Why are there so few furniture stores in NoVA? (Arlington: appointed, new house)

[Bass101]

We have a lot of furniture to buy, as we recently bought a new house, and have been very disappointed in the selection of furniture stores in NoVa. We've been to Belfort, Haverty's, Greenfronts, Bassett, Sheffields, Kincaid, and a few other ones, as well as Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrell and Restoration Hardware. Why are there so few furniture stores in NoVA? We're interested in a more traditional look in terms of furniture. We're thinking about taking a trip to NC to look at furniture outlets there to have a better selection to choose from.

[Alicia Bradley]

Why are there so few <insert any category of retail here> stores in NoVA? Is that just part of the area's being so 'elite'?

(Sorry, I'm having one of my 'get me out this place' moments after reading a post by some strange person from Delaware who was 'afraid' that Madison, WI wouldn't be 'cultural' enough for him.)

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Alicia Bradley

Why are there so few <insert any category of retail here> stores in NoVA? Is that just part of the area's being so 'elite'?

I'll second this. Millions of people, and we are over-retailed with chains and under-retailed with uniqueness.

[bmwguydc]

There used to be more furniture stores in the area, going back a few years, from Mastercraft in Fair Oaks Mall to Kimel's and one whose name escapes me in the old Turnpike Center on Main Street in Fairfax where the thrift store is now located. Stanis used to be in Merrifield. In the case of Kimel and Stanis, and I think the name I cannot remember in Fairfax, it was retirement of the owners that caused the stores to cease functioning. IIRC, someone told me that Kimel's actually used to be in Virginia Square, and stood where the FDIC now stands, but left when the area went into a period of decay, which is when they relocated to Fairfax.

Have you tried Colony House in Arlington? Bif in Fairfax would be too contemporary for your taste if you want traditional. Thomasville has a store in Fair Lakes, and there's Ethan Allen. Hardwood Artisans might be another place to check, in Fairfax and Alexandria.

What has seemed to happen is a shift from the independent furniture stores and a movement to the larger offerings of a chain, or large store, like Belfort, that represents manufacturers, but many items have to be ordered from the catalog. Sadly, this has removed some of the diversity in offerings that one could find in the independent stores that had their own buyers who would look for specific requests for customers at the merchandise marts, manufacturer's shows, conventions, etc.

[reebo]

I know it's a pain, but the trip to NC is worth it. You'll pay about half what you pay at a retail store. We went to Furnitureland South, which is monsterously huge. Great help and you can't beat the name!

[CAVA1990]

Some of it may be due to the fact that many parts of the area are built out. Furniture stores do better where there are more new homes, for obvious reasons.

[normie]

There used to be more here. Furniture stores, curtain stores, and wallpaper stores, and other home-related stores are closing everywhere--not just northern Virginia. Even in Hickory, NC the choices are not as good as they once were.

It's even worse in other cities. One of my kids just moved to our old neighborhood in L.A. We went out to help him set up his new place and I was shocked how many stores had gone out of business there. I used to know of a dozen furniture stores on Hawthorne Blvd. in Torrance. There were so many it became hard to choose which sofa you wanted. Now all those stores are empty. All we found were a few chain stores--the same ones we have here. I imagine that when times get better, things like furniture stores will flourish again. But for now, there aren't many.

OP, if you like traditional furniture Treasures of Time in Chantilly (near Willard Road) is (or was) going out of business and advertising huge reductions. If they're still open, you can find a few good deals there. Their furniture tends to be a bit ornate, but very well made.

[ShadowBat]

You could always go the IKEA route. Across the road at Potomac Mills Mall, there is a place called F and M I think. Or something close to that. We went in and they had an abundance of antique looking furniture. Not real antiques though. They had some nice stuff, but the store was kind of creepy to me. Lots of stuffed toy tigers and religious pictures.

[ACWhite]

I think part of the problem regarding furniture is that a trend since the 80s is that many consumers like (or can't afford more than for/don't want to pay more than for) the relatively low quality, low cost furniture now being built in China and imported. Low quality wood is covered with a dark stain to hide flaws and put together by low paid workers. Many domestic manufacturers have struggled and many haven't survived, so they no longer have their retail outlets. People may want to change furniture styles fairly frequently, whereas years ago, a family might have bought furniture and kept it all their lives, so they were more likely to view it as an investment and were willing to pay more (or there was less competition, so they had to pay more).

[ACWhite]

Originally Posted by reebo

I know it's a pain, but the trip to NC is worth it. You'll pay about half what you pay at a retail store. We went to Furnitureland South, which is monsterously huge. Great help and you can't beat the name!

I'll third this, though the last time I went was a long time ago. The stores also would arrange to ship everything, as they are quite accustomed to out of town customers. Since we're so close (compared to many other parts of the country) it makes a lot of sense. And at certain times of the year, it's a beautiful drive!