Online Only: The FG Warehouse
Furnish Green Warehouse: Offering Access to our Expanded Inventory
One of our main goals at Furnish Green is to be able to offer our customers the most extensive vintage furniture inventory possible at the lowest possible price. However, we don’t want to overwhelm shoppers with a space that’s filled to the brim! So the idea behind the FG Warehouse is that it allows us to have a larger expanded inventory while maintaining a pleasant showroom experience with a manageable and interesting selection of products.
Our warehouse is an offsite location that provides storage space for our online-only inventory which is updated with new items weekly. These offsite items are not available to view in person, but they are presented with the same detailed photo layout as our in-store pieces. Each product page also tells you the item’s dimensions and offers notable information on its condition. These warehouse pieces are indicated via the phrase ‘ONLINE ONLY’ in their title.
If you’d like to see one of these items in person, it can be brought into the showroom for a 15%-20% deposit; the deposit amount either goes toward your total or, if you decide not to purchase the piece, will become store credit that is valid for 1 year.
Once purchased, the online-only items will come into our showroom to then either be picked up or delivered. As with the rest of our inventory, these items are ‘Final Sale’ and cannot be returned or exchanged so please call with specific questions regarding pieces prior to purchase.
Check out the ever-changing online-only inventory here!
Additionally, this means that if you don’t see what you’re looking for in our showroom, we may be able to find something from our offsite inventory that will suit your needs. So let us know what you’re looking for!
The FG Listening Station
Furnish Green continues in its pursuit to expand our already-considerable music section. Sometimes there may be an album cover or artist name that piques your interest but you have no idea what direction the music will turn.
Now the casual browser (he or she who doth browse) has ample opportunity to experience and engage with the records in our bins via our established listening station!
We hope you can discover a new artist/genre/hobby in the comfort of our showroom!
Happy collecting!
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Monday Markdowns: How They Work
Every piece that comes into Furnish Green settles into our workroom first. The entire staff huddles around it, deliberates about it’s quality and condition, and decides whether or not it needs additional work and attention. Then we collectively try to figure out a price. It usually goes something like this:
“$392”
“I was thinking low 4’s”
“We had one like that not too long ago in the low 4’s. It was here for a while”
“How about $384?”
“Wow, I was thinking that too.”
“Did you know I was born in 84?”
“I graduated high school in 84!”
“$384 it is.”
Now that was an example of a time when we got the price right. Here is an example of when we got the price wrong:
“Oh my god, I love that piece!”
“It’s supersexy, they are very hard to find.”
“I just checked it out on the 1st Dibs website, someone is asking $3500 for it.”
“$968 seems reasonable.”
“We may not get another one, we should probably ask $1184.”
“I was born in 84!”
“Wow I graduated high school in 84!”
“It is nice, maybe $1232?”
“Ok.”
“Sounds good.”
Now even though the final price sounded reasonable to us, especially compared to what other retailers were asking for it, that piece still sat in our showroom for longer than we would have liked. Here is the next conversation:
“There has to be a reason why this piece is still here.”
“Wow look at the price on that, $1232! No wonder why it’s still here!”
“Were we on crack when we priced it?”
“Let’s mark this down to $844 during our Monday Markdowns this week.”
“Good idea.”
So always keep an eye out for our Monday Markdowns because we are constantly revisiting our prices to see if a piece was originally made too expensive. On average, we lower 5-7 pieces every Monday, and they are not necessarily items that have been in our showroom for a long time. Our mission is to get cool vintage furniture into as many home as possible as quickly as possible, so check our site often (the Sale section in particular) to see if that credenza you had your eye on has a lower price! – Nathan
FG’s Owner on Choosing the Right Furniture for Your Home
FG Owner and main buyer, Nathan, definitely understands the difficulties that come with having too many style options when decorating your space. He gets to see a lot of furniture on a daily basis, and it’s because of him that we are able to bring our customers such a dynamic, interesting inventory. But we don’t want to overwhelm you, so he’s come up with a few tips and tricks that have helped him design his home thoughtfully while avoiding the dark depths of hoarding.
