It’s all about overhead and operating costs. Where the DC store is located is some of the highest price commercial real estate in Washington DC, on “M” Street in Georgetown and costs apps $ 75 sf vs $25 sf where our store is located near Mt Vernon VA. So right off the bat you have 3x the rent. We have only two full time employees, they have probably six times that. And so on…..not to mention designer and marketing costs.

All that comes back to the consumer in the costs of goods. There is no way they can match our price points apples to apples, we are many times more efficient. So they don’t sell apples they sell bananas, because bananas cost less to bring in.

Typically trendy stores don’t get price shopped. First of all, what they sell is proprietary product so you can’t shop it. That means you have to compare it to something similar, but not exact, and to do that you need a knowledge base of what to look for and ask questions. Most people do not. They get caught up in the showroom vibe and simply pick a fabric, and off they go. That’s probably 90% of their clients.

When the store personnel can’t even tell you the suspension on a piece that’s pretty bad. When they say it’s foam, that’s even worse. Sarah was asked if she was a Decorator because of the questions she was asking! I’d love to have one of those sofas to cut-up, I could tell you all about it if I could take it apart. But it’s all a guess on your part if you are up against clueless salespeople and it may or may not have any longevity in the build. And that’s another issue since it’s all proprietary and they would never let you inside the factory where it’s made.

The suppliers we use are proud to give you a factory tour, because they want you to see what’s put into it. Quite frankly, that’s the only way you can tell a quality piece, you have to see how it’s put together. I’ve been in probably a hundred workshops over thirty five years, I have learned quality from being inside the build process. We refuse to carry junk in our store, there is plenty of it out there, too. Junk brings you dissatisfied customers, who in turn like to give you a piece of their mind. I don’t enjoy conflict or getting yelled at, so the easiest way to avoid that is sell better product!

Good luck on whatever you decide. If you go with DWR, please come back and let us know how it performs over time and if it met your expectations.