Furnishing apt in Medellin

viewpoint says on May 1, 2005, 04:45:

You can find the leather furniture at reasonable prices at "Puro Cuero in El Retiro". Puro Cuero has at least two showrooms in Medellin one on Ave. Poblado (Cra.43A) at 16 Sur (313-7450) but the best prices are at their facility in El Retiro where they manufacturer the furniture. I always found sales promotions on the furniture and waited until the price was right to buy. Normally 10-12% is the standard discount but when the run closeout sales I have seen up to 50% discounts.

For just regular furniture I would travel to Itagui and visit "Muebles Fabricas Unidas" 373-1313 Autopista Sur No. 31-45. You can't miss it as it's huge. Accross the street are some other furniture retailers but I had the best luck with Fabricas Unidas as they run quarterly sales and 12-18% discounts can de negoiated. Look for the sale items in the quality of furniture that you are looking for. The store is divided into three separate "quality" sections for your choosing.

Check with the Notaria regarding accepted translators but I remember using two universities in Medellin that charged a small fee for the translations and were acceptable to the Notaria I used (I think was Notaria 20 on the ground floor of Monterrey Mall Calle 10 & Las Vegas Ave. near Poblado Exito. The Notaria will give you some direction.

For appliances (electrodomesticos) I bought all of mine at two sales outlets located in Centro Commercial "El DIAMANTE" Calle 51 & Cra 74 (approx). The prices are better there in those shops but otherwise Exito, Carrefour & Makro are competitive when they run sales. You can use your creditcard at most places except "Markro" which is limited to cash or debit cards, however, prices (other than Exito, Carrefour & Markro) are negoiatable if paying my cash or debitcard vs. creditcard. Another 5% discount on furniture or appliances might be had for a cash payment vs. a creditcard payment. As everywhere cash is king because the smaller retailers have a pay hefty creditcard fees 4-5% when you use your creditcard.

I could give you more information regarding the companies than handbuild the beds, dining tables, chairs, desks, etc. but in the end they are not as cheap as "Fabricas Unidas" who chooses from 100s of furniture manufacturers to select the best quality at the best prices. I would stick with them or use them as your education base to make other decisions. www.fabricasunidas.com They built me a 10 foot long single peice 12 place formal dining table.

There are some great drapery and lighting shops in Envigado. Fabri Hogar & Cia, Ltda. located at Transv. 33 Sur No. 31D-002 in Envigado Phone 270-9350/332-2282 (Heriberto Rojas) can build you a custom made desk for your home office that is beautiful. He can also build anything else (in furniture) that you can imagine. You pick a picture from dozens of catologs and he will build it for you exactly as you see in the picture.

It took me almost 18 months to pick and choose the furniture, appliances, draperies and lighting for my apartment because I am very picky and wanted it done correctly. Most of my furniture is oversized due to the large rooms which is hard to find in Medellin.

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dwmte says on May 1, 2005, 07:27:

great information by viewpoint...add this... if you like leather (modern) you wont find better than jaime toledo (puro cuero) but definitely go to the fabrica in el retiro. he has discounts, closeouts, etc there that you wont find in the stores. too, you can talk to him or his sons.

as far as decorating your lovely new digs, take your time. you are living in the furniture making capitol of the world. everything from ultra modern to rustic ranch furnishings are available and at prices roughly 1/10 of what you'ld pay in the states (leather furniture an exception)

i used to have a store in los angeles at the corner of melrose and melrose place (corner of orlando) named el rancho. we manufactured our furnishings in colombia. it all came to a screetching halt compliments of the 5 cops that beat the tar outta rodney king. we were one of the 5,000 businesses that didn't survive that nightmare.

but getting back to the point...i had twelve workshops in and around medellin, from caldas to bello, from downtown to rio negro and el retiro and la ceja.. i manufactured over 400 pieces of furniture there so i have that end of it down real pat. i know whos who, where and what they make. i know the fine to the not so fine.

