Un-CANNY tomatoes

$9 worth of farmer's market tomatoes

After months of pale and mealy impostors, we finally get the real deal: fresh tomatoes!! Midwesterners can stuff our faces with ripe delicious beauties - and safely put them on our sandwiches and side plates once again, late August through September. Usually. 

But this summer's record-breaking rains  and early cold snap have made tomato pickings slim. We only got one, an heirloom variety, in our farm share box on Sept. 13. 

The cherry tomatoes in my front yard (that's where I get the most sun) are doing okay but they need sun to ripen and our weather has been dreary. Still, I cherish each cherry tomato I harvest as if it were my last - because you never know when the last one will be, right?

After simply freezing the first batch of tomatoes (after blanching, coring and peeling them), my husband and I made a date to can the next batch last Saturday. We wanted to do a test run to see how it went and find out how many tomatoes it took to fill a jar. The answer: about 6 to 8 good-sized tomatoes. We had about 30 ripe tomatoes and filled 4 quart jars, with a little leftover.

The first step is getting everything set up, cleaned and sterilized, including the jars, lids, bowls and equipment. We made sure to have bottled lemon juice on hand because it has a consistent pH so you know the tomatoes will be properly preserved. Real lemons, and tomatoes for that matter, vary in their levels of acidity and it's the acid that preserves them. 

We had 3 pots boiling away on the stove: a small one for lids and seals; a normal large stainless steel pot for blanching the tomatoes and for extra hot water if needed; and a large canning pot that holds 6 jars, which we borrowed from our awesome neighbors.

First, we cored, scored and blanched  the tomatoes in hot water for 30 to 60 seconds then into a cold water bath to easily remove the skins. Next we peeled and quartered; larger tomatoes were cut into 8 or 10 pieces to more easily fit in the jars. 

We measured 2 TBSP of lemon juice and 1 tsp of salt into each sterilized jar and were ready to roll with the wide-mouth funnel to carefully and cleanly fill the jars one at a time. We let the air bubbles out and filled the jars to 1/2 inch from the top. We added a few spoon fulls of boiling water from the tomato blanching pot to make sure all the fruit was covered in liquid in each jar.

Next we popped on the seals using the magnetized lid grabber, wiped the rims to remove any spillage and screwed on the lid to finger tightness. When they were all secure, we immersed them in the big canning pot - and brought it to a boil then let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

When the timer went off, we carefully lifted the lovely red-filled jars onto a clean cloth on the countertop to prevent any crackage and let them sit for 24 hours before we touched or moved the jars. They're now ready for our pantry.

We felt good about our successful first run and don't mind admiring our handiwork. Just look at them, aren't they lovely?! And I expect they will taste as good as they look when we crack them open to make chili or spaghetti during the cold winter months ahead.

But are 4 jars enough? I don't think so.....

Today I went to the Lincoln Square Farmer's Market - open Tuesday mornings (7am to1pm) and Thursday evenings (4pm to 8pm) with the intention of picking up a few mums to brighten up the garden in the chilly weeks ahead. I got 4 large, beautiful mums for under $30; plants this big and healthy would cost $30 EACH at the local garden store (I even checked). 


And I couldn't resist getting more tomatoes, when I saw this whole box for just $5! The vendor called them 'seconds,' and that's just what I wanted to do my tomato canning sequel this weekend. I figure if I do this a few times in a row, I'll have it down so I can get even more adventurous down the road.

But first: I'm canning these beauties. 

Keeping it FRESH!

Our veggie share from Angelic Organics.

This spring, I *loved* going out in our yard to harvest lettuce for salads and I ate healthier because I had fresh food at my fingertips. I've kept it fresh this summer with organic goodies through Angelic Organics.  Our pick-up day is Saturday and my husband and I look forward to heading to our local site to see what's 'in store' this week. It's always a great variety and number.

We walk home with canvas bags full of onions, sweet corn, kale, potatoes, zucchini, peppers, lettuces and whatever else was just picked and figure out meals for the week ahead. We invite friends and family over - because it's best to eat it at it's freshest - and most nutritious - and we like to share. Some of our best summer nights were spent on our back porch eating meals made with our fresh organic food. 

We've been involved with a CSA - which stands for 'community supported agriculture' - since we first heard about them around 2000 and we've learned some things along the way, and gotten better at cooking and eating our veggies too! 

