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Category: Furniture Stores [Edit]
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Sat-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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I'm from Wisconsin and have never been to San Francisco nor McCarney's store, but reading the reviews makes me want to take a trip there!
I had limited time to go antique furniture shopping, so I searched online for an armoire to purchase. I found the best selection/competitive prices here at McCarney's (better than some other antique shop websites I've perused). I tried contacting via e-mail but then called the store. Deirdre was a wonderful pleasure to work with throughout the entire process.
I purchased the Compactum, armoire in solid oak, c 1915, a more high end piece of furniture but well worth the price. The markdown covered my shipping--you'd better believe it was heavy as...heck. At least that's what my cousin and brother-in-law kept panting as they lifted it up the stairs.
I would definitely recommend buying (even online) if you are not in the San Francisco area. My compactum is in excellent condition and receives rave reviews by anyone who sees it. Deirdre was very honest and upfront with her advice, assistance with shipping, everything. She gave me a comfortable feeling and that I could trust her. :)
Sorry it took me so long to write a review!
This store is amazing! I couldn't believe how many beautiful antique pieces of furniture they had and the prices they were selling them at. We got a gorgeous bar cabinet in almost-new condition from the 1920s at an incredible price. The folks at the store are very helpful and did a great job helping us load the cabinet into the car. (They do, however, offer delivery for $50, which I think is quite reasonable when comparing it to other stores like Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel. We opted to schlep the cabinet ourselves since we were feeling pretty enterprising that day. We then blew the $50 we saved on delivery at Bev Mo to stock it with more liquor!)
If you're looking for one-of-a-kind pieces at great prices, this should be the first furniture store you visit!
Yes I might actually be an adult. okay maybe not quite, but I will soon have some adult furniture thanks to the wonderful wholesale antique folks at McCarney's.
And even in that old-timey way, McCarney's does layaway. No credit necessary, just a friendly smile and some money down. Sure you have to visit your furniture, but it always gives you a chance to add something else to the list. We bought a 1940s drop leaf table and some rather modern couches, but there is still a bar and a secretary desk we had our eye on.
As other reviewers have noted - it's dangerous at McCarney's - dangerously adult.
A beautiful place to find antique hardwoods in perfect or near-perfect condition, at the price of their Ikea equivalents. I bought a beautiful burl walnut armoire here for under $400. Sales here are frequent, and if you join the mailing list you will be invited to private sale events. The sale prices, combined with the fact that antique furniture doesn't depreciate, makes buying hardwoods here, instead of disposable Ikea furniture, a no-brainer.
The staff, while obviously eager to make a sale, are helpful and honest in their advice. Also worth note is that the store owner has contacts with artisans who can refinish, darken, or lighten a piece if it isn't quite right for you. Also, while they don't deliver, they do provide contact information for a delivery service.
One note: this store spans one half each of three floors of a building; the other halves of each floor compose a separate antique furniture store which shares the same space. This might not ultimately matter to a consumer, but be sure to find the right staff when you decide to purchase.
Next stop, the antique stores. Here's some new info -- Grand Central and McCarney's aren't just neighbors, they share the floor space. You stroll from one store to the other almost without knowing it. McCarney's will offer "sales" (20% off today) while Grand Central does not.
Suffice it to say that this was the place where we lost track of time, we browsed for over an hour until closing time and they threw us out. The sales girl was pleasant, efficient and had a great smile.
You can get a beautiful antique bed here for no more than a new veneer imported piece of dubious quality -- say $1500 for a queen.
This place is great! It is family owned and operated. Mark and Deidre McCarney are a lovely couple who are originally from Scotland, and have family in Scotland who purchase from estate sales there. Because there is no middleman, they are able to keep prices low.
I like antique furniture because it is well-made, and has character that seems to be missing from much furniture in this day and age of IKEA. Also, homes in Scotland are tiny, so hence their furniture is compact as well--perfect for your cozy San Francisco dwelling.