Picking Furniture For Your Home: Let Your Choices Be You
As the main buyer for Furnish Green, I come across a lot of furniture. I mean a lot. No, more than you are thinking. Even more…
I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to see so many pieces and so many styles pass through my hands, but I can empathize with customers when they come to our showroom and suddenly feel overwhelmed. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to Home Depot only to forget the very thing I went there to buy. But we’re talking about pieces you are going to live with here, not AA batteries. And it’s usually the emptier the apartment, the more overwhelming it can be. Where to start? What style?
“I like this style… but I like this one… and that one also. What do I do?!”
My first suggestion is to start with one piece that you really like, one piece that is calling your name even from the other side of the showroom, a piece that you want to be BFFs with 4ever. Go for it, buy it, it’s unique, it’s sublime, it’s you.
Let’s say this piece is a Mid Century credenza. It’s modern, made of walnut or teak, with clean lines. This doesn’t mean that the rest of your place has to look like Don Draper’s apartment from Mad Men. Although there’s nothing wrong with that.
At this point in the process allow yourself to stray from that style in order to get the pieces you really need. Mix it up, and don’t worry about whether wood tone differs from one piece to the next or whether or not Hollywood Regency goes with Industrial. You can often bring styles together through incorporating smaller accent pieces. Worry more about shape, size and function. Most good designers I know often mix styles, creating a one-of-a-kind look. Tap into that inner designer, get a little funky, be bold and let your choices be you. – Nathan
ONLINE ONLY: The Warehouse Selection
Introducing Access to our Expanded Inventory
Furnish Green is excited to now offer our customers an even wider selection of fantastic vintage items!
As of this August, our website now allows shoppers to peruse and purchase from this expanded inventory! In addition to all the great pieces that can be viewed in our showroom, the Furnish Green website will now also provide access to pieces residing at our offsite warehouse. These offsite items are presented with the same detailed photo layout as our in-store pieces. Each product page also tells you the item’s dimensions and offers notable information on its condition. These warehouse pieces are indicated via the phrase “ONLINE ONLY” in their title.
Additionally, this means that if you don’t see what you’re looking for in our showroom, we may be able to find something from our offsite inventory that will suit your needs. So let us know what you’re looking for!
In a nutshell: more products, same Furnish Green.
Shop some of these items here.
The Differences Between Solid, Genuine and Veneer
We recently found an issue of Better Homes & Gardens from 1963, and it has some amazing content! The photos are quintessentially 1960s and the issue has plenty of helpful tips to instruct the 1963 furniture buyer.
We wanted to share some of the wealth of information that maintains relevance today for the modern furniture enthusiast.
An excerpt from “The Beauty of Fine Woods” section:
“An understanding of the terms solid, genuine and veneer will also
help you buy wisely. When a piece of furniture is marked ‘solid,’ it
indicates that it is made from solid hardwood. The label ‘genuine’
shows that the furniture is made of a single hardwood, veneered on
flat surfaces, and solid in structural parts, such as the legs.
Much fine furniture today is no longer made from solid wood, but
from veneers. Many people still believe that veneers are not as
strong as solid pieces. However, quite the contrary is true; the
finished product is much stronger and more resistant to warping.
A veneered plywood panel is actually a wood “sandwich,” usually
made of five, seven, or more layers. The center is solid lumber, and
on both sides of this core thin sheets of strong hardwood are placed
at cross grain to fit for strength and to prevent warping or splitting.
Finally, a ‘face’ veneer of fine cabinet wood is placed over the layers,
again at cross grain. A backing sheet of the same hardwood on the
reverse side completes the panel.”
Furnish Green Vinyl
If you don’t already know, Furnish Green has a selection of vintage vinyl. We try to keep our inventory stocked with clean records graded from Good to Very Good. Our showroom carries a wide variety of genres including Rock, Country, Rap, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Soundtracks, and Disco.
The prices are very reasonable with a dollar section of assorted genres as well. We want our customers to be able to enjoy the classics without spending an arm and a leg. There is a lot planned for this year on the website and showroom, as far as records go. The idea is to carry more vinyl, have working and affordable vintage audio for sale, and a music column on our blog showcasing records in our store you may not be familiar with. Stay tuned for more details!
If you or someone you know has old vinyl and wants to donate or sell, we now buy collections of any of the genres mentioned above. You can reach out to us via furnishgreen@gmail.com, attn: Tim.
