Shopping in NC can be a bit overwhelming - I LIVE in Hickory, and I haven't been in everywhere yet, say, along 321 to Lenoir or up in High Point. That said, I've done some pretty extensive looking around for several different rooms, so I've got some idea of what's up. We're a young couple (20's) so we're not buying the super-super high quality yet ($$$ eep!) but we definitely are trying to find good deals on quality stuff.
That said, the Hickory Furniture Mart is really a bit overpriced on a lot of things - they have GREAT customer service and design options, though. If you want an "easy time" shopping, I definitely recommend them. We love the coffee shop at the bottom, too - sometimes we'll just stop by there for a bite to eat on a lazy afternoon :)
That "other furniture mall" you mentioned is the Catawba Furniture Mall, right down route 70 (the 5-lane road in front of the Hickory Furniture Mart, not the highway). It's not quite as big, and it has an Ashley store attached (ew!) but many of the brands carried are the same and the pricing tends to be a bit better.
By way of example, I'll offer up this Schnadig chaise with fabric grade C on body, G on pillows that my wife picked out: we know, not the best quality, but she fell in love with the style. We were quoted about $1200 at the Hickory Mart in I think it was Southern Home Furnishings. At Catawba, we were quoted about $1099.
But that's not where the story stops - I quoted it at a local store in downtown Hickory, Better Homes Furniture, which is the sister store to Lindy's Furniture (across the street from it). They were able to get us the chaise for only $749! Remember, this is for a new order from the maker, not any "as is" or "floor sample" type deal, just brand new furnishings never used.
Subsequently, I checked the prices at several well known stores:
Rose Furniture: $870
Blacklion: Approximately $950 to $1000 (phone quote was a little vague)
Furnitureland South: $841
Homeway: $889
National Home Furnishings Center: $887
Sorry to ramble about this, but my point is that if you're looking to order furniture you should consider stores outside the Mart or Catawba Furniture Mall. Those "discount stores" aren't just for discount knicknack pieces that are damaged or discontinued; while you can find great deals on those, they will also order you brand new stuff at substantial savings in some cases.
Of course, there are some brands that nobody will be able to help you on much, the brands that are more regulated on their prices and who can contact where and things. However, in our situation, we're not so worried about that - so we've found that it really does pay to shop around! Of course, we're not shipping our furniture, but picking it up - so we don't have the delivery problems I've read so much about here. Boyle's does have a great reputation for their White Glove Delivery, and I've had several people mention that to me. If you live so close as to be able to come down that easily (especially with a motorhome that could probably get things home except for the very largest) then you really might want to consider pickup. Sales tax isn't the savings it used to be, but you have to deal with that as it comes.
Anyway, I highly recommend shopping down here - just be prepared to face the reality of your situation. If you're in the position to do so, you can save a ton of money; however, if you expect elegant perfection, stay at the Hickory Furniture Mart and pay for that. That said, the people at other stores are really nice too - I especially like Julie at Better Homes. They've taken care of us, and we're grateful for the low prices and great service with no damage so far (yay pickups!)
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HFM not the cheapest
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