CSA's are catching on around the country, and some have gone beyond veggies to include fruit, egg, dairy and/or meat shares. On the LocalHarvest site, you can search by city or zip code to find CSA's near you; I was surprised to see 52 listings in the Chicago area! 

Some variations of the CSA concept do custom orders - and you can see details of how and where the food is grown on the website  - it's all about organic and local. Some even do home delivery, including Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks and, the one we use for meat, cheese and eggs (so much better than store-bought eggs!), Farm Fresh Foodstuffs. 

The initial idea of the farm share is each shareholder pays the farmer up front to cover costs and gets an equal amount (or share) of items harvested each week - so it's picked and eaten at its optimal time and gives a good variety of fresh, local and organic produce. But not everyone likes kale and  some people can't eat certain things like cucumbers or (pity!) tomatoes so for some people, the boxes can be a bit intimidating at first.

In past years, we've had challenges getting through all the veggies. There may have been 3 types of greens, such as kale, bokchoy or mustard greens, and we got overwhelmed figuring out how to cook and eat all of them. There may have been too many herbs or things we didn't like in a box. Or, worst of all, we got a ton of tomatoes at once - and we ate until we got canker sores but couldn't get through them all. 

In an ideal week, we'd follow our meal plans and use up all the veggies at their best. But, I must admit there were times when we failed and food spoiled before we could eat it. There is guilt here, of an organic variety, and each time I would recommit to my pledge of 'zero waste.' 

One thing we learned was that my husband and I cannot eat a full box of veggies every week, even if we were vegetarians. Luckily for us, Angelic Organics and other CSA's (we were with another one for a while) offer HALF-SHARES. Generally, this is a full box every OTHER week rather than a small box every week - which makes it easier to have fewer pick-up days as well. 

Also helpful toward our goal to eat fresh is the "exchange box" at our pick-up site. People leave items they don't or can't eat for whatever reason (no judgment) and pick up items they do want, whether it's ears of corn, bulbs of onions or bunches of dill. Each week, we've exchanged at least one item, because we had too many cucumbers already or had a busy week and didn't think we could cook a big eggplant plus a bunch of squashes.  

When we go out of town, as we did last week for a wedding on the east coast, we bequeathed our veggie box to our good friends that we know cook a lot and would put it to good use. One other time, a friend forgot to get the veggies on the right day. In that case, the host site (which in our case is Stone Soup Cooperative) will use the veggies or donate them to a local food bank.

When we got back the following weekend, we missed the fresh greens, squashes and tomatoes from the last box, but felt better knowing the food was eaten and not rotting in our refrigerator - to be tossed into our compost bin later on. No waste = no guilt! 

I did have a tomato casualty: the Roma tomato - the only fruit on the plant I got from my aunt - fell down and rotted while we were away. That broke my heart a bit. But the cherry tomatoes were rocking and I harvested 2 dozen. I eat them every day, sliced, with sea salt and pepper: delish! 

My goal now is to keep it fresh into fall and winter. We got an extended veggie share through October so we'll have squashes, potatoes, onions, carrots and so forth, as we head into colder months. These should last a while in a cool place like our pantry.

Our custom-built raised lettuce bed.

I just planted a fall crop of lettuces, which grow best in cooler weather, not the high heat of summer. We get most lettuces in spring or early summer CSA boxes, but it's great to have fresh in fall when tomatoes, cucumbers and other goodies are in, too. If we're lucky, these will grow into October or as long as we go without having a hard frost.

$9 worth of farmer's markets tomatoes. DEAL!

But that leaves a problem: fresh tomatoes! Store -bought tomatoes are not the same as fresh grown. My solution is CANNING. I've already frozen a few dozen whole tomatoes (just blanched, cored and peeled, put in ziploc bags and frozen). These will work for soups, stews and chili but I want more yummy tomatoes over the winter months ahead.

Since tomatoes are in prime season, I plan to start Sat. after we get our veggie box. My neighbor loaned me her canning pot, we've got jars and lids, tongs and tools, and I picked up luscious-looking tomatoes from the farmer's market yesterday. Can you believe baskets of 7 or 8 of these beauties were only $3?!. And I have FoodInJars.com to show me the canning way. 

Stay tuned to see how it goes... canning those tomatoes!! 

