What local furniture company makes quality sofas? (Boston, Worcester: sales, apartment)

[Bruins3445]

Once we close on a place we'll be looking for a new sofa. I've checked out Jordan's and was impressed with their sales associates as well as their selection. I've also been to Bob's discount furniture which was enticing because of the price but wondering if anyone has has experience with them? Much of their selection appeared cheap and junky. Cardi's didn't have as much selection and seemed overpriced. My wife loved a couch from Boston Interiors but the sales associate was really pushy (when she realized we were only looking now she tried every sales trick in the book to get us to buy a couch despite me repeatedly saying no).

Has anyone had luck buying from the bigger name stores (Jordan's, Bob's, etc)?

Where would you buy for quality furniture?

[MikePRU]

Most of the furniture in my house is from Jordan's. I like the experience I have in the store and during delivery. Plus, the prices are reasonable. Steer clear of their "outlet" center. The furniture in there is junk in my experience. We bought a couch not too long ago from there (we just needed something cheap) and after a year one of the springs was popping through the cushion.

The furniture at Bob's just doesn't seem to be as high quality to me. Bernie & Phyl's seems to be a little better but not as good as Jordan's. You might also have luck with a small local store in the area where you are buying.

[vtecluder617]

We bought all of our furniture from Bob's just about 3 years ago. The couches are still in really good shape and look almost new (faux leather) and at $500 a pop we really couldn't go wrong. Their dining set though got scratched real easily and wasn't too impressed with that. Plus the chairs seemed flimsy.The coffee and end tables are still solid. No complaints on the bedroom set either.

[massnative71]

In addition to Jordan's and especially if you live west of Boston, it's worth a drive to Rotman's in Worcester.

I also like La-Z-Boy.

Bob's I never heard much good about other than pricing.

[Boston_Burbs]

We really like ll bean furniture.

[CaseyB]

Bob's is junky. Jordan's has all kinds. The Rotman's suggestion is good, also maybe take a trip to the outlets in Gardner.

[BostonMike7]

Most of my pre-children furniture is Jordan's. Once kid's came in the mix, I didn't want to spend a whole lot on high quality furniture only to have the kids ruin it. Nowadays it's cheap stuff from Ikea/Bob's...albieit a bit on the nicer side. Our Ikea kitchen table is 3 months old tops...and already has gouges from some sort of toy being smashed on it.


I have a set of couches from Bob's from about 15 years ago. Black leather or something like that. Think I paid $900 or so for the set. Anyway, it's held up Very well. It was my furniture through college, and in my first apartment, and is now the playroom furniture in my current home.

[lrfox]

We have a couch/loveseat set from Bob's and have had both pieces for about 5 years. You get what you pay for. It's not top quality in terms of build or comfort. The "leather" is bonded which means it's essentially fake (though there are scraps of real leather in the composite, so they call it "real"). It's not uncomfortable, but it's not in the same stratosphere as some even moderately priced leather sofas. The build quality is also "meh" at best. we've had broken arm rests on both the couch and loveseat. It doesn't take much to break them.

However, the "goof proof" protection isn't a bad deal if you don't mind being pushy and playing the waiting game. We've had both pieces replaced with new ones for the armrest problems. Making claims is a pain and they fight you, but if you fight back you'll win. I had a couch replaced in the past as well (about 10 years ago). So for very little money, Bob's is fine. I'd look elsewhere if you're looking for some quality.

[Parsec]

Don't buy from Bob's. I bought their most expensive bedroom set and it was still poor quality. Obviously a lot better than Ikea, but not on par with what you can get from Jordans. Even at Jordans you need to be careful because their furniture ranges in quality. I think the cheaper stuff at Jordan's is pretty bad too. If you are just starting out, as a basic rule stay away from anything that you need to assemble. If you are browsing for furniture in person, learn to recognize what high quality furniture looks and feels like - the materials (e.g. hardwood frames), construction (e.g. dovetails, mitre joints), smooth drawer glides, solid hardware pulls, square/flush doors, etc. In the end you get what you pay for with furniture and your experience and tastes will change as you get older. I used to love Ikea 10 years ago. Now I'm working on getting all that junk out of my house. It's okay to buy cheap stuff if you know you'll be moving onto something new in 5 years due to life change (e.g. kids getting older) or just because you like to switch things up every once in a while.

[boshyd]

Yes, Bobs was a mixed bag for us as well. Like others, we started out with Ikea, graduated to Bobs furniture, and now thinking about Jordan's/Rotmans. For our budget we did get lot of stuff in Bobs but the sofas, recliners are in a bad shape after just 3-4 years. We had good experience with goof proof, our sofa caved in so since it was no longer in stock they gave us credit with which we bought more junk and we still got to keep the sofa, not comfortable to sit on but hey it fills one of the rooms.

I saw few of the same pieces in Jordan's and Rotman's so they do share some suppliers. I found Rotman's to be cheaper in that they were more willing to throw in free shipping.

One other thing you can do is browse the stores and if you like an item you can try to order the same piece online from other retailers. Will be cheaper by a few hundred bucks but they will leave stuff outside your door for you to unpack and bring it in, unlike local furniture stores who bring it in and put in place, something to factor in. A thing to note is Jordan's/Rotmans will change the name of item they carry so you may have to type in keywords and do some research to get an exact match.

Our new thumb rule is buy stuff which we don't use everyday basis like China cabinet, side tables etc from Bobs, but stuff like sofas, etc from Rotman's/Jordans.