A blog about real estate, interior design, and the home in the Washington, DC area.

Furniture Worth a Trip

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By Mary Clare Fleury

In sleepy Farmville, Virginia, 170 miles from DC, Green Front Furniture (316 N. Main St.; 434-392-5943) is the biggest name around. The discount furniture retailer fills 750,000 square feet in 15 no-frills buildings—old tobacco warehouses and renovated storefronts. Picking through the thousands of pieces of furniture can be a money-saving way to spend an afternoon.

Richard Crallé, who founded the company more than 40 years ago, keeps costs low by doing little advertising and buying directly from manufacturers. Most pieces are traditional; Green Front carries more than 200 manufacturers including Ralph Lauren, Hickory Chair, Maitland-Smith, and Sherrill.

But the Oriental rugs are the stars. Imported from India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, China, and Nepal, rugs arrive by the truckload every week. A 9-by-12 Persian rug can sell for as little as $500. If you don’t have time to make the trip to Farmville, there’s a smaller version of the store—85,000 square feet—in Manassas (10154 Harry J. Parish Blvd.; 703-396-8560).

This article appears in the December 2007 issue of The Washingtonian. 

Comments

I have noticed that there are more consignment shops in Washington, DC now than in past years. Is this a new trend? My favorite consignment store is a little shop on Wisconsin Avenue called Wisconsin Avenue Collection second to that was Washington Consignments also on Wisconsin Avenue, but they closed. Stores like these reaffirm our commitment to recycling and the environment. I would like to see an article that examines this trendy way of saving and doing our part in going green.

Sincerely,
Mary Jane Brookman

Posted by: Mary Jane Brookman | Apr 01, 2008 04:20:37 PM

that place just look nice but all products they have are defective and damaged mainly oriental rugs, i brought 2 rugs from there one of them i have seen moth in a week, worst customer service not at all worth it driving to that place just to save little bit.

Posted by: tom hunk | Mar 08, 2008 11:09:15 PM

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