Can you tell if your couch is bench made or built with the eight-way hand-tie method? Do you know if it has performance fabrics, mitered joints or a solid wood frame? Do you know about its warranty and repair procedures? If you’re buying sight unseen from some website, the answer is probably no.
Shoppers sometimes confuse Crystal Lake’s Mayfair Furniture & Carpet with an online shopping hub, but once they’re in the showroom the difference couldn’t be more obvious.
What they find is a family-owned business that seeks to educate shoppers on their purchase, with a promise to support them for the life of that product. This is why many people shop exclusively at their locally owned furniture store.
“We’ll have people come in and say they bought a sofa from us 30 years ago,” says Kris Most, whose family has owned Mayfair for 56 years. “These people are handing down their furniture to their kids because it’s lasted so well.”
Like many locally owned furniture stores, Mayfair starts the sales process casually, with some basic questions. Your answers narrow down the choices, based on your needs and lifestyle.
If you’re into comfort, cushions come in all varieties. If you have children or pets, performance fabrics have a built-in stain resistance. If you’re into quality, there’s a Flexsteel sample that shows you what quality construction looks like.
There’s a lot to see on the showroom floor, from sofas and end tables to dining room sets, bedroom sets and home decor. Some items, like the decorative lamps, you can take with you.
But if you don’t see quite what you like, brands like Temple are highly customizable, down to the fabric, arm and foot styles. A sales associate is there to guide you, without any of the high-pressure tactics that are common at big-box competitors.
“It’s an experience to come here, because you’re getting educated,” says Ariel Rosado, who’s been with the company for more than eight years. “You can feel it, you can touch it, you can even design it. You get everything from start to finish.”
Visit the Mayfair Carpet & Furniture showroom at 661 S. Main St., in Crystal Lake, or call (815) 455-4070.
The Smarter Way to Buy Furniture
