Is there a Dream Sofa in the future of your Mexico home?

February was an exciting month at Gringo Furniture. Our new website design is well underway … more work to be done but shaping up nicely. We traveled again to Mexico to meet with our artisans. We gathered ideas and were yet again impressed with the quality, simplicity and beautiful workmanship of our products. We have had direct contact by phone and email with many of you. We are grateful for your trust and patronage. It’s a joy and a pleasure to help you furnish your Mexican dream homes.

In the course of the month, many of you asked about comfortable furniture, comfortable sofas in particular. We are dedicating this blog post to you: Seekers of comfort, practicality, beauty and durability. Is there a Dream Sofa in the future of your Mexico home?

Here are some tips to help you choose a great sofa:

1. Before you call us, know yourself: Style, budget, preferences, priorities. Do you have a vision or dream for your living room and sofa? Make it tangible. Take photos; gather magazine clippings; save colors you like. This will make the process much easier.

2. Research available options. Sofa options in Mexico are different from those in the US or Canada. Concerns around care, durability, style, materials and “greenness” will be different. In Mexico, finding a super comfortable sofa (please see the video below, we have!) is not always easy.

3. Think about the practicalities of your choice of material. If you are renting your Mexican vacation home, you will want stain and wear resistant upholstery. (Yes, you guessed it, we can offer you both!).

4. Plan ahead and order in advance. This is so important! It is Mexico, things can and do happen. We are very diligent at following through and monitoring your furniture from time of order to delivery. It’s part of our service to you and our commitment to you. Even so, unforeseen circumstances can come into play. When choosing a sofa, begin narrowing your focus and contact us at least 3 months in advance. This also serves you well because it will help you start to envision and create not just a living room, but an environment.

5. Make sure you are not just thinking of styles you like, but also consider ergonomics, feel, support, materials and durability. It is important for all of these in a sofa to match your style and your family’s.

6. Shop around for the right provider. Not just for price but for great customer service, track record, follow-through and willingness to work with you to get you what you need, on time and on budget.

7. Some structure is good. If a sofa is too soft or too hard, it not only means that it may be uncomfortable – it may also mean that it is not a well-made, durable sofa. Our sofas at Gringo Furniture are not just pretty and comfortable, they are durable and well-made.

8. Be realistic. You may want the best sofa in the market – generally a down-filled or leather sofa. We have amazing sofas and sleepers that are down-filled or leather-uphosltered. However, these will be more expensive. If your Mexico home is also a rental property, this may not be the best option. Visit our website for a variety of styles.

9. Do think about care and upkeep of your sofa. For example, a dark leather sofa should not be placed near windows – if so, the light of the sun could discolor it over time. At Gringo Furniture we can offer you durable and weather resistant fabrics that are also quite beautiful and pleasing to the touch.

10. Do call or email us. We would love to work with you, look at your photos, provide ideas and quotes and have a custom made amazing sofa built for you in Mexico and delivered to your Mexico dream home!

Check out our new video showing a sampling of our favorite sofas.

Falling in Love with Mexican Furniture in Merida

My husband and I have just returned from a trip to Mexico. We were thrilled to be leaving behind nearly 10 inches of snow in the States to head to lush, beautiful Merida. We have had lots of activity in the past few months, some of which culminated in our purchase of Gringo Furniture. We are happy and excited to be embarking on this journey with all of you, our customers. We will be sharing our ideas for Gringo Furniture with you, and we hope to hear your comments, questions and anecdotes.

So we just returned from beautiful, colonial, bustling, friendly Merida. We met new friends and contacts, enjoyed delicious food and drink, and witnessed our furniture pieces adding charm, beauty and sophistication to homes in that area. We also had a chance to videotape and photograph some of our favorite Gringo furniture. We sat on the chairs, felt the surfaces and marveled at the artistry of our Mexican furniture artisans. We are sharing some of the results on this post, and will be adding other images and descriptions to our website.

Merida is a Mexican city like no other:

* It is a city growing, developing, shedding its skin. Huge, newly renovated colonial houses next to dilapidated ones, next to utilitarian small homes.

* It is a city of warm, friendly, polite people who want to connect and share their town with you expecting nothing in return.

