It’s no surprise that Covid-19 has impacted many businesses leading to delays across nearly every industry, including furniture and design.
People are spending more time in their homes – eating every meal around the same old table, watching TV on the same old sofa, doing work from the same old desk or makeshift workspace, and going to bed on the same old bed and mattress… It’s no surprise that people are looking at their furniture and saying, “It’s time for a change!” Walter E. Smithe has been busy helping our clients find new furniture that makes all that time at home more enjoyable.
But with that increase in demand, there comes even more pressure on an industry already greatly impacted by the pandemic due to staffing shortages at manufacturing plants and shipping yards. What that means for our clients? Furniture that used to take 6-10 weeks might now take 16-18 weeks.
Now that’s not to say everything is delayed. Clients working with a shorter timeline have lots of quality options in our Quick Ship Collection, which from order date to delivery, takes 4 weeks or less. If the piece is in-stock at our warehouse in Itasca, it can be available for immediate pickup or delivery. If this sounds like your timeline, just mention “I need Quick Ship” to your Smithe designer, and they will hook you up.
Maureen Smithe received this picture from an industry partner and friend, taken in Newport Beach, CA on February 4, 2021. “Those lights in the sea are all container ships waiting to unload at Long Beach, CA. Per Maureen, “My friend has never seen anything like this in her 40+ years of living there. We have goods waiting on those ships. And our domestic factories have supplies waiting on those ships. Which is just one reason why our industry is facing so many delays.”
Just this month, Maureen received another message from an industry partner in Texas following the devastating winter storms there. Maureen summarized it, “Due to the extreme weather in Texas, many of our domestic upholstery manufacturers are now dealing with unexpected and unprecedented shortages in foam. Many of the key polyurethane foam suppliers remain shut down in the Gulf region, and these plants remain uncertain of repairs and time needed to get the plants running at full capacity again. Without foam, many furniture factories are only operating 2-3 days a week instead of 5-7. As a result, we expect additional delays on some orders. We are monitoring the situation daily.”
Fortunately, Smithe orders get priority with our manufacturers because of the longstanding relationships we have with them. In fact, just this week we heard from the manufacturer of our best-selling SmitheCraft collection letting us know that they have secured 4 TONS of our #1 selling fabric so they can fulfill our orders. If you stop into a Smithe showroom, you can check out the fabric on our Milford and Louise sectionals.
Ordering from Smithe will get you the best possible service and quality furniture during this uncertain time. We like to say it’s best to “get in line” with your order now, as we have no way of telling what future delays caused by the pandemic will look like.
To learn more about industry delays, we recommend you read https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21509105/back-order-furniture-heat-lamps-appliances-supply-chain