KPLR TV Channel 11 interviewer John Fuller sits down with John Alipertz of Harris House St. Louis and Craig Jung of St. Louis Green to talk about the Precious Earth: Green Furniture and Metal To Food Program.

(This interview has been transcribed.)

John Fuller: First of all Craig what is this furniture and metal to food program?
 
Craig: There is a program that Operation Food Search started about four years ago. What they do is take all of the old furniture and all of the old metal that comes from all of the corporations that partner with their programs. Well the program got a little large for them to manage. So they came to us St. Louis Green and said hey would you be willing to take this program over. We acquired it in October. Since October we have worked in all the programs that we’ve done with all the people and diverted 300,000 pounds of furniture in something like 60 days so it’s been fabulous. A group like Johns is one of the groups that we’ll send the furniture to if it’s still useable.
 
John Fuller: A beneficiary?

Craig: A beneficiary.

John Fuller: Well then how can a company help as long as we’re talking about the program.

Craig: A beneficiary. Well the biggest thing is to get a hold of us if you’re planning on moving anything let us decide if it’s of value or not for us to come in and say yes we can get someone to use it here or we can use it there that the best way for us. Just call us if you would.
 
John Fuller: Now the beneficiary or the group the Harris House tell us about the Harris House John

John Alipertz: Harris House is a not for profit United Way agency located in south St Louis we provide residential treatment services for men and women suffering from alcoholism chemical dependency and mental health issues. We have 99 beds. Being a not for profit we have a relatively limit budget so; the furniture and various items that we have gotten from St Louis Green. It’s just been like Christmas for us.

John Fuller: How big of a problem is substance abuse and alcoholism you say you have 99 beds how many people do you provide services too.

John Alipertz: Close to five hundred a year

John Fuller: Wow.

John Alipertz: The impact of Harris House goes well beyond that five hundred people leave the Harris House and they return to the work place. We help people get jobs. Provide employment skills. A lot of the women come to Harris House in an effort to regain custody of their children they lost due to their addiction. So it’s a tremendous impact on their community.
 

John Fuller: What would be some of the items that you would reuse from Craig’s group?

John Alipertz: We got some beautiful furniture and it’s gonna be the first time in our 50 years history that we have matching furniture in our living room. (Everyone Laughing) We’re pretty excited about that!

Craig: Washington University redid their library last week the nineteenth. We went in there with five agencies and took four floors of old furniture from Wash U. and they were one of the agencies that got some of that furniture. It’s just fabulous.

John Fuller: Wow and it’s keeping it out of the landfills as a waste
Craig: Yeah everybody wins.

John Fuller: Thank you John and Craig also for joining us today about how about precious earth segment can help other by repurposing furniture for those who need it.

See the video interview from KPLR 11 Precious Earth: Green Furniture and Metal To Food Program

WHOLESALE Entrance by nsub1

I really like when businesses make me feel special almost like they’re inviting me in through my own special entrance, so when I read a recent ad in a local St. Louis publication offering me wholesale pricing on bedroom furniture it got me thinking. Do people really believe they are able to purchase at whole sale prices? I honestly think shoppers of Wholesale Bedroom Furniture Stores in St. Louis think they are getting that dresser, chest, bed etc. for cost. My hope is to educate and make clear the difference between retail and wholesale on the part of consumers. It is my feeling that many shoppers are being taken by misleading marketing and deceptive business names. After all they only want to save big money. So our question is this, do Wholesale Bedroom Furniture Stores in St. Louis offer something that other sellers of furniture don’t offer? Example: The big the savings of not paying a markup by instead paying wholesale prices?

Wholesale Furniture or Wholesill Furniture?

While many companies advertise wholesale furniture prices our opinion is they’re really only getting what we like to refer to as wholesill. Wholesill is a word we’ve made up that sounds like wholesale to describe what consumers are really getting when they buy from companies that have the word wholesale in their business name or tout wholesale prices to the general public in their advertising strategy.

 
Can Furniture Shoppers Really Purchase for Wholesale Prices?

The fact is the majority of furniture manufacturers do not sell and will not sell direct to the public. High Point Furniture Market and Tupelo Furniture Market are two key shopping hubs for retailers looking for product to buy and then sell for a profit. While furniture manufacturers have been known to sell direct to the public it is rare and is not supposed to happen. To get in to these markets furniture retailers be registered, have their business license and other necessary proof of who they are and what they do. Without such registration the general public is not permitted access.

Do Local Furniture Companies Sell Wholesale to the Public?