* It is a city of contrasts -- Large churches, modern restaurants, spectacular sunsets, relaxed pace of life, bustling commerce and street noise.

* It is a grand dame of Mexico waking again to newfound youth, interests and opportunity.

* It is a city of great artistry and artisans. A city of great architects and unique interior spaces.

We were thrilled to be in Merida. Thrilled to see our furniture contribute to the beauty of Merida homes, thrilled to appreciate the quality, variety and durability of our Gringo Furniture.

As we move forward building and developing our Gringo Furniture business, we eagerly await your comments, suggestions and the sharing of your Mexico and/or furniture experiences. Here are a few video images filmed at the home of one of our happy customers. Enjoy!

To all our Mexico, Canada and U.S. Friends: Happy New Year from Gringo Furniture!

Winter has undoubtedly arrived. Many of us are heading to warmer climates, at least for a little while. Others of us are contemplating a time when we can do so, dreaming of brighter colors, ocean, being outdoors again feeling the sun on our skin and the soft breezes on our faces.

This has been a great year and a pivotal year for Gringo Furniture. We collaborated with many of you in the design and creation of amazing living environments. We continued to bring new opportunities and work to our beloved Mexico. We discovered new and exciting furniture pieces, made new friends, strengthened relationships with our Mexico furniture artisans.

There are many wonderful things about the work we do:

* Designing custom replicas of a piece of furniture you love.
* Helping you furnish your Mexico vacation home.
* Co-creating that beautiful room or design with you.
* Working with talented, creative artists in Mexico and helping them and their economy be stronger.

But none of it would happen without your support. So, as we position ourselves for yet another amazing year, we absolutely want to say “thank you.” You are our clients, our partners, our friends. You inspire us, motivate us and at times, yes, challenge us.

Our new year commitment to you is very similar to our commitment to ourselves: We will endeavor to delight you with the artistry, beauty and durability of our Mexican furniture. We will endeavor to continue to find new and better ways to meet and exceed your Mexican furniture needs. And because we love not just our Mexican furniture but also this lifestyle ... we will endeavor to share our love of Mexico with you, supporting your dream of owning in Mexico and encouraging you through our shared experiences to keep that dream alive until together we can help make it a reality.

Best wishes for a joyful, healthy and prosperous 2010!"

It's Getting Cold Again

As much as I love the warm months I spend in Mexico, there is still something so refreshing about the Fall in Canada. Going outside all bundled up, seeing the trees brilliant colours, getting a cold nose and seeing your breath....maybe it is the Canadian in me, but there is just something about it that makes you feel alive. It is my favorite time of year to walk outside, I would not trade this time of year in Canada for all the sun in Mexico.

Don't get me wrong, as soon as that snow flies and the temperature dips to -30 my enthusiasm wains and I gather my luggage and head down to Mexico....I may be Canadian but I am not crazy!

We are driving down to Mexico once again this year. Leaving on the 26th of December and not returning till late March. We will divide our time between Puerto Morelos and Merida this year, hosting several friends and family and of course assisting neighbours with new furniture purchases. Our drive always produces eventful and humorous stories for which I will be sure and recount to you all in my BLOG.

The economic slow down has certainly hit Mexico. For us, we are still chugging along furnishing homes that were purchased before the slowdown happened. In fact, recently we had to halt orders in order to play catch-up. This week we started to take orders again and it is full steam ahead.

We will be featuring new designs in the coming months as well as new fabrics for 2010. Our rattan line is expanding and...if you can believe it.....coming down in price as well -- WHOO HOOO!

Anyone wanting to get furniture for Christmas needs to place orders now to make the delivery dates. Please email us ASAP if you are looking for this time frame or any time in January. Our suppliers are getting booked so we need at least 10 weeks to complete orders.

Habitante Magazine

WOW, can you believe the summer is almost over. I spent the summer in northern Ontario which was down right cold this year. I can hardly wait to get back to Mexico!

One of our homes was profiled in a Mexican Magazine this month. Go to http://www.habitante.com.mx/detalle.asp?seccion=9&nota=1067 to see it. All furnishing are Gringo Furniture.

