Have you tried Gasior's on Route 206 in Belle Mead? They have beautiful, but not inexpensive, traditional furniture.

Lloyd's of Somerville

Here is a link that might be useful: Lloyd's

Stay away from Ashley IMHO. If you absolutely love an Ashley piece, find a local mom & pop furniture store that you have used, or recommended by a friend. Independant stores have the catalogs and can purchase for you. They may tell you that they want a minimum order, but that's bull. They can buy a piece to put on their showroom floor if they really want the sale from you. Google Ashley complaints online, you will see pages upon pages of negative feedback. Scary stuff.

Raymour & Flanigan - problem for us is the sales team stands at the front of the store and when you enter you are put in a position of a sandwich on the beach. The sales people swoop in like pigeons. A big turnoff IMHO. I have tried to tell them that I will find a sales person when I have questions, they still stick to you like glue, ugh. I've never purchased from them for that reason. DH is in sales - NOT FURNITURE - but he cannot stand when the sales people are too aggressive.

I haven't purchased anything from Ashley or Raymour, but did purchase a tapestry club chair for my office years ago from Pier I. The chair was decent, but the cats used it as a scratching post so it did not last very long. The quality was not spectacular, but okay for my needs at the time.

Of all the stores you mention, I find that Thomasville has the most professional staff. They really have a big selection and knowledgeable sales force.

Have you checked Ethan Allen? I've gotten quite a few pieces from EA and they will give you free design help with chosing fabrics, etc. if that's what you need in addition to your purchase. Many friends of ours have kids who are recently married. These young couples do use the design assistance when starting out in their new homes. I've seen some really nice rooms that EA has helped put together.

work in progress-

ok went into ashleys and was not loving the furniture-

We purchased items at Raymour and Thomasville-- I also HATE how Raymour attacks you at the door--- but i will tell you -- the raymour on route 1 by lawrenceville-- a guy named Ray Goodwin- older gentleman- SOOOO Nice-- not pushy at all-he reminds me of a grandpa- lol- so when i go in- i just tell them to get ray-- if he is not there- i tell them i'm just looking and ray is my guy-- (we used to shop at Huffman Koos and Goods- Raymour reminds me the most of these stores)

Thomasville- we also purchased items there but honestly- my sales guy there is annoying- sooo pushy...

so there is my 2cents lol

Thanks for the other recco's i will check them out-- feel free to share more!!

There's a brick and mortar store in Pennsylvanis that delivers to PA, NJ and lower NY state for...get this...free. The name is Lauter's Furniture. We purchased our Clayton Marcus sectional from them last spring. I had researched sectionals and when we finally decided on the brand and style we wanted, I went to 2 "local" furniture stores (both privately owned) to price the sectional. Both stores were priced higher (between $400-$800) than Lauter's for the same exact piece. I had read good things about Lauter's and decided that even though they weren't "local local", they offered me the best price, including service after the sale with no hassles. We dealt with Randy at Lauter's, who was as pleasant and helpful as anyone I've ever dealt with. He made the purchasing process painless. Do your research and homework and decide on the exact piece you want, then shop around for the best price and service. I don't know how far you are from Lehigh Valley, PA...we're about 95 miles. If we weren't positive which sectional brand, style and fabric we wanted we would have driven to Lauter's to shop in person.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lauter's

Have you tried any of the stores in Philadelphia. Grossman's Furniture is one that comes to my mind for traditional.

Also Calico Corners makes beautiful upholstered furniture.

I second Mrsmarv's suggestion about Lauter's. It is a great store and just across the border from NJ. You can either take RTE78 or RTE22 to get there. I found my family room furniture there and the pricing was very reasonable.

Suzie ~
Not exactly what price-point your looking at for furniture but my 3 favs in my area (Cherry Hill) are:

American Signiture Furniture
http://www.asfurniture.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CollectionsView?catalogId=10154&storeId=10101&langId=-1&categoryId=3&N=3

Mealey's
http://www.mealeysfurniture.com/

Macy's Furniture Galleries (Cherry Hill, NJ)
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=35365&AdID=510930&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=29391&PageID=151894927051570&cm_re=62.0.14-_-FURNITUREMAINAD-_-IMAGEMAP%20--%20510930%20--%2035365%3ASofas%20%26%20Sectionals

I like value city furniture, off rt. 18 in east bruswick. (sorry, baby in arms, no caps)

I know you seem to be looking for new furniture, but there's a furniture consignment shop in Hopewell Boro that is a great place to look for tables, chairs and bedroom pieces. The owner is very picky about what she takes, the stuff is all in very good condition and the prices are very reasonable. It's called Decorator's Consignment on Railroad Place. There are two warehouse rooms of furniture and some accessories that change all the time. They don't usually have upholstered pieces because fabric tastes can be so different, but there are often lots of kitchen/dining sets and beds and bureaus. You'll probably need to check in there a few times to get what you want.

http://www.decoratorsconsignment.com/

Have you tried Craigslist? It can take some time, but I have found some great things at REALLY reasonable prices. I purchased my 6 kitchen bar stools for $100. They were used, but in mostly pristine condition. DH looked up the manufacturer and they currently retail for over $200 a piece.

Brielle Furniture in Sea Girt is a very nice store. Silvert's in Freehold has decent furniture and they have very competitive pricing.