Re-Claimed & Re-Created

When we started to furnish our living room, my husband and I were faced with the old ugly TV stand I’ve had since college. It was on casters, with the ugliest wood veneer imaginable, and was meant to be temporary - until I found something better. But twenty odd years later, the the thing still sat in our living room, and we agreed it was time to ‘move it on out' and get something better.

We started searching online for living room tables to figure out what we wanted and speed up the shopping process. We saw a unique kidney-shaped coffee table made by Square Nail that was really cool.

As it turns out, Square Nail is a short walk from our house in Ravenswood - so we stopped by to take a look. On that day, we saw a sleek modern coffee table, a huge rough-hewn media center and a gorgeously detailed canoe that was way too beautiful to put in the water.

We talked to Dan Wynne, who started Square Nail with his brother, and said we’d be back with more details about what we wanted. Dan said he got some old barn wood and started making things, first in his garage in the suburbs, then a few years ago out of the Clark Street workshop and storefront.

When we bought a couch at an area furniture store, we found a coffee table we thought suited our old house and our style, a mix of modern and mission. We decided to use it as a design model for a TV stand and shelves. First we brought pictures - and later the table itself - to help get the same overall shape, style and stain for the pieces that would go in our living room.

No problem, Dan said. Let’s get started. So we talked, we measured and we discussed. We came up with two pieces to fit the TV corner and a small lamp table to go along. We re-measured, re-discussed and re-designed several times.

To keep from looking cluttered, we wanted doors on the lower half of the TV stand and shelf. But we didn’t want the pieces to get too dark or heavy. So we thought ‘glass’ and co-designed stained glass sliding doors with Dan’s wife, a stained glass artist who also helps at the shop.

We worked with Dan to tweak things along the way and kept moving forward with our project. We stopped into the store to check options for stain and to see the stained glass samples and decide how to install them. It was fun to be part of the creative process.

As a bonus, Dan swapped the top of the purchased coffee table for real walnut to match the other 3 pieces, giving it a warm and cohesive look. And we can sand and restain the pieces if they ever get scratched or damaged (which you can’t do with veneer). The side lamp table is adorable, the stained glass looks great, and we have unique pieces of furniture that perfectly fit our living room.

This year, we decided to get a new table for our back porch and went straight to Square Nail. Our existing table was round with huge arm chairs and didn’t fit well in the space. We wanted a unique table and benches that would fit up to 8 people - and maximize our use of the space.  

We easily selected long leaf pine that was salvaged from Lake Forest Academy. Dan says the wood was used as interior joists and beams and he gets big planks from various “pickers” that visit construction sites, sales and salvage yards to reclaim old wood. When he started, Dan found old barnwood on Craig’s List but now has a network of pickers that source stuff for him.

Dan said he could also incorporate a walnut plank we got from Owl Hardwood Lumber in Des Plaines into the table. We loved the idea of using old Pullman railroad cars for benches. I’ve also seen pieces made out of trees felled from area parks and a table made from a tree that once stood in a family’s yard that was made into a lovely table.

For our porch set, we agreed on steel square legs and to have the benches along the railings  larger and the other two side benches smaller to tuck underneath the table when not in use.

To get started, I made a drawing of the porch measurements that included the grill, stairs and patio doors. Dan and I discussed sizes for the table and benches and I put blue painter’s tape on the porch floor to mark where the pieces would fit. Again, we measured, re-measured, designed and re-designed along the way - and Dan went to work.

Once the table was built, Dan asked us stop by. The wood was beautiful but the shape looked odd. It was too wide, at 4 feet by 6 feet, and we asked to shave a few inches off the sides, to make it more balanced, aesthetically. We asked to slightly soften the edges and we picked a stain to bring out the grain but not make it too dark. 

In 4 weeks, Dan delivered our table and benches and it is beautiful. In fact, it’s nicer than our dining room table (that turned out to be veneer). The materials are solid, the pieces are well-made and one-of-a-kind and the price was reasonable. We supported a local business and re-claimed and re-created old wood to give it new life.

We use our porch table almost every day to write, read emails, relax and simply hang out. The new furniture has made our backyard more beautiful and useful - and we get to enjoy the beautiful wood, re-purposed for our porch, and share its ongoing story with friends, family and neighbors, and our meals and “porch drinks” have never been better!

