Greetings,

The Winter Market in Las Vegas begins in just a few days and as the economy continues to improve I expect manufacturers will be taking more chances with new style designs.

Over the last few years of the Great Recession and it’s aftermath most furniture makers have stuck with the tried and true designs – not wanting to risk new cutting edge designs that might not be received well with cautious retailers.

Hopefully that changes in 2012 – tried and true are fine but it’s new, exciting designs that get consumers into retail showrooms – and I’m going to shop hard this Market for looks that are beyond “tried and true”!

I’ll let you know what exciting things I find.

Bonded leather (also known as blended leather) – is a term seen in furniture advertisements all over the USA.  But not in England, nor in New Zealand and other countries.

Why is that?  Because in the UK and other countries it’s illegal to use the word “leather” along with “bonded” or “blended” – because it’s not leather.  Unfortunately that’s not true in the USA where many furniture makers and retailers are jumping on the bandwagon of consumer deceit.

Hugo Zuanni, in his leather buyers guide for Dummies says, “Bonded leather is not leather and never will be, cows don’t come supplied on rolls – fabric does”.

That about sums it up – if you want a vinyl sofa – buy one called bonded, blended or bi-cast because a vinyl sofa is what you’ll get.

But you won’t be buying one by those names in England – they’ve made it illegal for retailers and manufactures to use wording to “dupe” consumers.

Bottom line – if you want leather, be sure it comes from cows, not chemicals!

Happy Holidays to everyone!
December is here and while it’s a shopping fest at many retailers (toys, clothes, jewelry, etc.) for many furniture stores it’s not the same madhouse – especially for furniture dealers offering better quality merchandise.
So, for those of you considering a future purchase of better quality home furnishings, this may be a very good time to strike a favorable deal.
And if you’re looking for leather furniture be sure and download our guide “The 7 Things You Must Know before Buying Leather”. It’s available free on our website – ChoiceLeatherFurniture.com.
Again, best wishes for a most joyous Holiday Season!