Umbrella Forest Now At Eastgate
2010 umbrellas are now in-stock! We at Eastgate Pools and Spas are excited about 
the wide variety of Casual Furniture Umbrellas we are offering this year. Whether your old umbrella bit the dust over the winter during high winds, is showing signs of wear or you are just in the mood for something new, we have expanded our selection. (And if you don’t see what you like, we can always special order one for you!) Someone here commented that it looks like an umbrella forest. Come check it out.
Think Spring
I know Spring is right around the corner. At least I keep telling
myself this every time the Weather Channel mentions the chance of more
snow.
I’ve decided to “think Spring” and start planning on what new patio
furniture will replace what I have now.
I will start seeing many of the new styles and colors coming to the
floor within the next couple of weeks. Just in case I don’t see the
one that is just right for me, I also have the option of choosing
from several outstanding manufacturers. Each of them have several
styles and lots of different fabric selections and best of all I will
have plenty of time to order and have my new furniture at my home in
time for the warmer weather.
My children also are really excited about my new purchase because
they will inherit my 10 year old Telescope furniture It is still in
great condition after all that time. Turns out it is a win-win
situation.
The Great Showroom Switch
It’s getting to be that time of year again. 2010 Casual Furniture is starting arrive, and space is limited. With that being said this is a fantastic time of year for those of you that are looking for game tables, poker tables, bars, or billiard tables. There is a premium on space which translates to great savings demo items. I know there are people out there that may look down on demos because they may have a blemish on the surface. Myself personally I am not one of those people, having 2 children I fully realize that if there is not a blemish on it now there will be one soon after it arrives at my house. I encourage those of you that may be looking for these items, and as most of us are wanting to get them for a steal of a price to stop in. Keep in mind these are demos and once they are gone they are gone.
Casual Furniture In The Off Season
The colder it gets the less likely everyone is to think about spending time outside, but that doesn’t mean we have tucked all of our furniture away for the year. When the temperature starts to drop we switch over our two showrooms so that the more seasonal merchandise is in our larger showroom. While the scenery is different when you first walk in we still have an entire showroom of casual furniture, as well as some all weather wicker options in our main showroom. If you have the space to store it, or if you are looking for something unique as a gift idea you can take advantage of some very good off-season discounts. We have a tremendous number of demo sets, and still have quite a few Telescope Merchandise Mart buyouts. We are already filling our warehouses with new product lines for next year, so we have great prices on these one of a kind sets to make space for new product. Please feel free to stop by and we would love to help you find the right set for you! - Craig
Stone Top Outdoor Furniture
As a reminder, most stone top tables should be sealed before winter arrives. And if it is a slate top table, make sure you have a sealer that is approved for slate. Give us a call if you have questions about your table. — Service
Freezing Weather And Casual Furniture
Fall is officially here, and though we will certainly have many beautiful autumn days to be outdoors, it is a good time to remind everyone that winter’s freezing temperatures can ruin your outdoor furniture. Today, I would like to remind everyone that each piece of furniture should be checked before we get any freezing weather to make sure that no water is trapped inside the frame. If you can feel or hear water inside the frame, it needs to be removed in order to prevent frame and finish damage. Once the water is out, make sure you either cover the furniture with a good quality furniture cover or store it in an area where it will not take on additional water. If you have questions on getting your outdoor furniture ready for winter or need help on finding the right size cover for your set, just let us know.
Winter And Patio Furniture
As the leaves begin to fall and the winter months begin to roll in we all recognize that it is time to close the pool. What is often forgotten is that your casual furniture needs some attention as well. Naturally, if you have a place to store your furniture that is your best option, but if you don’t have the luxury of storing your furniture please make sure you take the necessary steps to protect it. There are a wide variety of furniture covers to protect your investment from the harsh effects of winter. There are covers for everything from individual pieces to complete table sets. If your furniture is cast aluminum a cover should suffice. If your frames are in any way hollow there are probably “weep holes” in the frame to make sure water doesn’t stay in the frame and potentially freeze. Manufacturers will not cover freeze damage under most warranties so this is especially important. If you have a stone top of some kind be sure to seal the top with the recommended sealer. Some manufacturers may have very specific requirements for winter protection so make sure you check any hang tags on your merchandise for suggestions. While many products could weather the storm, so to speak, you will only improve the life span of your furniture by covering it and following a few preventative procedures.