While there are bedroom furniture manufacturers selling directly to the public they are not selling their products for wholesale prices. These manufacturers / retailers are cutting out the middleman by selling customers directly however don’t believe for a minute that they are selling their furniture at wholesale cost and significantly undercutting competitors. These retailers /wholesalers are businessmen and women who are very smart and very savvy and are not about to give up good profits to be had and start a price war all in the name of more sales volume.

How can I know for sure I’m paying wholesale and not retail furniture prices?

Do you homework is the answer. If there were money to be made by the manufacturers selling directly to the public we wouldn’t have the retail structure we have today. The companies you know and love would not exist and there would be a furniture manufacturer on every corner. Instead furniture manufacturers focus on what they do best source, design, build bedroom furniture while furniture retailers can focus on trends, demographics, popular styles and yes selling and educating you on the bedroom furniture you are about to buy.

Buying a chest of drawers can be an intimidating task and having a plan cannot only help take the fear out of purchasing one it might actually include some fun. While cleaning up a mess isn’t fun having an organized room can lower stress levels and having storage and organization gives you a tool you can utilize daily in the form of a clean bedroom and one key is a chest of drawers. It’s a vertical or up right piece of furniture that may only have a few drawers or may include many. Styles, color, and price vary widely and the whole shopping experience can go from fun to freaked out in minutes so here are a few tips we think are most important when buying this great piece of bedroom furniture.

How To Choose A Chest Of Drawers

Determine What Size Chest You Want

Figure out where you want to place the piece of furniture. There are things to consider that can affect the life of your chest. Direct sunlight and heat can affect various woods and finishes. You will need to work out where you want to place it and do some measuring.

Working out where to place your new furniture in advance will keep you from having to squeeze by it, allow you to completely open a door, or open a drawer all the way in order to place or remove items from the drawer.  The best way to make sure fitting problems do not occur  is to take your time. Measure length, width, height and finally how those measurements will correspond with the actual space you have in the bedroom.One of the most important things to do when measuring up for a new chest of drawers is to ensure that you leave enough space for the drawers to be opened fully.

Look at the Quality of the Chest

While it’s important for the chest of drawers to look good in your décor it is even more important that it holds up to the use and abuse that is thrown at it through out the years. Drawer chests can be constructed of many things and most commonly it is various hard and soft woods or particleboard with laminated finishes. Other popular designs include wood veneers. Veneers include thin pieces or slices of wood that are typically glued onto core panels commonly  made of particleboard, medium-density fiberboard, or wood quality and costs vary greatly.

Next look at drawer construction. Ask for assistance from an associate or research the net, but learn about the various construction features and ways of building chest.  Depending on the building method quality will vary from poor to excellent so find what will both fit your budget and benefit your daily needs . Drawer framework should be dovetailed. French and English Dovetails are most common and may or may not have center or side rollers guides for easy gliding drawers. Wood and steel guides can also be used and many are of  good quality so do not discount their sturdiness. Lastly look at the overall construction of the entire chest that houses the drawers it should be strong and stable when lifting not flimsy and structurally unsound.

What Style Chest Fits Your Needs?

• Country
• Modern
• Painted Finish
• Transitional
• Asian
• Queen Ann
• Industrial
• Contemporary
• Shaker
• French
• Art Deco

The list goes on and on.

Do I Need a Brand Name Chest of Drawers?

• Broyhill
• Stanley
• Lane
• Lexington
• Vaughn Bassett
• Kincaid
• Pulaski
• Hooker
• Riverside
• Hillsdale

These are just of few of the the brand name companies you may recognize that offer chest of drawers. However if you are looking for American made you might be surprised to learn that many of these house hold names are no longer made in the USA. While they still offer great quality at a fair price it seems many of the old American made furniture companies have sold out for cheap labor. Personally I believe if you follow the tips from above name brand doesn’t matter and by avoiding the extra marketing expenses incurred from costly advertising a person can save quite a bit of money and get a great deal on a chest of drawers.

1. Can make a small room look bigger

Tiny bedrooms can often look smaller and one of the best designer’s tips to making a room look larger is not using a footboard. Headboards that are thinner, less bulky, or even have a style that lets the wall behind show through are all affective ways to give a room a more spacious feel.

Top Ten Reasons To Buy A Headboard Only

2. Lots of styles

Headboards only offer an infinite range of styles and colors to match any décor or mood you are trying to design and Colors are endless. Materials can be simply metal, brass, or iron or come in common woods like pine or oak or exotic like teak, or bamboo.

