swannyww

People want well made furniture, but the competition offers easy credit, very cheap prices and the consumer falls for the gimmick. The cheaply made products quickly fail and the consumer is left with payments for junk. The consumer, already in a bind, buys even more junk on credit, and the junk fails again as it is designed to do. There are no standards for making furniture, although consumers think there are. The custom builder's reputation is on the line each time he works, and in order to stay in business he must produce quality pieces. If the consumer thinks little of his furniture, and price is the only factor, then you can't change his mind, but he gets real angry when the cheap stuff fails because his theory isn't sound. I am still in business and many large furniture stores have gone bankrupt in my 31 years building.

Think of it this way in the world of woodworking Sam Maloof (rest in peace) designed furniture his way and made a name for himself because of it. It took him many many years to be recognized and even more to make money at it. Now say China comes along and makes cheap copies of his work and sells them by the thousands. All that hard work my Maloof has been stolen by those never put in the time to or risk, to design their own furniture. Maloopf's long line of awaiting customers isn't so long anymore, and for what could have been a long career for generations will be cut short. It's kind of like Elvis impersonators, cheap but still not the same. I have had other woodworkers copy my ideas and in some way I am flattered, but when I see the work they have attempted to copy I see things I never would do and that cheapens my whole concept, and undermines my future work. If the copy fails in some way it reflects on my work because of the resemblance.