Safe for Swimming?

NOTE: This post was written for the Surge site a few weeks ago but they're having technical issues so I'm posting to get this up while it's still swimming season.

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Before July 4th weekend, almost all Chicago area beaches were closed after a big storm, when the Chicago Park District opened the locks that separate Lake Michigan from the Chicago River, dumping storm runoff and raw sewage into the lake. (yuck!)

Water quality tests after the locks were opened showed high bacteria levels that made it unsafe for people to be in the water. Just one day later, the ban was lifted at all beaches but two, and swimmers were allowed back in the water.

It makes you stop and think before you get in the water, even after the ‘all clear’ is given.

Area beachgoers can get updates on the Chicago Beaches site, which uses Red, Yellow and Green icons to note if the beach is closed, ‘open but use caution’ or ‘good to go’. This same color system is used at the beaches with flags on the lifeguard stands that let park-goers know if it’s safe to get in the water (no sharks in Chicago to worry about, at least).

When big storms hit, stormwater runoff surges into local waterways, making them temporarily un-swimmable and inhospitable for humans. With this summer already Chicago’s third wettest in 143 years, high rainfall has put a damper on some summer fun, for sure.

But new technology is helping beach managers keep the public swimming safely. Chicago now uses real-time water quality data at ALL area swimming beaches on Lake Michigan with a system that uses predictive modeling that is tied to weather data and forecasts to predict bacteria levels, as described in this Chicago Park District video.

Data is gathered via buoys in the water and weather stations on light poles along the beaches to evaluate the amount of rain and cloudiness of the water to predict bacteria levels in real-time. Otherwise, it takes 18 hours to get actual water quality tests back, so the tests are always a day behind. This real-time tool helps park officials stay ahead of and manage beach closings.

Lifeguards can also update the park district’s site from the beach to show swim restrictions due to rough surf or water quality issues using data from the nearby monitoring system. Beachgoers can check the park district site for details about their favorite or nearest beach before they leave home on the Beach List so they don’t have to wait ‘till they hit the sand to see if the red flag is flying, which means ‘No Swimming’ allowed.

Earlier this year, a local NBC station investigated beach monitoring and closing data from Illinois, Indiana and Michigan (which share the shores of Lake Michigan) and found a significant number of high bacteria levels recorded when beaches were allowed to remain open for swimming.

The NBC investigation, Bacteria Alerts Delayed For Some Chicago-Area Beaches, found 218 cases when unsafe levels of E. coli were found at area beaches - and in 104 of those cases, people were allowed to swim for a full day or more before a ban or advisory was issued.

The U.S. EPA regulates waters designated as coastal recreational areas in the appropriately named BEACH Act, passed in 2002, which uses E. coli as the indicator organism to test if fresh water is safe for swimming, bathing, surfing or similar activities. Stormwater, sewage and animal waste are typical sources for E. coli contamination that can cause swimmers to become ill.

EPA and state health departments require swim advisories be issued when bacteria levels reach 235 cfu/100 ml or above. Swim bans are required for levels 1000 cfu/100 ml or above. Higher levels of bacteria are known to cause Recreational Water Illnesses.

Recreational water illnesses can occur when germs come in contact with skin, are breathed in or swallowed and can happen in swimming pools and hot tubs as well as lakes and beaches. According to the Centers for Disease Control, these illnesses can show up as infections of ears, eyes, nose, throat (respiratory) or skin, with diarrhea being the most commonly reported problem.

Chicago Park District officials said the 18-hour delay waiting for test results is a challenge for staying on top of actual bacteria levels (a valid issue). Beach closings typically occur after test results are in, so, in effect after a one-day delay. But the new technology is helping the Chicago Park District (and other cities and states as well) and, in recent years, there have been fewer swim bans and advisories.

Lake Michigan beaches are tested every day for bacteria levels during the swimming season, which is officially Memorial Day through Labor Day. Other inland lakes are required to be tested twice a month. The predictive modeling system now used throughout Chicago costs the city about $20,000 per year (per the NBC analysis) to operate and maintain.

Outside of Chicago, beach closure information is generally reported by a government agency or state health department. For example, In New York City, NYC.gov; in Los Angeles, LA County Department of Public Health;  in Minneapolis, Hennepin County Public Health; and in Ohio,  Ohio.gov has a a Beach Guard site with up-to-date closures and advisories (to name a few).