Greenbaum's in Paterson has a huge selection. It's a trip for you, but it's worth it, just for the experience. Also, they have a 3% sales tax.

Absolutely go to Flemington Department Store. They are near the Flemington Outlets on Route 31. They have a website that lists all the brands they carry. Their website is www.flemingtondepartmentstore.com.

Now, the crazy thing is that they are an actual department store with clothing and shoes in part of the store and tons of furniture. They carry Flexsteel, Hooker, Martha Stewart for Bernhardt, Lane, Lexington, Stanley, Rowe, Bradington Young, and tons more. And they have more floor samples than just about any place I've been lately.

I bought a fantastic Canadian made custom dining table there (I needed one that would stretch 14 feet and this was an outfit that did custom work) and it's amazing. Even better, around President's Day last year they did a sale where they paid all the sales tax and did free delivery. Plus, they had a special arrangement with this particular mfr. so this table, which I priced out elsewhere, was about $1000 lower at Flemington Dept. Store.

I can't say enough about the fine service and quality. Be warned, the place looks like a weird giant warehouse and when you walk in you feel like you're in one of those old-time-y superstores. The ceiling is corrugated metal and the floors are painted concrete. But you can get over that pretty fast when you find what you want and the price is right.

Oh, I'm not associated with them in any way. Just a fan of a real brick and mortar store run by actual people with great prices and great service.

We recently purchased some Harden furniture in Philadelphia (Kaplan's Furniture
7936 Frankford Ave). They are able to get most upscale furniture brands at competitive prices.

For more affordable traditional furniture I always shop at Ethan Allen.

Suzienj- we must be neighbors- you mentioned all the stores in my stomping ground.
I forgot about Silverts in Freehold- never been there but had heard favorably of it years ago.
I would also suggest--because they are definitely worth a look- Bobs which is in South Brunswick on Rt1 (yes, not the highest quality stuff but I think for a guest bedroom that will likely not get much use/abuse --as a frame of reference, I thought their stuff was better than Ashley's ) and also Randalls' which is in East Windsor on Rt 130 ( a few people suggested it to me- I went and honestly something about the place didn't appeal but they were doing lots of business and they have been in business for years. I think I need to go back and give another chance).
One other place that I haven't been to in years but I know gets mentioned favorably is Rider Furniture on Rt 27 just north of Princeton.
Hope this helps~
Want to go galavanting next weekend?:)

shelia you are funny- i did go to rider-- love their stuff but not a big show room and while they have catalogs- i like to touch, feel and see things

Kitchenwitch- i checked out the consigment shop this week- ok first impression- wasn't impressed- but the more i shopped i felt like "yeah i can see getting a FIND here"-- def. a hit or miss place- but a place i will go a few more times too just to see if i can score a FIND!! Thank you so much!!

Pug- i also went to Gaisors this week to check them out - tooooo fancy lol--- i guess pre kids i would have shopped there but i saw a chair for $4000! lol-- too much for me at this stage of life-- not a place i'll be running back to but thanks always good to check out new places

Great suggestions- it's been so long since we've had to buy furniture that I'd forgotten about some of these non-chain stores. Thanks for the reminder. When the snow melts I'm heading to Hopewell - the Decorator's Consignment sounds like a great place to search.

Suzie- I would definitely require some traveling to get to some of these stores but in addition to some of stores other people have mentioned, check out the following:

Lloyds Home Furnishing in Somerville

British Home Emporium in Madison

Bograds Fine Furniture in Riverdale (HUGE showroom)

I also wanted to mention that Raymour and Flanigan has a clearance center on Route 22 in Bridgewater. Unfortunately, the salespeople there are just as pushy as the regular store but there are definitely bargains to be found if you find something you like on the floor

Good Luck!

I have been to:
Raymour and flannigan- Decent stuff--mid priced. bought the kids furniture and some of the office furniture there. Happy with the quality and the service. Sales people attack you at the door- but still worth checking out.

Raymour and flannigan clearance- I went twice did not see anything i was looking for - but if you are looking to be thrifty check it out

Ethan Allan- love their things but the style is not really what i'm looking for at this time. High End.

Ashley- too low end for my taste

Rider Furniture- Great things but a smaller store- if you know what you are looking for the will usually beat the price. Traditional style items.

Flemington Department Store- Be aware- you will think you walked into some hokey gross thrift shop--- but keep going in-- Great selection of name brand furniture- huge store... good prices- worth the drive.. Also they sell things like great cleaning products for stainless steel and wood floors.

Gasior's on Route 206 in Belle Mead- High End- very pricey and very stuffy. Too fancy for my lifestyle and kids...

Thomasville- Very nice furniture- mid/high end. Bought a tv console and end tables. Sales men a little pushy but liked the quality. Nice store.

Lauter's Furniture- Far drive for me... but a great store- I didn't find what i was looking for, but reasonable prices and HUGE store.

Macys Furniture- too low end for me

Decorators Consignment- Hopewell NJ- Great consignment store- I have not found anything yet, more of a hit or miss, but worth checking out. You might have to go a few times to find what you are looking for.

Greenbaum's in Paterson - Too high end for me

If you want mom and pop try Spitaleri furniture. They are a family owned store off rt 18 by east Brunswick.

"John Peterson" is a frequent spammer. Just flag it.