Moving from Ireland to Columbus (Cleveland, Cincinnati: sales, rental, mattress)

[CarmelB]

Hi I have just moved to Columbus Ohio from Ireland with my husband and four children. We plan to live in the Westerville area and will be getting the keys to a house next Friday. I am looking for advice on where to buy cheap furniture as the house is totally unfurnished. Also the three older children will be going to the Elementary and High School but I also have a three year old and need advice on suitable day care centers. Many thanks. Carmel

[wrightflyer]

First, welcome to the USA! Hopefully, you enjoy your time in Columbus, the Midwest and North America. Also, take the time to see the different sites around the United States while here! Anyhow...

Not as knowledgeable on the day care part (don't have kids... yet), but furniture wise, you have some options.

Besides the higher priced department stores, i.e. Macy's, you can find items at a lower price at big-box stores. If Macy's does work for you, they have a good selection at the Macys' Tuttle Mall at I-270 and Tuttle Crossing (also, there is an additional Macy's Furniture Gallery on the other side of 270 from the Tuttle Mall). There are two Macy's there, but I believe the one on the wing furthest away from the interstate has the furniture. A little closer to Westerville is the Easton Town Center Macy's which has a large furniture selection as well on the second floor. They recently expanded the home and furniture section with the store remodel.

Unfortunately, the closest IKEA is either outside Pittsburgh (3 hour drive) or between Cincinnati and Dayton (2 hour drive). Columbus will be getting an IKEA near Polaris, but it won't open until sometime mid-to-late 2017.

Value City Furniture can have some good deals. You can find them at the Sawmill Road exit on the northern portion of I-270. In the plaza that sits at OH161 (Dublin-Granville Road) and Sawmill. There is also a slightly closer location at Morse Road and Karl Road in Columbus proper. Depending on where you are in Westerville, it might be quicker to jump on I-71 at Polaris and cut over I-270 to Sawmill. Southern portions of Westerville can reach Morse via Cleveland or State, turn right onto Morse and the store is on the right.

If you need to rent furniture, Cort Furniture has a decent selection of rental furnishings. Can be a tad pricey depending on what you get. They are located on Sancus Blvd. behind the Kroger across from Polaris Fashion Place.

For mattress shopping, I recommend Mattress Firm. I bought my first mattress from them, and was pleased with the sales rep, the setup for the store, delivery and the mattress itself. I sleep in different hotel beds every week and still haven't found a mattress as good as my personal one. And I stay at Hilton's, Radisson's, Marriott's, etc. Mattress Firm has nationwide locations, with many in Columbus, including two each near Polaris and Easton.

Other options for home decor, mattress and bedding or other furnishings include mid-range department stores like J.C. Penny's and Sears. Both are located at Polaris Fashion Place and Tuttle Crossing.

Finally, basic items, such as trash bins, cleaning supplies, plates, and miscellaneous home decor (decorations, frames, pictures) can be found at places such as Meijer (numerous locations), Home Goods (Stoneridge Plaza - Morse Road and Hamilton), Container Store (Easton), Wal Mart (numerous locations, including Westerville) and Target (numerous locations).

[WRnative]

If you don't mind used furniture, you can find some great bargains at Habitat for Humanity stores.

I wouldn't buy used furniture that might have bed bugs, but for solid wood furniture, this charitable organization is a preferred donor location and often receives high quality donations.

Levin Furniture offers high quality furniture at very reasonable prices (don't buy the extended service contracts). However, I believe the nearest store is in Canton (two hours from Westerville). Perhaps check it out, especially if they would deliver to the Columbus area. Perhaps you could visit Ohio Amish Country as part of a trip there.

http://www.levinfurniture.com/

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g...h.Country.html

Levin has many stores in the Pittsburgh area. You could visit the National Aviary as part of the trip.

Again, the issue with Levin is delivery in the Columbus area.

[WRnative]

Also, definitely join Costco and check out their furniture offerings, both in-store and online. Delivery may be an issue with some Costco purchases, but I believe they deliver mattresses. You might have to rent a large SUV to haul other purchases, if you don't have large storage capacity in your current vehicle.

Subscribe to Consumer Reports. Costco offers very highly rated mattresses on the cheap.

Westerville isn't far from the Gemini Place Costco, but also the one in Easton Town Center is a short drive.

Get a Costco Visa card ASAP, as it will provide you with significant cash rebates.

[Rosebush1]

Goddard School is widely considered to be a high quality child care center. Kids receive a combination of all day care and preschool activities.

If you are looking for half day preschool programs Central College preschool is well regarded. It is on Sunbury Road and they also offer some before and after care. Another good program is Ourday at the Church of the Messiah in uptown Westerville.

Good luck on your big move, welcome to Ohio.

[carlek]

Welcome! My husband is English and we live in northern Westerville (obviously I realize that Ireland is not part of the UK, but you know, same general part of the world). I have a kid about to start 1st grade at Alcott Elementary and a younger child in who will attend Spark preschool in Westerville starting in September. There are some wonderful Facebook groups for moms in our area that can provide all this info and more. They are "secret" groups now though so you have to be added by a FB friend. If you're interested I can sent you a DM here with a link to my Facebook profile and you can friend me (temporarily if you prefer) so that I can add you to those groups. I think you'd find them useful for all sorts of info going forward. There's also a great home decor and furniture selling wall for Columbus on Facebook that might help you find some home stuff at good prices. Again, welcome to Columbus!

[Buckeye614]

Originally Posted by CarmelB

Hi I have just moved to Columbus Ohio from Ireland with my husband and four children. We plan to live in the Westerville area and will be getting the keys to a house next Friday. I am looking for advice on where to buy cheap furniture as the house is totally unfurnished. Also the three older children will be going to the Elementary and High School but I also have a three year old and need advice on suitable day care centers. Many thanks. Carmel

Welcome to Ohio!

I had a positive experience with Furnitureland off of Morse Rd.

[Delco21]

Welcome to the Columbus area! We are happy to have you

[Vanderbiltgrad]

I am originally from Ohio and I love Irish nationals they are some of the nicest/friendliest people on earth. Welcome to America hopefully you have some good experiences here. Value City is a good choice plus they are based in Columbus. Good Luck to you and your family.

[PerryMason614]

IKEA near Cincinnati?