Need somewhere for the caboose

May 13, 2006 5:57 PM

NYC FurnitureFilter: Moving to a new place on the UES and looking for some cool furniture on a budget.

I already know about Ikea, straight from the crate, craigslist, and was curious if anyone knew of any other good options. Specifically I'm looking for a decent three person couch less than 1000 and maybe some cool chairs. Cheap would be preferable as I'm on a grad school budget

posted by slapshot57 to Shopping (6 answers total)

Freecycle NYC is a good place to get free things, if you're up for that. There are usually regular listings from people who just want to get rid of their couch/futon/etc; if you have a car or van, this would help you out. Being NYC, people give out everything from leftover bottles of shampoo and designer suits.
posted by provolot at 6:20 PM on May 13, 2006

Beware: when shopping for or accepting second-hand furniture, remember that almost every neighborhood in NYC has its own vermin problem, such as bedbugs, mites, fleas, etc. Often even clean furniture is contaminated by being shipped in the same truck as unclean stuff. Unless you know and trust the person you're getting it from. Worth mentioning because once they are in your home, they can be HARD to get rid of.
posted by hermitosis at 8:09 PM on May 13, 2006

For the love of God, don't go to Ikea. Aside from one unusually sturdy bookshelf, nothing we've bought there has lasted more than a couple of years. It's disposable furniture.
posted by enrevanche at 2:00 AM on May 14, 2006

Victor's
Though the furniture featured right now appears to exceed your budget, sign up for the mailing list and try to drop by during the week over the course of a month.

I have seen plenty of furniture there for <$1000 - but it goes quick.
posted by mlis at 6:04 PM on May 14, 2006

To expand on what hermitosis said, there have been a wave of "bedbug epidemic" articles in the NYC media this season. So that great-looking couch or mattress you find on the street has an even-higher-than-usual chance of being infested with the red crawlies.
posted by allterrainbrain at 5:32 PM on May 16, 2006

Also, any local paper that serves student-filled hoods (Village Voice, The L, The Villager, etc.) will have plenty of furtniture ads targeted to students and their budgets. I've had great experiences at Economy Foam.
posted by allterrainbrain at 5:37 PM on May 16, 2006