Gringo Furniture takes the stress out of finding quality furnishings |
 |
NEW Idea for Foreigners Buying Property in Mexico!
Launched in September 2006, a solution to take one of the
biggest stress’s out of owning property in Mexico “buying furniture”.
No longer will foreigners have to endure language difficulties, over
pricing, endless trips to different stores, out of stock products and
arranging & waiting for numerous deliveries.
Karen Scott is the person behind www.gringofurniture.com. Her idea was
born after she finished furnishing her second home in Puerto Morelos
Mexico, on the Mayan Riviera. She had already experienced all the
downfalls of furnishing her first villa in 2002 and was prompted by
friends to use her on-line experience to start a business geared
towards people just like her.
She told us the story behind her idea
"Back in January of 2002 my husband and I bought our first villa in
Mexico. It was a very exciting time in our lives and we were so
thrilled to finally have the dream of owing a vacation home become a
reality. The closing of the property was much different from what we
had experienced in Canada. We were lucky to have purchased a home that
had clear title and find a lawyer who would complete the deal
correctly. By July of that same year we were owners of our new villa.
One of the most exciting jobs for me was to decorate the
villa. Finally I was going to be able to buy all those Mexican pieces
that were so expensive up in Canada and have them in my new home in
Mexico. So, off we went to Mexico on a week’s holiday from our jobs up
in Canada. We jumped on a plane, rented a car for the week, planned out
what stores we were going to go to and set off our first full day
believing we were prepared and organized. It seemed easy enough, we
were excited and hopefully we’d have time left for the beach near the
end of the week.
Within the first few hours we realized we had underestimated the
magnitude of this job and there was not going to be a single moment
left for anything other than shopping for the week. Bye-Bye to the
beach, bye-bye to any rest or relaxation we had hoped to get. This week
was going to consist of getting up at the crack of dawn, drive around,
get lost, drive around again, get lost again, find parking and try to
furnish this villa with something acceptable. The excitement of this
job was gone and what settled in was panic and thoughts of going over
our budget and compromising what we really wanted.
Not knowing the language posed a bigger problem than we had
anticipated. The inability to use our credit card posed a huge risk as
we had to withdrawal large amounts of cash out and carry it around. But
getting what we bought delivered was the most frustrating to us. Most
items we wanted
were a 3-4 week delivery which would not work as we’d be back home by
then. When we changed our choices to things in stock we compromised
what we wanted and realized we were also paying far too much. We bought
furnishing at different stores and had to pay full delivery at each
place. The deliveries came at different times during the week which
stopped us from accomplishing more because we had to sit at home and
wait for the delivery to arrive. And, as we all know, nothing arrives
on time in Mexico and we wasted precious days waiting for deliveries
that didn’t even come.
In the end we finished the job after having to come home and
then return a few weeks later to finish up. We were exhausted, over
budget, stressed out and certainly not 100% happy with what we bought.
We arrive back home the second time only to go back to work with no
vacation days left, un-relaxed, broke, and wondering why this job that
is normally so easy to accomplish in Canada was so darn hard in
Mexico."
The idea continued to grow in Karen’s mind as the finish date of the
villa loomed closer and closer. She researched, found partners, got
financing and decided her new villa was to be the test run for Gringo
Furniture. To her delight she was able to pick out exactly what she
wanted for her villa in the comfort of her own home in Canada.
Measuring each piece and comparing it to the construction details of
her new villa, she knew exactly if a piece of furniture was going to
fit or not. The final price tag was probably the best surprise. She was
under budget by $10,000 and had not compromised on anything.
Karen then booked her flight to Mexico for Mid October to receive the
furniture. She arrived on the Sunday and the furniture arrived on the
Monday at 11:00am. By 6:00pm that evening the house was furnished and
she was able to go out for a long, enjoyable dinner. She now had the
rest of the week to get things exactly the way she wanted them, hang
pictures, buy nick-knacks, visit with friends and most of all take long
walks on the beach. Unfortunately, life is never as we expect and
Hurricane Wilma dropped by for a visit the Thursday of that week.
Karen tells us that not only did the new villa withstand the
category 5 hurricane winds but so did the furniture and incredibly, so
did the town of Puerto Morelos. Within weeks, things were on track to
being rebuilt and the town was ready for high season which was a mere 6
week’s post Wilma. See the villa and its furnishings here
www.casamerlot.com
Now in Mexico, not a hurricane, but something that will stir up the
marketplace and the landscape of furnishing houses in Mexico. After
much research, planning and trials, Gringo Furniture has hit the
marketplace and has already furnished many home all around Mexico.
It will be focused initially on the Mayan Riviera but hopes to grow
throughout Mexico in the next few months. Different lines are being
researched and new products will be added. Currently Gringo Furniture
is sourcing out vendors for all areas of the home to make it a ‘One
Stop” store for all home needs. They feature currently: furniture for
all rooms, custom made kitchen cabinets, mattresses and curtain rods.
They have additional services of receiving the furniture for you and
setting it up.
Their site is up and running and customers can buy all their furniture
safely and securely on-line then have it delivered to their home within
4 weeks. If a customer wants that personal touch they can book an
appointment and meet with one of our consultants on the Mayan Riviera.
Customers will be able to choose from an assortment of fabrics and
finishes to customize to their tastes.
Keep and eye on this company as it is going to fill a long standing need for foreigners buying in Mexico.
|
|