We continue to furnish homes in Mexico. Things have slowed down considerably, but we have managed to keep our suppliers busy through this economic slow down. It is a good feeling to help people continue to keep their jobs in this uncertain time.

We will continue to update you on our progress this fall.

WARNING: Read Before Buying From Other Web Sites
Be Aware of Gringo Furniture Imitators

Shopping for furniture in Mexico can be a daunting and risky task. That is why we built Gringo Furniture 3.5 years ago on a solid and honest foundation.

Since our conception we have grown and improved. It has not always been an easy road for us but we have always stood behind everything we have sold.

During the past 3.5 years we have had some really wonderful suppliers and we have had some problems with others.

Recently, one of the suppliers who we dropped in December created a web site and are now advertising they will furnish homes in Mexico. They advertise a HUGE savings for you to purchase from them. They have taken photos off of our web site and used them on their web site. Many of the pieces they say they can make they have never actually made.

We at Gringo Furniture know that they will not survive for very long and therefore are not threatened by their presence. However, we are concerned for people who think going to them will save them money. The fact is, people risk losing any money they send if they use them.

To protect our customers we frequently visit our factories. In December 2008 Gringo Furniture dropped this factory as a supplier during one of our surprise inspections. We found termites in all the wood they had stored. The absolute filth and disorganization of the factory was unacceptable. Their credibility with us was compromised when we caught them in several lies about the quality of products used. They were not the kind of factory we wanted working for our customers. We are only as good as our suppliers are.

We understand we are not the only game in town and we fully realize we can not fill everyone's needs and wants. However, we feel it is our duty to warn potential neighbours and friends from purchasing from this unscrupulous company.

If you are considering going to another provider please email us first and we will send you the link to this site to make sure they are not the ones you are buying from. We take no offense to anyone's choice in provider, we just want everyone to enjoy their new homes in Mexico and not experience the problems we experienced with this supplier.

We do not want anyone to fall victim to this seller and seek to prevent this. Please email mailto:info@gringofurniture.com if you have concerns.

Hot Off The Press
Financial Post Magazine

See the newest article on us in the Financial Post Magazine. We feel that this is the best article written about us. It conveys in an honest fashion the challenges we have in doing business in Mexico, but highlights our mission to always follow-up and make our customers happy.

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=1298672

Next month we will be featured in HABITANTE, a Mexican Magazine focusing on design.

Loving Carnival in Merida

and getting my new slip cover sofa!

This week I returned from 3 weeks in Merida. The weather was spectacular, architecture was beautiful, food was awesome and the carnival celebrations were fun. If you have never been to carnival in Merida, you must put it on your list of things to do in Mexico. To say it is crazy is an understatement, it is absolutely nuts. Hundreds of thousands of people (300,000 +) descending on the center of town for 7 days and nights to see parades, eat food, watch fireworks and celebrate til the wee wee hours of the night.

I wish I could say I actually made it to a night parade, but with my early to bed routine (total lose or what for 41?) it was difficult to make it up past 10:00 at night. Instead my husband and I laid in bed and listened to the bands play and the crowds celebrate.

We decided that the Sunday day parade was a good bet to see....at least I would be awake. From what I understand this is that best attended parade thru carnival...which is maybe not the best idea for someone who hates crowds. Undeterred, we went 3 hours early to get a shaded seat as we were with my 72 year old Mom and her friend who's steadiness is compromised due to a stroke.

You would think waiting 3 hours to see a parade would not be any fun and in fact something you would not try to do on purpose. Surprisingly, this was the best part of the day. The people watching was incredible, I was mesmerized by the activity, colours and things for sale.

As we sat it was like a moving buffet in front of us. Every food possible was brought before us. I am not one to shy away from something different so I tried pretty much everything offered. My favorite was the deep fried pork rinds with chili sauce. I know it sounds horrible, but I am now back in Canada craving it....it was delicious!

Once the parade started the streets filled up with large floats, music and girls in bikinis (man the girls looked good....my husband seemed to clap more for the bikini girls....but that may just be my imagination....NOT). There was one float that was certainly eye candy for the ladies for which I know I clapped louder, I may have even stood on my chair and yelped...but I will never admit to that). The dancing was wonderful, the children were adorable, the costumes were fantastic and I can't wait to go again next year.