The Bowery Residents’ Committee and Furnish Green
Furnish Green recently participated in sponsoring the 2014 BRC Jr. Board Spring Benefit on May 1st, an event in which 100% of the proceeds go to the Bowery Residents’ Committee and its mission to break the cycle of homelessness! We are proud to have been able to donate some items to their cause, and to help bring additional success to the event.
What is the Bowery Residents’ Committee (BRC)?
Founded in 1971 by lodgers of Bowery flophouses who wanted to improve their lives, BRC is today a leading provider of housing and services to well over ten thousand of New York City’s neediest individuals. Offering a hand up, not a hand out, BRC asks: What can we do for you? BRC sees the potential in each person it serves and provides each the opportunity to find it through a robust continuum of housing and nonresidential programs offering health, mental health, treatment for addictions, vocational services, elder services, and supportive communities in which to live. Today BRC operates a continuum of 28 programs throughout New York, with a fiscal year 2013 budget of $62 million, over 650 employees, and hundreds more registered volunteers. Check out BRC.org for more information.
Furnish Green Record Collection
In case you were unaware… we have a stock of records which we sell in-store only! We are constantly refreshing and get new arrivals in every 2-3 weeks. The inventory contains both the popular and the less well-know and is all priced fairly inexpensively. Our records are in excellent playing shape as they are cleaned and freshly bagged upon arrival to the bins. Whether you like jazz, soul, or classic rock, we’ve got something for everyone. Some of our stock currently includes… Wilson Pickett, Queen, Johnny Cash, Devo, Al Green, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Fats Domino and tons more.
We also have a $1 bin that is constantly updated.
Come peruse and take home some good tunes!
Furnish Green’s Furniture Drive for a Cause
Furnish Green is collaborating with Rhythm Break Cares (RBC) in a vintage furniture drive! RBC is a non profit devoted to a form of dance therapy for individuals with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers. Furnish Green will be accepting donated pieces** of furniture starting on February 24th, and the proceeds from the donated pieces will go to the RB Cares “Dance with Dementia Programs.”
Why Rhythm Break Cares? Furnish Green’s owner Nathan Hescock is not solely a vintage furniture enthusiast. He started RBC in 2007 and has since worked to demonstrate the benefits of music, movement and touch through this form of dance therapy.
Nathan’s story:
My first encounter with the dementia population was when I was volunteering at an adult day center in the West Village of Manhattan about 15 years ago. At first, everyone sat in a circle silently, without interacting, but as I played Frank Sinatra and classics from their generation, this group of older people started moving in their seats and wheelchairs, tapping their feet or swaying to the waltz rhythm of Que Sera Sera. My ability to touch them, support their weight if they had physical disabilities, and get them to move awakened the group. Soon, everyone in the room was doing some form of dance, holding hands. Out of that eventually came the idea of Rhythm Break Cares, which brings the world of dance, healthcare, and neuroscience together.
More about Rhythm Break Cares:
Rhythm Break Cares (RBC) takes a unique and highly effective approach to address the widespread and immediate needs of individuals with Alzheimer’s, associated dementias, and their caregivers, by engaging them in partner dance as a means to improve their quality of life. Since 2009, RBC has successfully offered this interesting form of dance therapy, which capitalizes on the demonstrated benefits of music, movement and touch. Their sessions provide a rare opportunity for patients and their caregivers to escape some of the burdens associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia, in a stress-free environment where they can observe, participate and be entertained. Their dance artists are professionally trained Ballroom and Modern dancers that have undergone specific training to work with the Alzheimer’s, dementia, and elderly communities. They hold sessions in a variety of ways offering social functions at their midtown location, on-site sessions at dementia centers, private lessons, and instruction for caregivers and caregiver group classes. Some of the current on site locations and centers include: New York Memory Center, 80th St Residence, Hearthstone, The Esplanade, and The National Alzheimer’s Association.
** If you would like to donate a piece of vintage furniture for the cause, please send an email with images of the piece to furnishgreen@gmail.com ASAP. Please note: we will not be accepting all furniture as we have a limited amount of space. Pieces must be in fair condition needing minimal repairs and must fit with Furnish Green’s aesthetic.
While the donations will not be tax deductible, your contribution will help to grow a future 501c3 non profit, so that they can continue to support the Alzheimer’s community through dance therapy. Watch a video of their work HERE.