anyone outside of NC bought from maples leather before?

9 years ago

i'm in the market for a new sofa and have done all the research i can online. they have a promo right now with free shipping + i dont have to pay tax cause i live in california. i'm interested in a carolina custom leather sofa from them i've only found posts here that people have bought from them but didn't really give a followup. anyone have a negative experience with them? or carolina custom leather sofas? such as them saying it's 100% hardwood but there ends up being MDF or plywood? or them saying its a true 8 way hand died but it turned out to be sinuous springs? please i need honest feedback before i pull the trigger

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

PRO
Elite Interiors & Furniture Gallery
9 years ago
Research the manufacturer & that is where you will find the information about the construction of the frame or is 8 way hand tied. The retailer has no control over that & if the sales person is inexperienced you could be given incorrect information from them.
PRO
Wellington's Fine Leather Furniture
9 years ago
I agree with Elite Interiors. Manufacture websites offer a ton of up to date information about their products. Any experienced sales person should be able to answer any of your questions about the products they sell. Carolina Custom Furniture is a small furniture manufacturer located in North Carolina. From what I have seen in their showroom in High Point,NC their furniture is considered medium high end. There are many retailers that offer free delivery and no tax in CA. I would advise checking out any company through blogs, social media and the BBB to make sure they are conducting business on the up on a day to day basis. Solid hardwood frames are always the best but make sure they are kiln dried and knot free. This will give you many years vs if they are not the life of the frame will not be a long.
Related Discussions
Anyone been to the Biltmore Gardens in N.C.?
Q
Comments (22)
It's possible that one or two came back, but when I was there (right after Memorial Day) the canes were black and there was no foliage. It was startling since it was an entire bed of about 15 roses. They did have a lot more HTs that I imagined. I had read that they had many OGRs, from the era that the home was built and that's what I wanted to see. I did get to see many of those and purchased Rose de Rescht based on what I saw there. I'm also thinking of getting Old Blush climber because it looked so nice. I just don't have a lot of room for another climber. I'm going to try to go next spring. Hopefully there wont be a killer freeze.
...See More
bought a cloning machine-anyone have one?
Q
Comments (37)
I have been following the thread here and I thought I would chime in and add a little of what I think is missing.In a feeble attempt to save some of you some time money and heartache. So here goes. The issue isn't what you can clone in a machine the issue is why you would use one. I have a ez clone and have used it off and on for over 7 years and it works great. I also propagate cuttings in glass of water in my kitchen window.In my garden outside (weather permitting) and in soil inside,and peat pots I love them all. The reason I would use the clone machine is to do ALOT of clones quickly. Make no mistake about it anytime you automate what mother nature does on her own its MORE work,not less. Clone machines will work inside your residence or out. They are messy.wet expensive and the solution needs to be changed regularly. Plants root quickly in a machine usually 7-10 days under the right conditions.That means every two weeks you can have numerous copies of your favorite softwood cutting. Fill in the blank for what ever plant you choose to propagate. Having said that I have also rooted Ipomoea Batatas (*sweet potato vine) in two days in a glass of water in my south facing kitchen window effortlessly. Pot growers (you know who you are) Love them because they can clone plants quickly. Gardeners love them because they can share plants with others and commercial growers like them because they can mass produce and replicate new cultivars. I bought mine because I thought the science was cool. The keys for those who are interested to getting those wonderful cuttings are simple but laborious.If you choose to use your machine indoors. You need to provide the following: Light - fluorescent light works best indoors use a 6500k bulb in your fixture plants love florescent light. Its hard to burn them using flo's and it has the proper wavelength for best results. Put the fixture uber close to the cuttings for best results say 6 inches away on a 18 hour a day cycle to mimic summer sun. Oxygen- Good old o2 is supplied in vast amounts using a clone machine.Delivered via H2O your water source delivers everything the plant needs to set roots.Keep in mind these are water roots and not the same fine hairs formed during soil propagation. hey its only 10 days to soil.(but i digress) PH - or should I say proper PH. usually 6-6.5 depending on the cultivar. PH is the potential of Hydrogen in the medium for the curious minded and in the case of a clone machine its water. The rest of what people use just keeps problems at bay. I use a rooting hormone called Clonex in water simply because its a gel and it sticks to the open end of the plant and keeps air from entering the plant stem and causing an embolism. I leave it on for 15 minutes it has some b vitamins and such but I could just as easily place cuttings in water to avoid the same issue.I have it so I use it. I change the water in my machine weekly,and set the ph to 6 - 6.5 and let it rip on a timer for 15 min on 15 min off to help keep water temps in check.(since the pump is actually in the well of the machine) and I dont mess with it except to check the ph levels once during mid week. That's about it.I can go into more detail on why you do certain steps or reasons why the plants want you to do something or not but I mainly wanted to give an overview for those who have a machine are building one or for someone that is just curious about them...Hope this helps ! Millions saw the apple fall but Newton asked why!
...See More
Where to order Brad-Youngor Classic Leather sofa on-line from NC
Q
Comments (14)
Normally if a local store is not competitive, there are one of two reasons: 1) The store owner has not adapted to current market conditions. Quite simply, as the profit margins move downward - and they have - they have not revised their business structure to capture sales that would otherwise go to out-of-area dealers. Some store owners insist on adhering to a margin-based price structure and will not adjust. The smart businessman NEVER lets a customer walk out to do business out-of-area. I know a number of store owners who are hard-headed and won't adapt. Its up to you, their local customer, to bring in a price quote and show them that they need to match it or you'll go elsewhere. If enough customers do that, they'll get the message. But if you never tell them, then they don't know. 2) Some furniture makers have a 2-tier price structure. Small stores don't get as large a discount from the maker as larger ones do. Typically its based on dollar-volume sold, or number of pieces put on the floor. So there is a chance that within a certain brand line that you local dealer is paying more for the goods than a larger, out-of-state discounter. This happens to me with Southwood Furniture as an example. My cost basis is 10 % less than the big store in the next county because they do more volume by accident than I do working hard at it. Still they get the volume price and I don't. Nevertheless, I adapt (being a savvy dealer!) and match price or go under them everyday. It results in thin margins, and it does not exactly make me want to invest in a lot of their product for the floor. Personally, I think it a bad policy from the makers as it tends to keep the little guys small regardless of how hard they work for the brand and limits floor exposure for their dealership network. Walk your best price into your local dealer and tell them in no uncertain terms they need to beat it. See what happens! Keep in mind however, that local sales tax is not something that your hometown store cannot waive and should be factored out when price shopping (the flip side of this is that these taxes do come back into your community infrastructure when you buy locally). Duane Collie
...See More
Outer Banks, NC - Resale Advice Wanted Before Building
Q
Comments (59)
The vacation rental business in OBX is pretty busy. I was typing on my phone and really just went for brevity. I should have been more clear. I have a place on Longboat Key, which is the market I was looking at, and while that is certainly a different market, the business isn't actually that different. I never said that the rental business isn't thriving, I just said that the idea of someone wanting it for rentals is a bit meh. There are really three kinds of people in the vacation rental business. (1) Those who want a vacation property, but only want to use it part of the year, (2) those who wanted to sell it but couldn't get their asking price, and (3) the pros (which is closer to what I would be). The problem with small separate units is that it is only a great opportunity for the pros. People who want a family vacation home don't want separate one bedroom houses, and so you are going to have a tough time marketing to that group. The pros, are all about buying cheap. Someone who is actually in the rental business would salivate over this property, but not because of all the income it will generate, but because it screams all cash deal and those who regularly do all cash deals tend not to overpay. My rental profit is made the day I buy a house. I know what rent is going to be, I know what occupancy rate is going to look like, so the only variable is what I am spending on the house. I don't know that I have ever bought a rental property that was marketed to the general public, either it was put up for investors or it never hit the market. I would guess the real estate investors in OBX are looking for a 12% ROI. So I just don't see them lining up with their checkbooks to buy this property for top dollar. So I would be cautious building a property that you hope someone interested in owning a rental will purchase. It isn't that they won't, it is just that as a group real estate investors tend not to pay as much. ETA: Yes these are generalizations, but that is what you use for trying to look at a future resale value.
...See More
kingadrian
8 years ago
I live in Texas, and last year I purchased a leather sectional from Maple's Leather Furniture. I dealt with the owner, Zoe, and she was very nice. The sectional arrived within 8 weeks, right before Thanksgiving 2014. The Delivery company they used was excellent, I was a bit worried since I have read quite not so good reviews regarding the delivery company (D&D Delivery), but I was thoroughly impressed with them, Two guys came and actually carried the heavy sectional from the side curb (where they parked) to my townhouse (a corner unit). I would have allowed them to park right outside my townhome. Anyways they unwrapped everything, and threw all packaging materials away, left my house spotless. They also made sure my right arm facing chaise is connected properly with the 3-seater sofa.

