store, then contact Boyles and Lexington for a quote. I have purchased a Kindel dining room set; Hancock & Moore sofa; chair, & ottoman; Hickory Chair sofa, chair & ottoman; EJ Victor chair; Hekman table; Baker bed; Hickory Chair nightstands; Century sofa; Stickley desk; Wildwood lamps; and a Bernhardt bed in the past 5 years. Only the Stickley desk was cheaper locally as I got it on a double sale. The price difference depends on the brand. Manufactures by law cannot dictate the 3rd party retailer's selling price. The way they get around the law is to make it clear that they will not supply a store that sells below a certain minimum. They claim doing so ensures the "value" of the product brand. One brand my tolerate a minimum of 25% below MSRP; another will tolerate 30% below MSRP. Stores like Bassett and Ethan Allen hold the line on their price. If they have a sale, you get the sale price. Otherwise, the price is the price. Bassett will probably not give you the quality and look you are after.

Both FlexSteel and Norwalk make good quality products. LuAnn's comments that she is unhappy with Norwalk seems unfounded. What is the basis of this statement. Quite frankly the two products are rather similar both use kiln dried hardwood plywood frames. Flexsteel uses and features their "U" shaped Flexolator spring. With Norwalk it's all about their cushions using a high quality Qualux foam cushion as standard with down and spring and down cushion upgrades available. Norwalk also has a huge selection of fabrics featuring over 850 fabrics. The tailoring of each company and the price range are similar. Really you couldn't go wrong with either company in their price range. Again not the top of the line quality and construction wise but you could do a lot worse.

I can suggest what we did -- we went with a moderately priced leather (leather match -- the back and sides are actually a matching vinyl but 12 years later they still look like the seats -- just less worn) when my youngest was probably in 1st grade -- he's in college now. We have two boys and they grew up with the sectional, DH came and took breaks from working in the yard, and two dogs acquired along the way sometimes came in and hopped up before we noticed they'd been in the pool or dirt. I can't think of anything else that would have lived with us so well, been so comfortable that I fell asleep on it the first day we had it and it's still comfortable. Our sectional is a Lane and I've been surprised to see people calling them junk, but we bought it 12-13 years ago and things may have changed since then. It wasn't top of the line -- the leather match takes it out of that category, but the leather and the vinyl have not given us any problems, Everything other than the Sharpie mark left when my youngest fell asleep while working on homework cleaned up easily, and I even got out the Sharpie. I will stop short of recommending Lane because the reviews now seem universally poor, but I do think it makes sense to go with a modest (not cheap) to mid-range sectional. I wouldn't look at top dollar or maybe even your top budget unless you know you aren't going to be moving for a number of years (the size of configuration might be all wrong for the next house). We are looking at Omnia at a local dealer. If you don't have a local dealer, there are some locations you can purchase online (including limited models from Wayfair. They are full leather -- not match and made in USA. They have non-reclining sectionals in your price range. All the ones we've sat on have been very comfortable. We have ruled a few out because the backs are shorter. Your DH may like the split cushion back -- they sit 2" taller. My 6'4" sons liked them. Macy's also has some leather sectionals that are sofas and loveseats with a corner wedge. That means have two arms on both sides and can separate them -- even use them separately or in the reverse configuration if you move. I prefer not to have the arms inside the sectional and they don't fit our space anyway, so they aren't an option for us, but I've sat on them and they are very comfortable too. Hope that helps.

Hi DBug! I have the PB Square upholstered sofa w/ chaise and the PB Comfort upholstered sectional. The Comfort has deeper seating than the Square. If I remember correctly, it's only 5 or so inches deeper but made a difference to us as I wanted a row of continuous pillows to make it extra comfy. You kind of just sink into it. The wedge corner piece on the sectional adds to the comfort. My husband and guests on the taller side notice it is more roomy as well. Your comment about looking into slipcovered sofas reminded me that before I got the pb Square, I bought two of their slipcovers to put over my old sofas and they were great. Slipped a bit but they weren't made for those sofas. Have you seen the pb slipcovered sofas in person? They look nice and I'd bet they're wonderful! Good luck! Obviously I've spent way too much time obsessing over buying sofas so if you have any other questions on fabrics or configurations let me know! Got back on to add that even though their stuff can be expensive, the thing that always makes me go back is their customer service. The wedge's cushion on our newer sectional looked like the fabric wasn't sewn right as it was rather "loose" looking. They replaced it, no problem. I know other places have great service too but I'm a creature of habit and stick with something if I know it's good!