By Mi-Ling Stone Poole – DEAR MI-LING:During the next few months, I plan to purchase a few new pieces of furniture for my newly renovated home. Is it my imagination, or are some of the top brands lowering their prices? Is this because of the economy?<\/p>\n
Empty House<\/p>\n
DEAR EMPTY HOUSE:<\/em> Yes, it appears that the industry has been lowering prices on many of the mid to high-end brand names. I have seen recent ads that are promoting deals on Bernhardt and Henredon to name a few. But you\u2019ll find bargains almost everywhere. I would agree that the downturn in the economy has forced a number of furniture stores and a few chains to close or reorganize.<\/p>\n Another factor, according to Gina Bruno-Dunn, president of Bruno\u2019s Home Furnishing, is the result of a number of furniture lines being produced in China rather than in North Carolina?<\/p>\n I\u2019m doing my part to help the economy with recent furniture purchases. They include a new bedroom suite, pendant lighting for my bar and a beautiful cowhide stool with a modern flair.<\/p>\n I also found the perfect oil painting for my bedroom that would have cost me four times as much this time last year.<\/p>\n Tip: If you\u2019re looking for a specific item to make a statement in your space, take your time and shop wisely.<\/p>\n Trust me on this. You will know when you find it and chances are you\u2019ll get a better deal.<\/p>\n When shopping for your newly renovated space, consider swapping pieces with a friend or checking out a flea market, garage sale or an estate sale. You might be surprised what you can find when you\u2019re not looking.<\/p>\n Share you latest find!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Mi-Ling Stone Poole – DEAR MI-LING:During the next few months, I plan to purchase a few new pieces of furniture for my newly renovated …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1350,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[477,482,476,474,180,479,478,481,475,480],"class_list":["post-1082","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-mi-ling","tag-bernhardt","tag-cowhide-stool","tag-deals","tag-economy","tag-furniture","tag-garage-sale","tag-henredon","tag-lighitng","tag-modern","tag-pendant"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t