3. Fit a wide range of budget’s

Which ever style you choose set a budget before you start. Know that simple metal, or fast growing woods, or painted headboards are often the cheapest. Bed styles that are made from more unusual or hard to find materials or have complicated manufacturing processes can cost more. In addition slow growth woods can also increase head  board cost.

4. Easier to make up

No one wants to do it and some of us don’t… that’s right making the bed. If you have a bed with  both a head and foot end you can save yourself some aggravation, annoyance, and perhaps even save some busted knuckles and a couple of fingernails. Tucking bedding is hard and not having a footboard frees up the space needed to easily and “joyfully” make your bed in the morning.

5. Great for people who are taller

Beds that use a head board only are a better choice for taller people. While not adding the foot piece doesn’t solve every problem that comes along with being tall, it will keep you out of the tangle of a footboard so the taller person won’t be kicking it at 3:00 in the morning. It’s a great way to add sleeping space and add comfort for no extra cost.

6. Frees up additional space for a bedroom

While not having a footboard leaves space for your feet in bed just keep in mind it will leave space for your feet when their out of the bed too. Walking around can be a dream especially in a smaller room. While it does make the room look bigger an even better benefit is that you won’t have anything to run into or stub your toes on in dark of the night or when you least expect it in even in the day. Hips, toes, thighs, and shins will thank you.

7. Easier to assemble

While headboards can be attached in a variety of ways, most either bolt up or hook in, the steel bed frame does everything else. Not adding foot board not only saves money and space but also saves time with less assembly required.

8. Sitting on the end of the bed

It is not recommended that you use your mattress as a chair,  yet we realize that people  sit on the sides and end of their bed when getting dressed and putting on their shoes. Having a headboard only frees up the end of the bed and over time can reduce side wear of your mattress.

9. Bed Skirts and Dust Ruffles Fit Better

Not only is it easier to make a bed that only has a headboard, but finding the bedding to fit it can be less of a chore. Beds that have foot boards and side rails usually require bed skirts or dust ruffles that are specially designed for such an application. These are split on the corners in order to hang freely.

10. Some people prefer a headboard only.

There are many reasons why people may not want a foot board and want just a head board only. Personal preference may be the biggest reason of them all.

Wood Daybed

Truly one of the most unique pieces of furniture ever put in a house, it has a couch like resemblance and can be used like one yet it has mattresses and can be used as a bed. People argue over its spelling “day bed” or “daybed” and agree that it may be the most versatile piece of furniture ever created. It utilizes either one or two mattresses one of which is stored underneath and allows the bed to convert into a shortened king size bed. Its design is perfect for smaller rooms and is regularly used in kids bedrooms or offices where space is limited.

What is a Daybed?

The back of the “couch like” twin size bed is called a back chair rail and serves as the headboard for the bed. The headboard or chair rail runs the bed’s length which is very different from traditional twin size beds and is connected by two ends called daybed arms that are all tied together by a supporting linked spring upon which a mattress lies. This bed should not be confused with a futon which does not have a headboard and is built differently. The futon back is also “couch like” and in fact is cushioned by the mattress and folds to the shape of a couch and must be converted by unfolding it and laid flat to utilize the entire mattress portion. The couch like back of the daybed is a hard frame usually made of wood or metal and the daybed mattress does not fold when not in use.

What are Daybeds made out of?

Link Spring for Day Bed

Made from a variety of building materials the majority are built from iron, metal, and many different kinds of wood including everything from oak to pine. Daybeds also come in a variety of styles ranging from traditional to modern and contemporary to rustic. These space saving pieces of furniture come in a vast array of colors as well including painted finishes and wrought iron which are the most popular these days.

How do Daybeds Work?

Daybed mattresses rest upon a linked spring support offering just the right amount of give and support. Daybed mattresses are really no different from any other twin size mattress and measure 38 x 75. In order to convert the bed system to a shortened king size bed one must purchase an optional trundle unit which also comes in twin size and stows nicely underneath the bed. There are two types of trundles. A roll out variety with wheels which merely rolls out anywhere you would like and a pop up trundle which does the same; however the popup the version can be pushed up against daybed frame which contains the other mattress making for a bigger bed or left as two separate twin beds, either way it is perfect for guests to sleep on.

Day Bed Pop Up Trundle

Is a Daybed Right for me?

If you are limited on space the answer is yes. If you are looking for a unique bed the answer is yes. If you need to kill two birds with one stone the answer is yes. If you are looking for a cheap bed we recommend taking a pass good daybeds cannot be purchased for $99.00 with everything we talked about they typically range from 399.00 and up.

Parts of a Daybed

Chair Rail

Linked Spring

Daybed Arms

Twin Mattress or Mattresses

Trundle