This question came from a few curious customers recently.
I like the question. Happy to answer.
One shopper was asking why a certain couch and love seat could be priced so low; she wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with it. "What does gently used mean?" In this situation, I explained the first owner had purchased all new furniture when he moved here to work temporarily at the BP oil refinery. He only stayed 14 months, then his job moved him. This man has no kids, no spouse, no pets, does not smoke. He just needed the furniture temporarily. He worked so many hours that he didn't get to use the furniture much. So we were blessed to purchase all his gently used furniture wholesale.
Gently used means the furniture has:
- Plenty of life left in it ~ at least several years of use remaining.
- Good bones ~ good structure. Meaning the main supports are in good shape; nothing sagging or broken inside.
- A healthy surface ~ the fabric or leather or wood should be in decent condition. Few if any noticeable marks.
- A pleasant odor ~ no smoking, no pet smell, no musty smell.
Community Furnishings provides a wide assortment (600+ pieces in 10,000 square feet of show floor space) of gently used, clean, attractive, useful furniture. We are not a thrift store. We actually deep clean each piece that comes in as soon as we have opportunity to "process" it.
Please don't be afraid of gently used things. Most of us live in a gently used home. Most of us drive a gently used vehicle. And sincerely, most of us should consider some gently used furniture as a reasonable alternative to financing something that is only brand new for the first five minutes, then it becomes gently used anyway:)
