Our new kitchen table!

We got our new kitchen table!

It came at a price...mainly, my pride, but it sure looks pretty, and is worth more than the pride I lost to get it. "Pride?" you ask? Um, yeah.

You see, we had been negotiating the price of this table and chairs with Ashley Furniture for over a month. They were having a so-called 'promotion,' and I just thought it was not much of a promotion. I went back into the store at least three separate times, talking to different people, trying to get someone to work a deal with me. It literally came down to a $100 difference in what I was willing to pay and what they would accept. I had the cash in hand, ready to hand over, and no one would take it. They would not "throw in a chair" or "offer free delivery..." nothing. Basically, they were uncompromising, and I got so angry the last time, I mouthed off to the salesman and swore I would never go back.

(I'm not a crazy woman, I promise. But I do live on a budget. And, I'm potentially a great customer for a salesman, because I have a half-empty house I want to furnish! All I wanted was someone who was willing to work with me and be willing to compromise somewhere in the deal. Know what I mean?)

Anyway, so I swore I would never go back. And so Jesse and I were again at ground zero, starting our search again. We even went to Houston, looking for anything we could find. Nada. Needless to say, I was incredibly frustrated.

SO. Back to me having to swallow my pride. You see, Jesse had planned on doing the Labor Day triathlon for many months. He and several of his friends all signed up together, ready to go kick some major booty together! But then, he got a new job, and we moved, and his training went out the window. He debated about going at all and kept saying that he just wasn't there "mentally." Well, I called his bluff. I told him that I thought he was being prideful, because I knew he was worried about getting his butt kicked by his friends! HA! Guys are so competitive. He admitted it would be hard on his pride, and I told him to get over it, go, and have fun with his friends!!

When he got home from the triathlon on Labor Day, he slyly asked me if I was going to take advantage of the Labor Day furniture sales. I kind of looked at him like he was crazy and reminded him that we had no options. He suggested I go back to Ashley and try one more time. I argued with him for a few minutes, saying that I would never go back there, and he asked me if it was because I was too prideful. Umm, YEAH. I made a fool of myself the last time I was in there! He told me he would love that table and chairs we picked out, and really, I should try one more time. I asked him to go with me, and he laughed and said "no way! You got yourself into this prideful mess, I'm not going to get you out!"

So, I went, by myself, with cash in hand. I walked straight in to the table and chair set we liked and sat down. Sure enough, a salesman came over. I had noticed several of them standing together, a couple of which I recognized from my previous visits, and the one I had mouthed-off to was right in the middle. Yikes. I was thankful when he did not approach me!

I spoke with the salesman, very directly, about what my expectations were. I told him what I wanted. I pulled out the cash I had available. I explained that I just wanted someone who was willing to work with me, and assured him I would be a returning customer if I could find the right person to work with. He noticed my belly and asked me when I was due. We crunched some numbers, and sure enough, he could not lower the price anymore than the original amount ($100 over what I suggested). BUT, he did offer to throw in free delivery (~$80) so that I would not have to move the furniture "in my current condition."

I took the compromise.

(On a side note, the salesman told me afterwards that I was recognized the second I walked in the door, and that the other guys did not jump at the chance to come help me. Aww. It kind of made me feel bad and I almost went over to apologize for my previous behavior...but, I was still too prideful for that.)

Lo and behold, we finally bought a table and chairs, and it was delivered and setup for us this week! It is a very solid piece of furniture, with black and brown tones, upholstered/padded chairs, and an interesting pattern on the table. We went ahead and ordered six chairs, though we will probably only keep four around the table normally.

What do you think?

I repainted our bar stools to a black/brown to make them match better...
If you notice, there are several wood tones in the 'brown' wood. We really liked this, so we don't have to be too matchy matchy with all the other furniture in the house. Because the floor plan is so open, we didn't want to be tied into one color of wood. And this way, it really goes well with our kitchen cabinets as well.

Check out the solid base! I have always been a little leery of round tables, worried they would feel unstable, but this table does not move.

Haha, you can also see Ryleigh's chair in the background...complete with a plastic cover and booster seat. Though the upholstery is supposed to be very clean-friendly, I'm not taking any chances in the chair of a two-year-old!

There ya have it. The long story and the pretty pictures. I for one, am just thankful that we no longer are eating on TV trays and folding chairs. :)