Ashley Furniture in Santiago

NALs

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Apparenlty the American furniture giant Ashley open a new homestore in Santiago, its second store in the DR (the first is in Santo Domingo.) I'm actually surprised they open a homestore in the interior, judging by the strategy used by Ikea of having one big store in Santo Domingo and small order taking/shipment receiving 'points' in various parts of the interior.

Any expats planning to take a peek / compare prices?

The store is on avenida Juan Pablo Duarte. It's a large elegant looking building, hard to miss.
 
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NALs

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This is what the Santiago store looks like from the street.

image.png
 

irishpaddy

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I used the store in santo domingo to furnish my apartment and have to say I found the quality and service excellent ...delivered on time and the one problem I had with a sofa was sorted out promptly and the sofa was replaced no hassle
 

Blueceo

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I've furnished houses and apartments in south florida with Ashley and was always satisfied with both quality and price. Glad to see they're in the DR and should kick ass here. Great Company.
 

KyleMackey

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I've furnished houses and apartments in south florida with Ashley and was always satisfied with both quality and price. Glad to see they're in the DR and should kick ass here. Great Company.

They have some solid value options. I bought a bar height dining room table and chairs, solid wood expandable, from Ashley.
 

NALs

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They have some solid value options. I bought a bar height dining room table and chairs, solid wood expandable, from Ashley.
Solid wood and Ashley in one sentence?

Are you sure about that?
 

cobraboy

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Is that store across the street from Caribe Tours? If so we've wondered what t was going to be for months now.
 

mobrouser

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Pretty sure you will find out that the table top is veneer. The panels in the chair backs are too.
 

KyleMackey

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Pretty sure you will find out that the table top is veneer. The panels in the chair backs are too.

I am no expert, the specs do mention hardwood and veneer. The chairs cushions look a little cheap but no cracks and never had to tighten the screws due to loosening. Think I paid $750 about 10 years ago. MFG is Carlyle.
It weight 139 lbs.
Series Name: Carlyle Item Name: DRM Counter Butterfly EXT TBL Model #: D371-32 Dimensions: 54"W x 36/54"D x 36"H Weight: 139 lbs The sleek design of the contemporary styled "Carlyle" dining room collection brings a rich sophistication into any home. A rich, dark finish accented with satin nickel color hardware adorns this dining room furniture creating the perfect example of contemporary style. Features
Made with select veneers and hardwood solids.
Dark rich finish.
Butterfly Leaf.
Polyurethane chair upholstery.
Satin nickel color hardware.
Framed inset drawers with center glide system.
 

cobraboy

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We stopped into Ashley today.

It's on 27th de Febrero.

And WOW---is it spendy. I mean spendy.

Nice store, just not our style of furniture.

Did I mention it was spendy?
 

Jaime809

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Ashley also uses something called "leather facing." Surfaces that will either touch skin or are visible will be leather, but the backs and sides will probably be vinyl or pleather. After a couple years the color fading will be uneven.
 

AlterEgo

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Ashley also uses something called "leather facing." Surfaces that will either touch skin or are visible will be leather, but the backs and sides will probably be vinyl or pleather. After a couple years the color fading will be uneven.

Yep. A few years ago we bought black leather electric reclining home theatre chairs from Ashley. They called it "bonded leather". Not excessively expensive, maybe $500 each. The "leather" cracked and peeled, UGLY, while the mechanics of the chairs was great.

A word to the wise - don't buy any of their "leather" furniture.
 

NALs

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Yep. A few years ago we bought black leather electric reclining home theatre chairs from Ashley. They called it "bonded leather". Not excessively expensive, maybe $500 each. The "leather" cracked and peeled, UGLY, while the mechanics of the chairs was great.

A word to the wise - don't buy any of their "leather" furniture.
Bonded leather and leather facing is not the same.

Bonded leather is scraps of leather (usually what's left after the best parts of a hide are cut for real leather furniture or shoes or whatever) put together with a special plastic like glue. How much is leather and how much is the plastic glue ranges, but in cheaper furniture you will get more glue and less leather. That's why it starts to peel.

Leather facing, also called leather match, includes real leather (usually top grain, but other grades might be used) everywhere you sit and touch (basically every part that faces the front of the sofa.) On the sides and on the back is usually vinyl, which doesn't crack or peel as bonded leather does.

The biggest issue with Ashley furniture is the composite wood they use in the frame of their sofas/chairs/etc. That's the scrap wood that's left behind in the making of a solid wood plank for more expensive (and better made) furniture. The scrap is pressed together forming a plank of 're-engineered wood.' Due to its lack of solid consistency, naturally it's much lighter than solid wood (although it also depends what type of wood, because there is such a thing as solid pine -or any other type of 'soft' wood- wood and then there's the good stuff which is solid hardwood), but its much more prone to crack with a given amount of stress or after a certain amount of time.

If you want quality American made furniture, those made by the likes of Craftmaster or Klaussner among others are a much better option. You do pay for it, but it will last you decades. It's heavy furniture, but it's worth it. And this is just about the quality of the frame, but there are other advantages such as better quality of the fabric and of how the cushions are made.

I know people in the furniture business, so... lol
 

cobraboy

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Bonded leather and leather facing is not the same.

Bonded leather is scraps of leather (usually what's left after the best parts of a hide are cut for real leather furniture or shoes or whatever) put together with a special plastic like glue. How much is leather and how much is the plastic glue ranges, but in cheaper furniture you will get more glue and less leather. That's why it starts to peel.

Leather facing, also called leather match, includes real leather (usually top grain, but other grades might be used) everywhere you sit and touch (basically every part that faces the front of the sofa.) On the sides and on the back is usually vinyl, which doesn't crack or peel as bonded leather does.

The biggest issue with Ashley furniture is the composite wood they use in the frame of their sofas/chairs/etc. That's the scrap wood that's left behind in the making of a solid wood plank for more expensive (and better made) furniture. The scrap is pressed together forming a plank of 're-engineered wood.' Due to its lack of solid consistency, naturally it's much lighter than solid wood (although it also depends what type of wood, because there is such a thing as solid pine -or any other type of 'soft' wood- wood and then there's the good stuff which is solid hardwood), but its much more prone to crack with a given amount of stress or after a certain amount of time.

If you want quality American made furniture, those made by the likes of Craftmaster or Klaussner among others are a much better option. You do pay for it, but it will last you decades. It's heavy furniture, but it's worth it. And this is just about the quality of the frame, but there are other advantages such as better quality of the fabric and of how the cushions are made.

I know people in the furniture business, so... lol
That doesn't explain why the furniture in the store in Santiago (and Santo Domingo) are so absurdly expensive.