In May of 2014, New York City launched a free texting service to announce beach closings so area residents can “know before they go” to the beach if their beach is open or closed and get alerts about advisories, closures and water quality issues.

In the recent Testing the Waters report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), of 30 states monitored, Ohio had the most contaminated beaches with 35 percent of samples exceeding acceptable levels of bacteria. Illinois ranked 15 out of the 30 states for beach water quality in 2013. And the Great Lakes had the most contaminated beaches in 2013, with 13% of samples testing positive for bacteria from human or animal waste.

The biggest sources of contamination are stormwater runoff and sewage overflows, along with aging water infrastructure. Efforts have begun in Chicago to address stormwater issues and update water infrastructure. But in the mean time, when heavy rains hit, such as before July 4th, sewage has to be released into Lake Michigan, causing additional swimming bans.

Hitting close to home for me, the NRDC report ranked Chicago’s Montrose Beach on the north side and South Shore Beach (south side)  as the most contaminated beaches in 2013. Both beaches contained unsafe levels of bacteria with 31 percent of samples tested having unsafe levels last year. Montrose Beach ranked as the most contaminated beach in 2012.

What makes this beach so bad? The nearby dog beach and bird sanctuaries are at least partly to blame, experts say, as the animals contribute waste directly into the water along the shoreline.

All this beach closing and bacteria talk may make you want to head to a nearby pool instead. But there are contamination issues at area pools (and in hot tubs and spas) to be aware of as well.

Public swimming pools had similar rates of unsafe levels in water tests: 1 in 10 (10 percent) didn’t have appropriate disinfectant levels and 1 in 8 resulted in pool closures, according to the CDC’s Healthy Swimming site (with data from 2008).  

What can swimmers do to stay healthy? Try not to add germs of your own to the swimming pool or beach by using the bathroom regularly, not swimming if already experiencing diarrhea, showering with soap before swimming, rinsing off after a swim and not swallowing the water.

Swimming is a great way to exercise and enjoy the summer and officials don’t want people to avoid beaches or pools. Just take a little time to ‘test the water’ first, using updates from your local media, park district, health department or the NRDC report which allows you to click on information for your state beaches) - before you decide to DIVE IN!

SOLAR EXPRESS hits Chicago

SOLAR EXPRESS Hits Chicago

By Keri Lynch, 47th ward resident writer/blogger

Chicagoans suffered through last winter’s Polar Vortex - and paid high utility bills because of it. But the City of Chicago may have good news for some area residents, with the arrival of a new SOLAR EXPRESS.

In March of 2014, Chicago was named the Earth Hour Capital of the year and Mayor Emanuel announced a new program to accelerate the solar market in the Chicago area using a grant from the Department of Energy.

The city and ComEd were awarded the grant in 2012 to figure out how to increase solar installations by reducing its costs and barriers. A full team assembled, including city, industry, utility, non-profit and institutional stakeholders to figure out how to get solar going in Chicago.

And Solar Chicago was launched!

At a July 16 meeting sponsored by Ald. Pawar’s office, solar company representatives explained the program to Chicago residents and explained how the program works.

The City of Chicago partnered with the World Wildlife Fund and the Environmental Law & Policy Center, to help get the word out to area residents, and several ELPC staff members were at the event at the Sulzer Library, to answer questions and introduce the solar company representatives selected for the program.

First, the goal is to increase the number of homes that install solar panels to help power their homes and reduce energy consumption through normal utility channels. The “how” is by lowering costs - with pooled purchasing power and the added incentives of rebates and tax credits to get things rolling - in the amount of 25% and 30% of purchase price, respectively.

The non-profit groups are helping with education and outreach to get the word out and get people signed up for the program. By working together, the groups can be more effective - and faster - at getting homeowners on board.

The solar team identified 3 main barriers for residential solar installations - and worked to address each one as part of this program:

1) High upfront costs - for customers and installation companies both.

2) Customer confusion - information overload and not sure who to call about it.

3) Process complexity - involving the city, permitting, building and utility companies.

The plan is to gather demand and pass the savings on to customers. The city has basically created a “group purchasing” program and streamlined the process for homeowners and solar installation contractors to break down those barriers, via Solar Chicago.