Waking up each morning in Merida was made thrilling by an unexpected surprise (get your minds out of the gutter). Each morning I would lay in bed and hear the squawking of parrots...they always announce their arrival. They would perch themselves on the trees around my house and stay for up to 1/2 an hour. They never missed a s single morning. It really is the simple things in life that bring the most joy.

Being new to Merida I wanted too see some of the attraction in and around the Yucatan. Just 1.5 hours south of Merida is UXMAL ruins. If you can believe this, I have owned in Mexico for 7 years now and have never seen any ruins other than TULUM. Seeing UXMAL made me realize how much I had missed these past 7 years. To walk around these ruins and see these massive structures and know they are thousands of years old is mind boggling. You could spend an entire day there and still not see everything.

1.5 hours west of Merida is the small fishing village of Chelestun. Every year thousands and thousand of flamingos arrive here in the winter to feast on the abundant shrimp of the area. You can hire a small fishing boat to take you out into the lagoon to the flamingos. As you approach these flamingos the horizon of the lagoon is literally a pink hue. Once you get close to the flamingos you realize how absolutely noisy they are....squawking and squawking....this is what really surprised me was the sounds they make.

My time in Merida was not all fun and games...I did work a little. We are still searching for a manufacture in Merida to decrease the cost of shipping to the the Yucatan and Mayan Riviera...but still we have not found exactly what we need. We will continue our search.

Back in December when we took on our Slip-Cover sofas I ordered one for my house in Merida....OMG...is it so flippin comfortable! The material is soft and durable and you literally fall into this sofa. It is better than anything I even have here in Canada. Having owned in Mexico for 7 years I thought hard uncomfortable sofas were just a way of life....NO MORE, we have a real winner with this line of sofas. They are expensive, but they are worth every dime. My husband, who is never interested in furniture went on and on and on about our new sofa to anyone who would listen....if that isn't a testimonial I don't know what is! We even washed it already and it held up magnificently. Finally, I can have that white sofa in my rental!

Today we are awaiting a new line via FEDEX from a factory we visited last month (I think Mr. Fedex thinks I am nuts as I am always way too excited when he arrives here...I LOVE NEW LINES!). I will be working hard next week uploading all the styles. They promise to be very a very exciting new addition to our line.

Have a great weekend everyone!

NEW VIDEOS

We have quite a few new videos of some existing models and of upcoming models. To see ALL our videos go to YOUTUBE and search "Gringo Furniture" or CLICK HERE

We will be introducing 3 new lines next month that you will see some of our new videos on. Here is a brief description of our upcoming new additions:

Cottage Series

This unique series combines rustic charm with simples lines and a painted distressed finish. The final product is reminiscent of an antique piece that has time etched into it's character.

Available in any colour you like. We highlight BLUE, RED, YELLOW, WHITE, BROWN and BLACK.

We can apply this finish to any of our pieces. We also have several new designs with this finish already applied.

New Marble Series

We will be introducing a NEW Rustic Marble Series that is just beautiful. We fell in love with the warm colour and textures of the marble inlays in these piece. They are conveniently shipped and required a small amount of assembly....but this will save you shipping costs.

Our 3rd NEW line....stay TUNED!

LOVING PUEBLA

Ahhhhhh......what a fantastic job I have that takes me to such fantastic destinations all in the name of work!

Last week Alex, Cathy and I paid a visit to our suppliers down in Puebla. If you have never been to Puebla I suggest you put it on your list of things to do.

Combine the scenery with the architecture, throw in the 385 church's, add great cuisine and inexpensive prices all amongst the backdrop of an active volcano and you have a wonderful city to explore and enjoy.

It was not all fun and games, we did work...actually, we worked a lot, but when you do something you love it is really hard to call work WORK.

I am so excited to upload all our new models into the store. We have sourced some awesome new styles and have found some real cost saving methods for our customers. 2009 will be a year of change for us, changes that will make a different for our customers in their pocketbook, choice and availability of services.

Stay tuned to this page and our web site to see our changes starting in early February. We have videos of our new models and lots of new styles to accommodate peoples varied styles and tastes.