Moving to Columbus- Furniture Edition
It was July 30th, 2009 and I was all set to leave Muncie, Indiana and make the move to Columbus, Ohio. I managed to bribe my boyfriend and brother with Subway sandwiches and they loaded everything I had into a small Uhaul truck. At this time it became apparent to me (and them) that I actually was bringing quite a lot of stuff to Columbus. This is why it is incredibly hard for me to imagine how the international students I know moved to Columbus with nothing more than a few suitcases.
I have been asked more than a few times by incoming MLHR students about where they can go to buy furniture when they move to Columbus- so I thought I'd tell you, too! Here are my recommendations of places to consider:
1. Target- Just a few blocks off campus, Target is one of the most convenient places to pick up some inexpensive, basic furniture. At $16 a pop, you can buy enough bookcases to turn your apartment into a library. Last week I bought a new kitchen table and dining chairs from Target, and recently discovered that the store has even more furniture online (most of which is shipped to your apartment for free). There isn't a huge in-store selection, but their basic collections will fill your apartment and keep some change in your wallet.
2. Value City- With multiple locations in the Columbus area, this store is your classic furniture showroom. Value City has a wide range of bed frames, mattresses, dining tables, couches, and assorted pieces of living room furniture. Some of the prices are competitive with those at Target, but there are also a lot of more expensive options at this store. I bought a couch that was large enough for Yao Ming to sleep on because it was ridiculously on sale and seemed like a good idea at the time, but discovered that it was too large to fit in my apartment's front door and had to return it. So I recommend that you measure your doorways and have a very good idea of what furniture is too big to fit before you buy anything of this scale. Other than that, the furniture here is of good quality and you can find great deals if you look hard enough.
3. Ikea- For those that have cars, Ikea is one of the best options available. Located in Cincinnati, this is the mega-store of furniture and home goods- the Disney World of Swedish furnishings, if you will. Everything here is priced very reasonably and is packaged for you to put in your car and assemble yourself at home. I have no idea how they get couches to fit in such small boxes, but wouldn't dream of questioning it. I have bought living room chairs, bookshelves, t.v. stands, bed frames, blankets, coat stands, mirrors, and more from Ikea and have been happy with everything. The prices are incredibly affordable and you enjoy the added fun of loading your furniture onto a huge cart and hauling it inside your apartment. There is also an option to pick out the furniture in the store and have them deliver it to your home.
Whether you come to Fisher from Illinois or China, you'll probably need to purchase furniture at some point. These are just a few of my tips and I encourage you to check out these places if you don't know where to start. And for those of you who dream of furnishing your humble abode with pieces that are a bit more original, I also recommend the following places:
- Ubberhaus http://www.ubberhaus.com/inventory/default.aspx
- One More Time Etc. http://onemoretimeetc.com/
- Goodwill http://www.goodwillcolumbus.org/shop/retail.cfm
- Flower Child http://flowerchildvintage.com/collections.htm