Solar Chicago is a LIMITED-TIME group procurement program for residential solar installations that is designed to do the following:

1) Help homeowners reduce their long-term utility bills

2) Reduce confusion about solar

3) Pool buying power of groups to decrease and simplify installation costs

4) Provide technical advisors and answer questions

5) Provide a vetted contractor selection

6) Help reduce your carbon footprint and support larger community sustainability goals.

To determine which contractors would be involved in the program, all the key players from nonprofit, government and industry evaluated, ranked and rated solar companies based on experience, warranties, equipment, customer service, expertise, financing and pricing.

The group unanimously selected two companies: Microgrid Solar and Juhl Energy.

Solar Chicago is targeted to Chicago homeowners in Franklin Park, Hanover Park, Oak Park and Wilmette with Extended Regions that include the following counties: DuPage, Will, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Kendall and Grundy.

Kacie Peters of Microgrid and Chuck Von Drehle of Juhl Energy were at the recent meeting to answer questions and help people get started.

But first, the audience heard from ELPC staff members about WHY we should go solar:

• Illinois will retire, or decommission, a number of old power plants in upcoming years, and this will cause utility costs to rise, so adding solar can help protect residents from higher energy bills down the road, and solar is a greener way to create energy as well.

• Chicago area homes DO get enough sun to produce ample energy supplies, so that’s not an issue. In fact, solar panels work better in cold, we were told, due to resistance in the panels. Once the sun hits the panels, it creates DC current, that then is converted to AC so we can use it in our homes.

• The panels no longer require large batteries, as early models did in the 1970’s. When you’re producing power in the home, it goes directly into the home when you’re using it. If you’re not using it, it goes back into the grid AND YOU GET CREDIT FOR WHAT YOU PRODUCED, in a process called Energy Offset.

• If you produce more energy than you need, you can carry it over throughout one year  - and after that year is up, it goes back to zero. That’s the reason the installers evaluate your home and its energy use - and review your utility bills - to make sure you don’t produce way more energy than you can actually use.

What type of roofs work for solar? Almost any kind - flat or sloped; South facing is best; East and West facing losing 15% of the efficiency; not allowed on garages; have to be clear of trees and power and other lines. Installers will carefully check the inside and outside of homes before making a recommendation to a homeowner that includes all of these factors.

Panels should last a long time - and come with a  25-year warranty and should continue to work well after that time (warranty states they will produce at least 75% of energy even after 25 years). Each panel has its own inverter (to change from DC to AC) to avoid the “Christmas light” effect, meaning if one inverter fails, it affects only the one panel and not the whole string of them. There are no moving parts on the panels to worry about - and you can get text messages if there are any problems.

Solar panels can increase the value of homes as well as being more energy efficient. And by law, the state cannot increase your property taxes based on the increased value that is due to the solar panels. The installers also warranty their workmanship.

The two installer companies are working together to follow up on leads promptly and efficiently and homeowners do not need to check prices as they’re offering the same costs and system. And both companies passed high vetting standards from the city to be part of the program, and have been increasing staff to support the program.

There are major incentives to buy into solar now, which include:

* 25% state rebate (lottery system) through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, or DCEO, which has a budget of $3 million (and all those who applied last year received the full rebates, they noted).

* 30% federal tax credit, which is dollar for dollar, not a tax exemption; it goes through 2016 and can be used over several years.

* Rebates per kiloWatt of $.15 up to $.30/kW, depending on how many people sign up.

How can homeowners (or condo owners) take part?

Go to the website below and register by Sept. 30 to start the process. There is no obligation to purchase whatsoever but they say, interest levels are rising so sign up soon if interested.

Once you’ve signed up, installers will use google maps to take a quick look at the roof of the house as a preliminary assessment before they visit. Then they will schedule a detailed home visit to evaluate and discuss the options. They will ask for copies of your utility bills to figure out how much energy you use and find the right size system for your home. And they will give you a written proposal with costs.

There is a DEADLINE to sign up: Sept. 30 - and it is a hard deadline.

By working together, Juhl and Microgrid aim to efficiently handle increasing numbers of installations through Sept. 30 --- and before the next Chicago winter strikes again.