viewpoint is right, TAKE YOUR TIME, go out to autopista towards itagui and you'll find mattress fabricas and furniture showrooms galore. look around, ask questions, then go hunting, go to caldas and go from one end to the other. go to retiro and spend a day walking the two directions into and out of town. visit the workshops and meet the ebanistas. familiarize yourself with the folks who make the furniture. also in rio negro, on the back side towards llano grande is a street below the hospital where you can spend hours looking at stuff. the finest carved furniture like you'ld find in architectural digest (carved banana leaves and such) are found in downtown medellin. poke around where the exito is and ask questions. a whole section of ebanistas (cabined makers) were displaced by that new development. ask where they went. there will be some survivors. they had to go somewhere. poke around the side streets with a taxi driver for the day. electro domesticos...diamante, el jueco, exito. south envigado (same for lighting)

there are also some extremely fine antique dealers in medellin. if you want info on these, p.m me and i'll try and hook you up. the great grand dame of antiques, roxanna mejia (sister of manuel mejia, the casa de los dos palmas) died this last year. she was down town for ever (el fin del afan) off oriental but moved to poblado about 7 years ago or more. her nephew, andreas runs it now. andreas' brother, carlos enrique mejia 'kiki' has a shop north of calle 10 in poblado, between cl 10 and cl 9. it is the biggest showroom of all of poblado it's on the next to the last street in the shopping area. i can't remember the name of his store. he's so great because he has the works of modern artisans. a fantastic store worth a visit. tell him and his wife monica that douglas martin said hello. you'll know when you're talking to them, as they both LOVE eating and have put on a FEW extra pounds. ask kiki about other antique dealers. he's in the know and really honest. a real close friend of mine.

if there's anyway i can help more, p.m. me and ask. also. knock on viewpoint's p.m. as he knows what he's talking about.

all the best to you and the mrs.

d w martin

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Hunter says on May 1, 2005, 07:49:

Furniture Beds I would get directly from Comoda (can't remember the correct spelling, I am sure somebody like gayday will know) they are on the Autopista, opposite Exito in Envigado, they are very good quality and you will save yourself about 20% by buying them there.

Electrical goods in Exito or Carrefour, both good stores in Envigado on the Las Vegas, there are others around the City, but people tell me there is a better selection in the Envigado ones. You can buy the same items elsewhere and cheaper if you shop around in smaller outlets, but its just easier to go to the two places and check the prices in both stores than wander around the City.

Furnture, there are 100s of companies that will make it for your specifications, it doesn't cost that much more. Viewpoint or dwmte are better sources of info in that area.

Hunter

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viewpoint says on May 1, 2005, 08:52:

DWMTE China is really making some interesting furniture much cheaper than I found in Medellin and decent quality too (for the price). I recently priced building and shipping the furniture from Medellin to Panama City (for my apartment) vs. buying a combination of american brand name furniture made in asia and particularily furniture made in CHINA from stores in Panama City. In the end the locally available Chinese built dining tables, end tables, buffets, china closets, sofa tables, office furniture where much cheaper than the Colombia alternative but I found it difficult to warm up to the styles of bedroom furniture but the prices were all much less expensive than Medellin even after backing off the 16% IVA taxes where you wouldn't be paying if you exported from Colombia to Panama City (you pay a 5% tax in Panama).

One thing I noticed in Medellin is that Antiques were well taken car of, well preserved and have no real value as we know or have experienced in the USA. In 1999 the prices were also totally a give-a-way but recently the prices are climbing a little higher. Did you ever import the Antiques from Colombia to the USA ?

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calif en la selva says on May 1, 2005, 09:12:

Thanks guys! Thanks alot guys!
Especially you Douglas and thanks viewpoint, you have been helpful in the past when I was looking for a bank. I'll have to hook up with you when I get settled in Medellin. When we have a telephone I'll pm you, I'm living in Ventura Calif...leaving soon! And I know the area where you grew up in the central valley. I also lived in the Monterey peninsula.
It's always good to read good posts from some of the really good people here on PBH
thanks, Karl

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dwmte says on May 1, 2005, 18:24:

yo karl..... ventura, eh? compared to medellin, that's like being 'stuck in lodi'

for the first year down there, keep an escape valve open. you move to paradise, but you do get lonely. i had to come home a couple of times during that first 2 1/2 years. it was a life saver. then when i 'd get back here, i had to get back there. back in that era, i have to be honest, a bit of it was the blow. but....we get older and GOD knows what else, and i guess we (or at least me) just use less or none.

viewpoint...i sent you a rather long p.m covering the antique thing.

dw

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doron says on Jul 18, 2005, 06:14:

doron i'M DORON ROZILIO I'M LIVING IN ISRAEL
I'M ASKING FOR JAIME TOLEDO WE STUDYED TOGUETER IN KANOT SCHOOL
IN ISRAEL

IF TOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT HIM PLEASE WRITE ME TO
TOMER at BANAYICHZION.COM

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