Now about the quality. The leather is very thick and soft, exactly to my preference. The chaise is wider than most chaise, the seating area is 36" wide, excluding the arm. The 3-seater sofa is exactly 25" wide and 21" deep (not including the back cushions). This part I love it.

Now the cons (nothing major but I would want to mention it for the sake of honest review).

There seems to be exposed stitches all around, nothing loose (YET) but it is visible. I immediately contacted Zoe and she said not to worry about it, don't cut it, and since it's double looped/stitched, those stitches should not come off.

The back of the leather sofa, there are 3 vertical stitching line that do not align. Not a deal breaker, just want to point it out. Since I cover the back of my sofa with a throw, it's not visible at all.

Lastly the one that worry me the most is there are a few spots on the sectional that the leather dye/finish/coloring have seem to come off, so there are lighter white spots that are peeking through. You will see in my pics. I am pretty sure there are ways to fix this, I have emailed Zoe with my concern and I am still waiting for her to reply. I will post an update once I hear from her.

All in All, this sofa is a great quality, I researched many companies, looked at countless sofas, and read through zillion reviews before finally deciding on Maple's Leather Furniture. I am glad I chose it.

If you would like me to send you the pics, please provide me an email address.

Good luck.
lush4color
6 years ago
I am not familiar with the current lines that Maples carries, but I can tell you this. Their service is beyond reproach. You can feel confident in having the same great customer service a decade after the sale. I have. I purchased a sofa from them online in 2006 and still enjoy their service. Good luck!

anyone outside of NC bought from maples leather before?

Comments (4)

Elite Interiors & Furniture Gallery

Wellington's Fine Leather Furniture

Related Discussions

kingadrian

lush4color

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US