Sunday, June 08, 2008

Oh Craigslist, how I love thee...


I am so thrilled! For years I've dreamed of owning a nice, LARGE dining room table, but we could never justify the cost, especially since we still all (sort of) fit around our old $250 KMart special. I've long had my sites set on the black Francisco and Montego tables at the Pottery Barn...but they cost a lot. On the other hand, very few places make tables that seat that many people. So we've just been waiting, thinking that maybe sooner or later we'd have to bite the bullet and spend $1800. OUCH.

Until last night...when I discovered a recently posted table on Craigs List...the Francisco or Montego (not sure which, they look a lot alike and you can't get the Francisco anymore I don't think) from Pottery Barn...seats 12 PEOPLE with the leaves in...for only slightly more than our table from KMart! I literally could not get to sleep last night I was so excited! (I suppose the Mr. Pibb at lunch yesterday didn't help.)

SO off we went this morning to Boulder!!! The table was in PRISTINE condition, you'd never know it had ever been owned by someone. It's a square without the leaves but turns into a rectangle. The couple selling it lives in a way hip condo, she makes ethnic jewlery and their entire home was filled with African art. They were so excited to meet my boys. Too fun.

Anyway I made the command decision to buy the table (what's a girl to do?), left a check as a deposit and volunteered my still-out-of-town husband to drive up there tomorrow night, dismantle it, and bring it home after work. Hope that's okay babe! :)

Anyway above is a picture of the table (in brown, but you get the idea) off the Pottery Barn site. Be.still.my.heart.

(Oh and during my inaugural Boulder trip I saw no hippies, granola, or new-age establishments. What gives???)

16 comments:

Kristen Borland said...

ooooo, that is gorgeous!! slightly jealous, but only slightly because my family isn't big enough to need it yet and because my dining room (which really isn't a dining room at all but a spot in front of the sliding glass door) is way too small to fit something so fabulous. good decision!! and i have to say, i love that you bought it while kevin was gone AND volunteered him to pick it up. that's so awesome!

Brianna Heldt said...

haha, i know, today i SO got in touch with my feminist, empowered-woman side! (it must have been the fact that i was in boulder!!!)

we could play some serious pepper at that table...girls against boys, and we will win!!!!

Jacquelyn said...

CL rocks! This last week I sold a ton of stuff and gave a lot of stuff away so our house actually looks a bit less cluttered and is slightly more organized. We have gotten some of the best deals on CL (plus a couple of bad ones - but oh well). Caveat Emptor! Glad you found something nice.

Jeannett said...

Do not covet, Jeannett. Do NOT covet...

it's not working! UGH! I have been wanting that same table too! I love my new table (got new chairs too, should post that), but I still really love this one better. I love craigslist...we've sold a bunch of stuff in MINUTES and gotten a lot of killer deals. We pretty much never go to the store without checking CL first!

Owlhaven said...

Awesome table!!!!! We got a fridge/freezer on freecycle.com the other day. discovered that the fridge part is almost a freezer, but, hey, the freezer space is still useful!

Mary, mom to many

joy said...

go, brianna--that table rocks! it's so beautiful. what an exciting find. and your flea market finds are cool, too. and all this while kevin is away. great ps vs. private vs. homeschooling discussion, too. i agree with whoever said parent involvement in any school is what matters. i think that really offsets any deficiencies in school. and kids do learn so much more than just academics in school.

Unknown said...

Love it! Such a great idea to buy used-save money and the environment.
And what's better than a big table the whole family can gather around with lots of friend?

shell said...

I love it! We found one on ebay (did you know you can search by local pick up only?) and can easily sit 12 too! It is SO nice when people are over to not have to eat in shifts-you will love it!

Joanie said...

Brianna, you gifted writer, you. This was yet another of your posts that got me laughing out loud.

Big time score on the gorgeous- perfect-for-a-growing-family-going-to-be-the-center-of-many-a-beautiful-holiday-meal-also-the-center-of-many-an-everyday-heart-to-heart-table.

About the schools:
Although the dashes conceal it, I used to teach public, then private school, and have some family experience with home-schooling. They all have their virtues, but I think you're right on the money. There's my two cents.

Oh, and have I mentioned lately that I was at church missing you and the kids? Big Sigh. But I do love hearing about your adventures in CO. Yay, you!

Rachel said...

Dumb question... Are you buying their chairs too? Sometimes the chairs end up costing more than the whole table.

Brianna Heldt said...

nope, just the table. i'll wait and little by little buy inexpensive black dining chairs, hopefully used. (and i know, i cannot BELIEVE how much they charge for brand new chairs! yuck!)

Jeannett said...

CHAIRS. JCPenney.com. I had a really hard time finding chairs for my table and thought that I would end up spending 8 times more than I did on the table...but I got the "Roanoke" chairs. Really nice, very sturdy, and cheap! I tried everywhere and tried looking on CL...but JCP was it!

lindsey said...

i think i am the most jealous of all because we did bite that bullet and got that table! aaahhh! it was on sale, but still! being able to seat soo many people is really nice. oh, and you may want to have kevin bring a friend. sean and mark ernstrom struggled with this thing - its a beast! we don't have new chairs either. we'll have to do that soon since they keeping breaking, one by one. but they're more expensive than the table! i'll have to follow jeannett's lead and check out jcpenny.

Brianna Heldt said...

lindsey i know!! i SO thought of you, because i remember you saying that it was after much searching that you ended up buying the pottery barn table!

one benefit so far of being in a city and metro area is that you can find such great deals on used things, between craig's list, second-hand stores, etc.

now you DID get that steal of a deal on the pottery barn bed...ever since you told me that, i look at all the prices in the catalogs, hoping desperately for a misprint!!!!

Jason and Anna said...

Yay! I <3 craigslist! What a steal. That is so exciting!

Brenda said...

Hello, I am thinking about buying the Montego Rectangular table and was wondering how you like yours? Does it show fingerprints alot (I have three childre)? Do you think it is good quality (want to have it forever:)? Do the leaves go in good? Is it worth the $1800 that I am probably going to have to pay (unless I get lucky like you:))?
Thanks! Brenda (BrendaC1968@yahoo.com)

 

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