Telescope Casual Furniture
You may have noticed on our main web page, or maybe you saw an earlier blog from Kathy, that Eastgate Pools just bought Telescope Casual’s entire Chicago Merchandise Mart showroom. You might ask yourself, why was it for sale? Well, it’s a pretty easy answer. It’s the beginning of show season for casual furniture manufacturers, with the first of two yearly trade shows being scheduled the week after July 4th. Casual furniture retailers from all over the USA will converge on Chicago to check out the very latest in styles and colors. Leading manufacturers, such as Telescope, like to make sure that their showroom is fresh and new every year. As such, it is out with the old, which is really still pretty new, and in with the really, really new. Cleaning out their showroom in June also gives Telescope a chance to clean the carpet and paint the walls prior to the new product being delivered and setup.
What does this mean to the casual furniture shopper? That’s simple. Great prices on great Telescope furniture! With an over 100 year tradition, Telescope is known for producing furniture that is comfortable, stylish, and long lasting. When you put these Telescope qualities together, you have value, and when you add in the fact that you can save 45% off of Telescope’s price index on this special buyout furniture, you have tremendous values. From our previous experience buying the showroom, we know that the sets go fast. So if you want to experience Telescope Casual furniture at greatly reduced prices, stop in and see us.
Casual Furniture Buyout
Looking for Casual Furniture for your deck or patio? Eastgate Pools is pleased to announce the arrival of two truckloads of specially priced Telescope® Casual furniture. Telescope®, an American owned company for over 100 years, is located in Granville, New York and is known for quality, durable patio furniture. They were clearing out their Chicago showroom and we bought it all! We have a wide variety of fabrics and styles – traditional to contemporary. From large dining sets to small intimate conversation groupings. Stop in to see these one of a kind sets at unbelievable pricing and take home your favorite today.
We Bought It All!
Looking for Casual Furniture for your deck or patio? Eastgate Pools is pleased to announce the arrival of two truckloads of specially priced Telescope® Casual furniture. Telescope®, an American owned company for over 100 years, is located in Granville, New York and is known for quality, durable patio furniture. They were clearing out their Chicago showroom and we bought it all! We have a wide variety of fabrics and styles – traditional to contemporary. From large dining sets to small intimate conversation groupings. Stop in to see these one of a kind sets at unbelievable pricing and take home your favorite today.
Preparing Your Outdoor Furniture For Spring
The calendar says it is spring, and hopefully Mother Nature gets the message soon and doesn’t allow winter to return for a long time! For many of us, spring means getting our casual furniture sets uncovered or out of the shed, garage or basement. Depending on how it was stored, and how motivated we were last fall, it probably could use a good cleaning. In this blog, I am going to talk about cleaning sling furniture, as I have sling furniture at home, and it is far and away the most common type of furniture.
Sling furniture is so easy to clean, especially with the right cleaner. At the start of each season, I move my chairs and chaise lounges out to a sunny area and spray them down with the garden hose. While they are still wet, I use my special weapon on them, which is Feron’s 1 For All Cleaner, which is also known as Feronclean. (I used to use just soap and water until I noticed that the thin white stripes in the sling material had become thin gray stripes over the years. Soap and water wasn’t doing the job as well as I had thought.) I let the Feronclean sit for several minutes, and then I lightly scrub the sling with a soft bristled scrub brush. With a rinse and a wipe down to dry, the job is finished and my white stripes are white again.
