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. While this definition still has merit in describing the rustic furniture of today, it is far from complete. Modern producers have taken basic styles and made changes sought by today’s consumers--pocket doors to make an armoire TV friendly is one example. Many pieces are distressed, or made to look old by sanding the edges or deliberately taking chunks out of the wood. Simple designs reduce cost: screws and glue instead of joists, wood drawer sliders instead of hardware, colored beeswax instead of painted and lacquered finishes.
Rustic furniture has benefits and some drawbacks. It is inexpensive, 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 an antique reproduction?
Normally, this is a piece copied from a European or early American design and manufactured in a third world country such as Indonesia. Typically, these pieces are cabinets or bookcases with glass panes and old fashioned latches or keys. They can be made of pine, rubber tree wood, or oak, and finished any number of ways, often with colorful paint jobs. This furniture often has hand carvings, turned posts, and other special details not normally found in rustic products. The quality is excellent, and many of these pieces can pass as original antiques.
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 of furniture or an accessory such as a candle holder. 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. Rusticos San Diego is the supplier we use who can do this for a reasonable cost. Ask for a special order form, and draw what you want as best you can, or bring a picture. Then sit down with one of the salespeople and see if one of our suppliers can make your piece. Once you are satisfied with the design and cost, your order will proceed like any other.
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, as well as orders from different suppliers, and loaded into a 53 foot trailer. On the other hand, an Adirondack chair is made ten minutes from our store, and your order can usually be finished within a week. The point is, each supplier is different, but we will give you an estimate as best we can.
Q: How do I order something and what deposit is required?
Normally, you must pay 50% of an item to place an order, and the other 50% before or at delivery or pickup time.
Q: Can I buy something off the floor?
Yes.
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. Repeat customers may take items home on approval by leaving a credit card number. 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 $35, a two person delivery is $50. Five to fifteen mile charges are $50 and $75. Greater distances than 15 miles are negotiable--sometimes we will have two deliveries in the same area which can lessen our costs. We just try to cover our expenses with delivery charges, and are thrilled when customers pick up their own pieces. Normally, you can schedule a delivery within a week of purchase, often the same day.
Q: What kind of wood is this piece made of?
This usually depends on what country produces the piece. Mexico uses mostly pine with some alder, cottonwood and oak. Indonesia uses mostly plantation grown albasia, or rubber trees. China uses mostly pine or oak. The locally produced Adirondack chairs are made of Florida cypress.
Q: What if my piece arrives scratched, broken, or with some other defect?
Rustic pieces are not perfect, and a certain amount of funkiness is expected. Wood used for the backs of bookcases or hutches will not be as good as that used in front. Pine is a very soft wood, and can sustain nicks and light scratches in shipping. Doors can swell or shrink in the heat of a hot container going through Texas in summer, making them hard to open. We inspect every piece and fix problems before it hits the showroom floor or is delivered. This is usually an easy process. If a piece presents an unusual problem, we will get another or reduce the price. We do expect our customers to be reasonable, and to acknowledge that rustic furniture will not be perfect.
Q: Will the iron pieces rust outdoors?
They will unless protected. Since the welding shops in Mexico do not normally have roofs, many iron pieces arrive with various levels of rust. We scrub them with steel wool and spray them with Rustoleum clear lacquer or rustproof paint. Eventually, rust may form in corners or crevices that have been missed, and a touchup is required.
Q: Can I get a discount if I buy a lot?
It depends what you mean by “a lot”, but we are always willing to work with customers on price if they are purching a significant amount at any one time.
Q: What are your hours and how do I get there?
Our store hours are Monday through Saturday 10-5 and Sunday 12-5. However, we are CLOSED on Tuesdays. 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. The St Pete store is one block from Mazzaro’s Italian Deli, and within four blocks of Home Depot, Lowe’s, and a half dozen carpet and tile stores.