Out with the Old, in with the … Old
Consigning fi ne furniture leads to fantastic fi nds for shoppers.
By Brannon S. Dawkins Photo by Alan Barton
Suzanne Jones opened For Home Consignment Furnishings in
Homewood last August, in the heart of a recession. Since that time,
she’s been helping people in two ways: providing a place for people to
sell fi ne furniture when they don’t need or want it anymore and providing
a great place for people to shop for quality furniture who aren’t
interested in paying retail prices. Whether you’re looking to freshen up
your home by unloading furniture, or you’re looking to benefi t from
what others are getting rid of, Jones offers tips on how to be smart
about consigning.
What to expect
All furniture consignment stores are different, but Jones carries high-end furniture lines in her boutique. “I actually have new and consigned fi ne furnishings,” Jones says. “Right now I have a Henre Don table that retails for $5,000. Someone can buy it here for $1,500. I also receive a lot of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware furniture.” Jones carries antique pieces, in addition to designer pieces that she’s often asked to sell. “But this is not a consignment shop that looks like your grandmother’s home.”
Who buys
The demographic of the typical For Home shopper ranges in age from late 20s to late 40s. “People who marry in their 30s now, they want the good stuff,” Jones says. Buying fi ne furniture available on consignment is a great way to get quality for a reasonable price, she says. “Even in a recession, people want to make their houses look great,” she says. “But they want value. I can sell them quality furniture at half the price because somebody else got tired of it.”
To consign or not to consign
Because her store is a furniture boutique, Jones is selective about the pieces she accepts on consignment. Typically, people will email her photos of the furniture or she’ll visit the home to inspect a piece. “Most of the time, I’m open to antique pieces, but I’m not taking any china cabinets,” Jones says. “People don’t want them anymore.”
Since the shop is located in Homewood, many shoppers are from the surrounding area, where homes are older and smaller than modern- day houses. Those people, Jones says, are looking for functionality. “I don’t take anything, other than tables, that do not have some type of storage or functionality,” she says.
Another important layer of selling consigned furniture is how it is displayed. “I can take a good piece of furniture that someone may have tried to sell on Craig’s List, and I can sell it here in days,” Jones says.
“Sometimes, simply putting a new, pretty lamp or another accessory on a piece of furniture makes it look like a million bucks.” Accessories are important, and Jones carries a variety of new lamps, wall décor and mirrors to accompany the consigned furniture waiting for new homes.
