My 250th review concerns our second big adult purchase after our house last year. My wife and I…read moredecided we were done with IKEA and hand-me-downs and it was time to put some real furniture in our bedroom.
We first tried some local furniture stores like Raymour & Flanigan and Mealey's in Maple Shade, NJ. We have bought smaller pieces from stores like this in the past (like a sofa/love seat combo) but we were generally disappointed by the quality of the bedroom sets. Many of the sets were stylish but for $3,000-$4,500 we saw furniture made in Southeast Asia with particle board backs, veneers and usually no dovetail joints. We were also extremely turned off by very, very pushy salesmanship. We almost bought a set anyway but, in the end, we did the thing I most recommend to anyone spending over a few hundred on anything: we walked away and thought about it. Ultimately, we passed, which was for the best.
We later tried finding some well-made antique pieces but things were either too expensive or just didn't work. Some pieces were very cool, but we could usually only find full-sized beds that were quite creaky. Enter the recommendation from a friend to look into Amish-made furniture.
My wife did some thorough research and found about 4 or 5 recommended stores between here and Lancaster. We visited each one, picked out our favorite set, took photos, got a quote on that set, walked away and compared all the photos and quotes.
Some things we learned. First, most of these Amish furniture stores are just middle men for the actual craftsmen. Second, most furniture is only available when ordered by your specifications, so we were usually quoted that it would take 2 to 3 months to actually receive the furniture. Third, most Amish furniture is not made in Pennsylvania. It's mostly constructed in Ohio and sometimes in Canada. Fourth, the styles are often simpler than some fancy modern or retro designs you might see in your common urban/suburban furniture store. However, fifth, the craftsmanship is generally way higher quality (all wood, dovetail joints, etc.). And, sixth, this usually means a slightly higher price tag. We generally saw furniture for about $4,500-$6,500.
In the end we chose Alegacy for a number of reasons. They had several styles that appealed to us, their sales style was friendly and not at all pushy and they had one of the better prices for a bedroom set that we desired after collecting all of our quotes.
Honestly, it was hard to be a good adult and not impulsively pick something that looked great. And, it was hard to choose a path where we knew we wouldn't see the furniture for about 3 months. But, we haven't regretted putting a lot of thought into this expensive purchase. We also decided to spend $1000+ more on Amish-made furniture because it seems like the quality will be worth the investment down the line. This furniture feels like something that could eventually be an heirloom.
Down the line, we visited Alegacy on 3/22 and visited again and finalized our order on 4/26 but only received our furniture today, 9/8. We were quoted an "estimated build date" of 10-12 weeks, but it actually took 19+ weeks for delivery.
Alegacy is only staffed by three gentlemen (that are all family?). They were always pleasant and not pushy. They took care of delivery and minimal assembly from 40 miles away for only $120. The delivery today was quick and smooth and both guys were so friendly. And, ultimately, I know that they cannot control how fast their craftsmen work.
The three star review is a tough one. However, in the end, the furniture was almost 2 months late, they were an hour late for their delivery window today and ultimately they seemed a bit disorganized and not very communicative. When the furniture was 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks late, we reached out to them, not them to us. When they were an hour late for delivery, I had to call them, not them calling us. They obviously use a paper system instead of a computer system and each time I called they took down my number like I hadn't given it to them several times already. The three star review is because of this frustration.
The furniture is beautiful and well-made. And, I wouldn't tell you not to go to Alegacy. But, I would say to not necessarily trust their estimated delivery date or their ability to stay in touch about the furniture you are obviously in anticipation of receiving. If they just stepped up their customer service as far as knowing realistic estimates from their craftsmen about build/delivery and communication this could have been a 5 star review.
