Jim Caione, whose Westchester and Putnam furniture businesses have thrived on repairs and restoration for more than three decades, says current hard times have made cost-conscious consumers rethink new pieces in favor of coming to love their old furniture all over again.
Former castaways are now being kept and refinished. The new consumerism has helped Caione and his Putnam County partner Bob LeBlanc see business boom during the recession.
Caione expanded from Westchester into the Hudson Valley, opening Hudson Valley Furniture (myfurnitureguy.com) in the village of Patterson. He sells high-end furniture in his Route 311 showroom while the back of the store is reserved for his specialty ”“ restoration work.
Caione lives in Dutchess County and opening a store in Putnam hasn”™t lost him any of his regular customers. He maintains an office presence in Westchester where he”™s still sought out by his long-time clients, who know his pre-Putnam shingle as The Westchester Furniture Repair Company.
The business move to Putnam “just made sense for my family. I was commuting to Mount Vernon and opening a business farther north made life easier all of us. Having the Putnam store also helped me expand the business and generate a new clientele.” While furniture sales have slowed, word of mouth and repeat business has kept Caione”™s hallmark restoration work busy. “There”™s been a real resurgence,” said Caione. “I got into it as a teen and continued honing my restoration and repair skills in what”™s now a dying art.”
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Business owner LeBlanc also made the move from Westchester to Putnam, also, opening Classic Country Kitchen and Furnishings. “Times were good, and homeowners were using home equity to re-do their homes,” he said. “Then the recession hit; home prices bottomed out and suddenly, the cash register was empty,” said LeBlanc. “Some people spent equity wisely; others went crazy. Some left it alone, and they don”™t have the problems many are facing in this market.”
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Caione”™s furniture restoration expertise along with LeBlanc”™s custom cabinetry skills and own refinishing skills, brought the pair together several times.
When the current recession hit, LeBlanc moved into Caione”™s Patterson showroom, each keeping separate business identities, working in tandem when the need arose. “If Jim has a client who wants a piece of furniture refinished and Jim doesn”™t have time to do it, he”™ll refer the person to me,” said LeBlanc. “Maybe they will want a specific piece of furniture made, and that”™s where Jim will refer me. Similarly, I refer clients who have furniture they want to repair or restore to Jim. Now that we are under one roof, it has cut my costs in half. And since we work together, we”™re able to meet the customers”™ needs without a long wait. We refer each other to our clients and our clients refer their friends or business associates to us.”
LeBlanc said the custom kitchen business is slowing to a stall. Likewise, families shopping for new furniture have trickled to a crawl. “Refinishing and restoring what you already have is much less expensive ”“ it”™s like getting new kitchen, dining room or bedroom set for less than half the price of a new one,” said LeBlanc. “The drawers are all redone and when completed, it gives the kitchen or that old dresser a new lease on life for far less cost. It”™s an alternative that saves money and adds value. When it comes to selling, the kitchen the first place a potential home buyer will look.”
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Caione, whose furniture is mostly custom-made in Amish country, says “the market has dried up along with the equity. I”™m very blessed to have my talent because restoration work has become more intense.”
For LeBlanc, the move to Caione”™s store has given him more exposure; “People would come in with a broken chair to be fixed. I make tables, chairs, bookcases, any style. I like working with customers and help them plan out what they want to do, whether it is re-doing their kitchen or building a custom bookcase or shelving system. There is always the repairing, refinishing and restoring option.”
For Caione and LeBlanc, the bottom line is that, even in a bad economy, “there”™s opportunity. More are discovering re-finishing and restoration work, and it has become a boom rather than a bust. People are not just saving furniture; they are saving money, too.”
In today”™s market, “Everyone has to get creative and find a new way make your business work,” said LeBlanc. “You learn to cut corners without cutting quality. Today”™s savvy buyer will no longer walk into a store and pay the price on the tag. They”™ll want to know, ”˜Is that your best price?”™ Even at the malls, a manager will be willing to negotiate. We”™re all hanging tight.”