She remembers then going to the furniture store and deciding to splurge on new, good quality koa furniture and selecting this one hoping it would last. It did. This is the only living room furniture I can remember as a child.
Mom was a little wistful about replacing the koa furniture, but wanted something that didn't sag and was easier to keep clean. Art put a temporary board under the cushions, but it wasn't ideal. Dennis had also replaced the springs once before many years ago when he used to work at a cabinet shop.
I looked online and found a dealer named Jerry Domingo who refinishes koa furniture. He said it would cost $850 to refinish the wood and then $15 for each spring. Then we'd have to get new cushions and cushion covers ourselves.
I asked Jerry if he would like to purchase our koa set instead and he said he would be interested. This is the first time I've ever done business with someone I hadn't met face to face at a store.
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| Mom and Jerry Domingo |
Jerry was happy with the condition of the furniture. He says he's seen koa furniture that was left outside which is a shame. We were pleased with the price he paid us. I hope he can finish and resell it for a whole lot. If you have koa furniture to sell or would like to buy some, give Jerry Domingo a call at 286-9597.
Funny how sometimes furniture can almost become a part of your family. We've been thinking about doing this for a long time but as we saw the koa pieces leaving, we couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness and nostalgia. The only thing that made it OK for all of us was knowing that Jerry would give it new life and send it to an owner who would love it as we did for so many years.
Do you have any furniture piece that you would have a hard time parting with?
My parents had wooden (don't know if it was koa) furniture that lasted 50 years also. It was easy to maintain because the cushions had slip covers, which could be thrown in the washer. When my sister moved in, she donated the furniture and bought new sofa and loveseat in the effort to be modern. These probably will not last 50 years.
ReplyDeleteYes, furniture can become like members of the family. I have the first chair we bought 45 years ago. I had it recovered because I like the chair so much and it is in pictures of my dad sitting in it. It was his favorite chair. The antique market is very big business in my area. My furniture isn't identifiable as antiques, just old and well used.
ReplyDeleteTo have furniture around for this long it would be like saying goodbye to an old friend. I wish I had some of the pieces from my childhood. I'm glad yours went to Jerry, a person you liked and trusted.
ReplyDeleteI doubt furniture made today would last that long. I have moved so many times in my life that I never got attached to furniture but I have an antique dinner gong make out of elk antlers that was in our family before the turn of the
ReplyDelete1900's. They have always meant "home" to me. Growing up,as soon as the ugly antlers were set out in our new home,I was content. They still are with me.
Yep, the "old" stuff seems to be made better than the new stuff. Our family has recovered the 2nd-hand recliner chair and an upholstered rocker for years. My two brothers and I were rocked in them. I have my Aunt's Lane hope chest which she bought in the 1920s, and my Grandma's re-re-upholstered rocker. My Dad and I restored my Grandpa's old wheelbarrow. I restored it again, sandblasting the metal part, and discovered "WPA" impressed into the metal. My Grandpa used to work for the Works Progress Administration....guess he snitched the wheelbarrow when the job was done! We need another WPA and CCC (Civilan Conservation Corps) these days! DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteYes, I have one piece that belonged to my father. It is a small table with a scalloped top and the top was inlaid with more expensive wood veneer. Each leg is a spindle, carved on a lathe. right now it has a radio on it and it is out here in my office where nothing else matches.
ReplyDeleteIt's always hard to say goodbye to much-loved furniture. With ours we can replace cushions and webbing and not have to replace it.
ReplyDeleteWe have two cane chairs ,the chairs are in the family since Chandans grandpa's childhood .They look total misfit in our living room but we keep it for sentimental reasons.
ReplyDeleteI have a bunch of furniture I WOULD like to part with and I wouldn't miss it at all:) Only a very few pieces I hold any sentimental value to and they aren't quality pieces, but they belonged to my mother, so I have an attachment to them.