I learned from experience how well Feronclean works, and in the years that Eastgate Pools has carried this product, we have heard many stories similar to mine about how well it works. Of all of the products in our furniture accessory department, Feronclean is the one that is most requested by name. (Legal stuff: read product label before using)
Save Your Umbrella & Save Your Table!
I have been in the swimming pool, spa and casual furniture business since 1980, and I have seen many changes. Some things never change, though. Each year, too many people have to prematurely replace their patio furniture umbrella and/or patio table, all because they left the umbrella up when they weren’t home. Just one example is the following true story.
A few years back, I was delivering some casual furniture to a customer’s home. They had taken delivery of a patio table and chairs a few weeks earlier, but had ordered a couple of additional accessory pieces. When these pieces arrived, the customer had told me to deliver them out anytime, even if they weren’t home. That afternoon, when I arrived at the house, I noticed that the umbrella was up, and I also knew that the weather forecast had mentioned potential storms. I lowered the umbrella, and sure enough, the storms came later that day. A few weeks later, that same customer was calling to find out about ordering a new umbrella and patio table. You guessed it! They had left the umbrella up again and another storm came through and damaged the umbrella and table.
Sails move sailboats, and when an umbrella is left up and unattended in windy weather, you have just installed a big sail on your outdoor table. When I work with casual furniture customers, I always recommend leaving the umbrella down except for the times when the outdoor furniture is being used and enjoyed. A minute of precaution can save you lots of money and aggravation. David
Fabric Choices
In almost thirteen years of selling casual furniture I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve had a customer tell me the same basic cushions and umbrellas could be purchased at their local big box store. While I could spend a tremendous amount of time explaining why this isn’t true I thought one thing I might focus on is understanding the fabrics used. I know that doesn’t exactly sound exciting, but quality of fabrics (and the costs associated with quality fabrics) play a huge role in determining prices and durability. Basic polyester fabrics are the most common fabrics you will find used in your larger chain stores. These fabrics generally fade rather quickly, mildew, and wear more quickly than other options. Olefins would likely be the next step up in quality. Solution dyed olefins (where the color runs all the way through the threading) are very resistant to fading, resistant to mildew, and rather long lasting. Your next improvement would be spun polyester. Lastly, acrylic fabrics (especially Sunbrella) are the finest fabrics for outdoor use. These are essential awning grade materials and offer the finest in comfort, color-fastness, and durability. With each step up the fabric ladder you will gain durability translating into a longer life meaning more bang for your buck. You should note that any fabric that isn’t a solid or a stripe would fade easier, because the color isn’t consistent throughout the threading. Now the next time you find your umbrella you bought only a year ago in need of replacement consider an upgrade in fabric quality. It might cost you a little more, but it will pay for itself with carefree use for years to come.
-Craig Weaver
Preserving Your Outdoor Casual Furniture
I’m lucky. Having a screened in porch to store my casual furniture set when winter weather arrives, I just need to make sure my outdoor furniture doesn’t have any water caught in the frame which could freeze and damage the frame and finish. Some people forget to check for water that has found its way inside their outdoor furniture’s frame, and the resulting freeze damage can be extensive. Fortunately, many casual furniture manufacturers place small drainage holes on underneath areas of the furniture, keeping things drained. A quick check for trapped water before freezing weather can save you a great deal of trouble and dollars.
But, what about those outdoor furniture owners that can’t store their furniture in a covered and more protected environment? I highly recommend a furniture cover. At my last house, I had no place to take the furniture set in the winter, so I invested in a good quality furniture cover, and each year I covered the table and chairs after I checked for any trapped water. A furniture cover keeps your furniture clean, helps prevent water from entering the frames while stored, and in general just protects your investment. There are covers that will cover the entire set, covers for just the table or chairs, and covers for the accessory pieces like chaise lounges, deep seating pieces and ottomans. A good furniture cover will increase your outdoor furniture’s life, and they are very quick and easy to “install”. At Eastgate Pools & Spas, we stock a huge assortment of furniture covers year-round, so just let us know what size table that you have, and we can help you find the right cover for your set and accessory items. David