From a rather humble beginning as a tiny Mexican rustic furniture store in a strip mall in Odessa, Florida in July 2001, the Treehouse Gallery has evolved into a 10,000 sq foot business with an eclectic selection of furniture and accessory. Through it all, we have strived to maintain our basic mission:
(1) To offer furniture that we and you want to own at prices we can afford. We strive to find pieces that you want to own because of their great quality and style, but at competitive prices. We have suppliers from all over the world who provide us with a wide range of styles, materials, salvaged wood and colors.
(2) To make browsing or buying furniture a fun experience. All of our salespeople are here because they love our store, they like talking about the pieces, and they don’t work on commission. We play great international music from CDs you can buy, and offer wine, beer and water. Our sales events are like a big party with great food and entertainment. As we like to say, it’s not just a store, it’s an experience.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: What is rustic furniture?
A common definition would be furniture typical of country life--simple, unsophisticated, often made by its owners of materials found locally. Modern producers have taken basic styles and added features sought by today’s consumers. Many pieces are distressed to look old but more often old recycled wood is used.
Rustic furniture has benefits and some drawbacks. It is beautiful, practical, and wears well. A rustic pine table top is not ruined by a scratch; it is often enhanced by it. On the other hand, your rustic dresser drawers with wood slides may not slide as easily as mahogany drawers on expensive metal rollers.
Q: What is wrought iron?
Wrought iron is iron that is purchased in long bars and shaped (or “wrought“) into designs by hand forging, then welded together to make a piece. Wrought iron is distinguished from cast iron, which is a heated, liquid form of iron poured into a mold, or “cast.” Hundreds of cast iron pieces can be made in the time it takes to make one wrought iron piece, so the cost is significantly less. We prefer the wrought iron because of its uniqueness, weight, and look. Cast iron furniture is almost entirely produced in China these days.
Q: What is talavera pottery?
Many countries produces colorful rustic pottery, and Mexican pottery of this type is called “talavera.” The Italian version is called “majolica”. It can be produced either from clay on a potter’s wheel, or poured into a mold. Once the piece is hardened by fire, it is hand painted colorful designs, then glazed and fired again.
Q: What is a “giclee“ print?
The prints you see in the store that look like oil paintings are created using a very expensive ink jet printer, which reproduces paintings that are hard to tell from the originals. This process is called “giclee.” There is an additional process by which an artist paints a few brush strokes on a painting for an even more realistic look. This is called “giclar.”
Q: Can a piece be made in a special size to fit my space?
There are some small producers who will make pine pieces to order, but they are the exception. Ask one of the salespeople to see if one of our suppliers can make your piece.
Q: If I order something, how long before it arrives?
Estimating arrival dates is a problem, because we don’t control the manufacture and shipping of most pieces. Often your order must be consolidated with many other orders from the same supplier and loaded into a 53 foot trailer. Generally special orders take 6 to 8 weeks. but this can change.
Q: What is the return policy?
You can get a full refund within five days of purchase. You can exchange a piece for store credit within 30 days of purchase. Discounted items may only be returned for store credit. Delivery charges are not refundable and in some cases a small restocking fee could be applied. Special orders are not refundable. We accept checks and all major credit cards.
Q: Do you have “lay-away” ?
No, we do not offer a "lay-away" service at this time.
Q: What do you charge for delivery?
A one person delivery within five miles of our store is $50-75. Five to fifteen mile charges are $75 and $100. Greater distances than 15 miles are available at varying costs. Normally, you can schedule a delivery within a week of purchase.
Q: What kind of wood is this piece made of?
This usually depends on what country produces the piece. Mexico items are often made form salvaged doors or cabin wood. Mexico uses mostly pine, tropical hardwoods, guanacaxtle, alder, cottonwood and oak. Indonesia items are often salvaged teak, railway ties, fishing boat wood or plantation grown albasia, or rubber trees. China uses mostly pine or oak.
Q: What if the item is scratched, chipped, or has some other defect?
Rustic pieces are not not supposed to be perfect. Many of the items are made of reclaimed and recycled materials or are purposely made to look old. Natural characteristics such as belmishes, cracks, splits and color variances are part of the romantic appeal of old salvaged wood. Some small repairs such as wood fillers may have been made in certain areas.
Q: What are your hours and how do I get there?
Our store hours are Monday through Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-5. We are located at 2835 22nd Avenue North, at the corner of 28th Street, next to the Citgo gas station. Take the 22nd Avenue North exit off I-275 and go west six blocks. We are on the right hand side, just past the signal at 28th Street North.
If you are coming from North Pinellas, take Route 19 south (34th Street) to 22nd Avenue North, and turn left. We are six blocks on the left. We are one block from Mazzaro’s Italian Deli, and within four blocks of Home Depot, Lowe’s, and a half dozen carpet and tile stores.