For more information or to register go to: http://www.mygroupenergy.com/group/solarchicago

Don't Do Domicile

When we bought our house a year and a half ago, our friends couldn’t believe how fast we filled up the place. We moved from a 2 bedroom condo to a 4 bedroom house and somehow our ‘stuff’ filled the place pretty well. We just ‘let it out a little bit.’

Our goal was to make the most of the main floor space and our old couch and living room set were not worthy. The old coffee table was from my college days and my husband was sick of it and I was *really* sick of it. Thus, the search for the perfect couch began. My stepdaughter was my ally and awesome ‘design assistant’ and took to her task well and willingly (having adult kids has its perks!).  

We talked about what we thought would work in the 100+ year old house, which has built-in book shelves, wood floors and stained glass windows original to the structure. And we talked about what we each liked - as far as design, color, shape, fabric, and so on.

My husband declared that he likes mid-century modern furniture. I get the look but don’t think it fits our space or our needs for functionality or durability. It’s all skinny legs and armrests - and reminds me of uncomfortable couches from my childhood - or those same couches even more uncomfortable in the college days. It does not scream 'let's hang out with friends and family for game or movie nights.'

But we wanted to be diplomatic, so we started with the basic shape of the mid-century modern and found couches from various stores and designers that were close to it. Some had softer fabric, some had square boxy lines but larger frames and more cushions, and some had a sort of texture to the fabric that hinted at the style with some practical features elsewhere and more solid legs and frames.

Our research done, we printed pictures of the couches in contention and hit them all in one day: Room & Board, Crate and Barrel, Macy’s, West Elm and Domicile. We ended up at the football- field sized store in Lincolnwood of the last store on the list. It seemed wise at the time because we also needed an area rug and some chairs to finish the big living room.

We had time to test out every couch and chair in the place. Meaning: the sales staff more or less answered a question if you caught them at the central desk area but didn’t bother to walk around and ask if customers needed help. I thought we’d done our homework well enough though, so I didn’t let it bother me. At the time.

The store’s so-called ‘interior designers’ were about as helpful as my cats in our whole shopping and selection process. They have this promise that they will draw up a design of the room for a fee, and if you buy furniture, the cost goes toward the purchase but I doubt few, if any, customers have received this elusive perk. We certainly didn’t.

We forged ahead on our own, selecting a smaller sectional to make sure we didn’t overwhelm the space (but really, bigger would have been better in this case - and is why a design plan would have been nice). We placed our order in January, took delivery just before Easter… and by Memorial Day, we had buttons falling off the seat cushions, left and right.

Fast forward 15 months: we are *still* waiting for replacement, properly made, matching cushions for our 2-cushion couch after 3 failed attempts. The salesperson admitted they'd had problems with tufted cushions losing buttons and now had an "improved button technology" that used larger and stronger hooks. So they were well aware of the problem - and that's probably why this style of couch has been discontinued and you can't even find images of it online.

Replacement cushions: First we ordered 2 new ones and one cushion HAD buttons and the other had NONE - just holes where buttons should be. The next single cushion had NO buttons or holes. We now have 5 cushions but not a matching set with intact buttons. How hard is this, people??

I went in to pick up the replacement cushion for the 3rd time a few weeks ago - and was told they didn’t have records of my order because they got a new computer system. They could clearly see the cushion I had just picked up and what company it came from, but they didn't make any notes of that - just took my name and number and said "someone would call me" to follow up on the issue. Yeah, right. (I’m still waiting….)

I dug around online and learned this tufted cushion slash customer service problem is NOT an ISOLATED one, as a number of Yelp reviews and Better Business Bureau complaints attest. Yet the company has done nothing except erroneously reply to my Yelp review - and done nothing to rectify the problem. I wish I'd checked Yelp and the BBB site BEFORE I purchased products from this company! (I will next time!)

While I wait for things to sort out with the Better Business Bureau and my recently disputed charge for the couch on my Visa, I’ve had another completely different furniture experience.

We’ve worked twice with Square Nail Chicago to design and make custom wood furniture and had a great experience both times. Not everything went perfectly but the small busiiness owner worked with us every step of the way to figure things out and make things work and look awesome. Delivery was included for free as well.

I will write a separate blog about working with this small business to get custom furniture made for our home using reclaimed wood. We now have one of a kind furniture that is beautiful and unique and we helped create it, and helped support a small local business in the process. If only Square Nail made couches too… we’d be in serious “business” then!