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

Unfortunately, I don't have a clue as to what type of leather our sofa is made of. We live in California. I am not able to describe the odor(more towards rooms with old carpet etc but I know I could be way off). Initially, I even suspected the presence of mold in the room and went to the extent of hiring a mold inspector to do the testing. The mold spore count was way too low and we figured that was not the problem. Is it possible to check on the fiber of the sofa without tearing it. BTW, I noticed and there is a small area in the loveseat which is torn. When I go near the sofa I am not able to point out where the odor is coming from. However, we go out and come back to the house, I can smell the odor.

Thanks everyone! I'm still waiting to hear back regarding my request today for a sample that shows his "enhancing" technique. Oldryder - could you tell me what you use to enhance stones such as ours? Is it common to apply an enhancer and then buff it off? Is it perhaps the same as wiping away the excess? Assuming that's all it is - it should be fine - and then I just need to make sure any sealer he uses isn't a gloss finish. I'm still going to insist on a sample but I wanted to make sure his wasn't some unorthodox method that wasn't an industry norm. And Mags438, the stone (when enhanced) is jet black and the streaks/veins are cream, brown and rust. You can see in this photo (the area where we've wiped it down with a wet paper towel) what it will look like after it's been enhanced. I liked this granite the first time I saw it (polished) but I LOVED it when I saw the leathered version.

HI threegrad, thanks for asking! It's black and it's from Liberty Furniture Industries. I bought it at a local furniture store and it was very reasonably priced. It's not super high quality furniture but I think it's a decent quality, enough for a guest room which is where mine is. Still haven't made anymore progress in that room yet, but I will post again when I do.