ReplyDeleteSo what did you replace it with? I am having a hard time finding good quality furniture that doesn't cost the earth.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes there are a few pieces I grew up with that would be hard to part with, although I have given some of it to my kids.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Niki
I have several pieces that I will take to the Old Folks home. It's not that I am especially attached to them, its that they are small and would fit in a single room. Otherwise, I am attached to some old pieces that my kids will have someday. Dianne
ReplyDeletewhen we retired and moved here, we got new living room couches. The old ones I had had from 1975 when I moved back to utah as a single parent with no furniture and bought them used. It was difficult to let them go but I gave them to a local thrift shop so others could use them. I had redone the covers so many times and had a sheet of wood under the new cushions so we had been through a lot. Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteNiki: We replaced them with leather couches that I posted about yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your new couches will last as long! But that's great how you recycled them!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you someone like Jerry! It does make a difference! And how wonderful to know that the Koa furniture will have a new life! That's just great! Hope you have a beautiful weekend, Kay!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
Although not sentimental about furniture, I do believe in using the pieces until they cannot be used any more. That's why our house is pretty much filled with 70s furniture. And then there's the guest room furniture which goes back to 1966 when I received it as an 8th grade graduation gift. It was our daughter's bedroom furniture, and now our granddaughter calls it hers when she is here.
ReplyDeleteNice articles. I'm just blogwalking and very happy to stop here. And also give you some comment here.
ReplyDeleteDont forget to give us some your comment into my blog too.
Thanks for share,
¤ Rio Prasetyo ¤
I wanted to thank you for your comments and for stopping by. I love meeting new faces. I would say 50 years is love enough to live with that furniture and I have to agree that nothing you buy today will last anywhere near that long.
ReplyDeleteI'll be back.
Uh...what is koa furniture? I'm a Mainer, after all.
ReplyDeleteJean: I have a link on the first line, but it's kind of hard to see. Here's the explanation:
ReplyDelete"Koa (Acacia Koa)
Koa is the best known of the endemic Hawaiian woods. It is recognized world wide for it's remarkable variety of grain figure which ranges from plain, to curly, to deep fiddleback. The color can go from reds to chocolate browns, with the sap wood sometimes even a bleached white. The grain is fine and the texture medium coarse, but it is the figuring that sets Koa into a class of its own."
good for you.
ReplyDeleteRenew, Phoenix!
Aloha from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Are the doilies still falling off the leather couches? Is your mom still sliding off the seats? She might really miss her old furniture. It's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI have my maternal grandmother's upholstered rocker, and plan to have it reupholstered. I have a desk my dad made for his mother when he was in high school. I have an antique desk Dad bought me when I was 14, and a corner shelf he made for Mom when I was 12. They're my treasures.
K
Blessings.....
ReplyDeletewow sometimes we have to let go of things that has outlived its usefulness especially when repairing is more expensive that purchasing.
have a great day.
This really is beautiful furniture. I am sure that someone else will be happy to buy it after it is refurbished.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any old furniture in this house that I can't get rid of, but I did recently ask my mother for the bedroom set that my father bought me over just about 50 years ago. It is Danish modern and in excellent shape. I decided I wanted it for the room my grandchildren sleep in.
The only furniture I have a strong attachment to belonged to my mom and dad. It's some of the first they bought when they married. I have mom's ironing board, a table, and a picture that hangs over my bed.
ReplyDeleteWe have Tom's grandmother's dining room table and buffet that we would not want to part with. Recently we brought home an old oak dresser that belongs to my great grandmother and that I used in my childhood bedroom. These pieces have been refreshed or refinished and we love having them.
ReplyDeleteOh I wrote this long response and Blogger ate it....anyway I think it's lovely that your Mom was able to keep it for so long and that somebody else will get to enjoy it....
ReplyDeleteOMG Kay! I recently sold my mother's home so I had to go through every single piece of everything in her home and if I could've, it would all be in my house. I had to get rid of many things that just broken my heart and as the days, weeks and months pass, it is no easier to accept, it's probably harder. I have to remember that it's just stuff, but stuff that made up my mother's life, things she cherished and loved. Ugh. The older I get, the harder it is to let go. I totally understand what you are saying.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought "no" but further contemplation reminded me that stored in a house we own in Kansas is my parent's old, long green floral couch. It is the only piece of furniture that comfortably cradles persons over 6.5 ft. tall. I don't know if I will ever be able to get rid of it and if we ever finish our bunk house here, I will move that couch in.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. It is nice to find you.
That koa is valuable. I'm sure the dealer was glad to get it and will make a nice profit on the furniture after refurbishing it.
ReplyDeleteIt is the only piece of furniture that comfortably cradles persons. I don't know if I will ever be able to get rid of it and if we ever finish our bunk house here. Find Good looking and long life family furniture in Furniture stores in Washington
ReplyDelete