My first purchase was a half-circle shaped walnut display cabinet, for a mere $335. It seems to be one of their popular items, and dates from the 1940s. Since then, I have also purchased a wooden coffee table and small wooden phone stand, for even less money. They also sell larger items such as armoires and dressers, and smaller items such as china, desk clocks and nesting tables.
Street parking can be a little tight. Since they deal only in antiques, stock changes and you will have to check back from time to time to see if they have what you like. They do not have delivery, so you will either have to move things yourself or they will refer you to a delivery person they use (I went with this option for my largest purchase and was satisfied).
Despite these minor drawbacks, it is well worth checking out.
Furniture Crack. No Really.
As soon as I walked in here, I thought "Ohhh this is going to be dangerous..."
I now own 3 pieces (Yes - I'm a grownup with 'pieces' rather than free shit) from McCarney's. I am big time frugal girl, and I found things that I could afford & were a great value for me. FYI - I'm kind of a "I like it & I'm willing to pay X dollars" -- not a "oh it's a great investment/antique". So while I can't vouch for the antique/value, I can deffinitely vouch for the quality/I love it/value ratio.
They don't deliver themselves, but they do have a list of people they work with, which is kind of nice. You can call & arrange the right person for you based on time & cost.
Fabulous store, excellent and friendly service and gorgeous furniture. Also, they have delivery people who know how to deal with small SF apartments. Very informative website with good photos of many items. They will hold something for you at no charge while you consider it and they will also do layaway.They usually (maybe always) have some items on half-price sale and they get new stuff in all the time, imported from Scotland. Good value for the price. I haven't actually been in the brick+mortar store, but purchased a fabulous armoire online and everything worked out great.
I love this place. I often come in and just wonder around looking at all the cool antiques from the old world. I'm a big anglophile so the British stuff is always my favorite. I've bought a couple pieces of furniture as gifts but none for myself as I don't have a lot of room. I have however bought quite a lot of their china and bric a brac. I recently bought a cool old porcelain guzunder (chamber pot) that I now use to store extra toilet paper in. The layout is a bit random and part of the store is actually another store (confused?) so you really have to search if you want something specific. It can be dangerous to wander in without a goal in mind as you could leave with 3 or more items you didn't know you wanted. Sometimes the items aren't priced and you have to hope there's one of the owners in the store otherwise the employees won't know what to charge. You really have to nail them down to a price and pay the same day, if they say they will call you back with a price they never do.
This place is much bigger than it looks: three stories, and crammed to the rafters with mostly British antique furniture. They're especially strong on wooden chairs, small desks and tables. Prices are reasonable, the owners are super sweet, and they have a repair guy who can modify furniture for you if needed.
The size is the real clincher for me -- there's so much stuff here, of such high average quality, that odds of finding what you want are higher here than most other dealers. The incredible niceness of the owners is the cherry on top. (Can cherries go on top of clinchers?)
My one complaint is that the owner doesn't seem to take the hint if you just want to quietly walk around the store by yourself and mull things over. Very sweet, but *very* chatty.
Simply put, McCarney's is a treasure for the newly arrived to SF who want to deck out their cool Victorians and Edwardians with vintage furniture. Most of the pieces are late nineteenth and early twentieth century, with lots of cool deco stuff. But the best thing about this place is the PRICES. They are ridiculously reasonable. I got a gorgeous mahogany bed and giant, very unique armoir for under a grand, which for solid-wood, antique furniture seems like a very fair deal in this town. I had checked out all the (very few) shops in the "Deco Ghetto" on Market but found them to be drastically over-priced. Then I stumbled on McCarney's (beware: this is only half of a combined shop, the other of which is a bit more expensive). Seeing that my bed was just sitting on the floor for weeks, it's a good thing I found this place before the dust bunnies started to consume me. But seriously, Deirdre (the owner) is really cool too. She spent a lot of time with me going over the measurements of my apartment to make it all work. And they have a guy who will deliver all the furniture for like $40. It just doesn't get better than this place.
Clearance Lamps
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Now 30-40% off store-wide
Neighborhood: SOMA
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Furniture Stores
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Furniture Stores
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Antiques
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Furniture Stores
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
Category: Furniture Stores
