My house in Los Barriles will be completed in a few weeks and I'm going to need to buy bedroom furniture. I shopped in several stores in Cabo, but
everything was very contemporary and cheaply made. I'm looking for a simple, rustic, well-made pine or parota product. I have considered flying over
to Guadalajara, but if there's something closer, I'd rather do that.
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!!
[Edited on 1-15-2020 by BajaParrothead]David K - 12-29-2019 at 09:50 PM
Have you checked craftsmen shops in Miraflores, Santiago, or other old villages? Some local made furniture may be really swag in your new Baja shack.BajaParrothead - 12-29-2019 at 10:04 PM
Thanks David, I've never seen any there, but I'll check it out.
Surfing the internet, I found a couple in La Paz that I'll look into as well. They are Colibri and Antares.JZ - 12-29-2019 at 10:40 PM
Guadalajara and the surrounding burbs. We spent 3 days shopping and bought furniture for 5 bedroom house.
Super big and amazing old school pieces. You can get it made custom.
1/5th of the price of the US and stuff you'll never see anywhere else. They ship all over Mexico. You can buy from multiple shops and arrange for
one shipper to deliver it all.
BajaParrothead - 12-29-2019 at 10:42 PM
Thanks for the info JZ.
Do you recall which shops you liked?Cappy - 12-30-2019 at 06:13 AM
Guadalajara mojo_norte - 12-30-2019 at 07:45 AM
Artesano's - Across the road from Costcowilderone - 12-30-2019 at 08:40 AM
There are many furniture vendors along the free road near Rosarito if you're coming through.4x4abc - 12-30-2019 at 08:42 AM
They design and build custom furniture, but have pieces in stock, also. BajaParrothead - 12-30-2019 at 09:14 AM
Thanks Mula, looks like it's worth taking a look. Not sure how I missed it in June when I was shopping in that area.Alan - 12-31-2019 at 10:10 AM
Oh the joys of furniture shopping in Baja. I can still clearly remember running all over southern Baja trying to furnish my house in July!!! Thought I
was going to die, it was so damn hot.
Very limited choices as you said. Either ultra-modern or muy rustico but with time, patience and ingenuity it will come together.
There are several furniture stores in La Paz and all of them warrant a look. On Forjadoras, the road coming into La Paz you will find Antares on your
right. It carries rustic pine furniture, finished an unfinished. After checking them continue on Forjadoras to 5th of Febrero and turn left toward
the malecon. The first place you will see on your left is San Diego furniture. Pretty good selection. Just bought 2 recliners from them last month
to replace a love seat. Directly across the street is Puerto Viejo or something like that with similar items. Continuing down 5th of Febrero you will
see Ramos on your left very near the cathedral. Huge selection and 2 stories but like most, pretty modern but they are starting to broaden the scope
of their offerings.
From there continue down 5th de Febrero to Abasolo. A left here will take you to some mattress stores on both sides of the street. A right turn will
take you to the malecon where there is another nice store very near the El Arco hotel but I can't for the life of me remember the name.
You also mentioned Colibri which is on Revolucion or Madero, can't remember which. Definitely worth a look and I bought several things there but I'm
thinking they carry more accessories like lamps and such but it has been years since I've been there so don't take my word for it.
One word of caution because you mentioned furnishing bedrooms. Mexican beds are shorter than US models. I didn't realize this and in my rush to get
something to sleep on the first night after closing escrow I just had two queen size beds delivered and have been sleeping with my feet hanging off
the end ever since.
Several of my neighbors have had great luck shopping at the Segundas of which there are several in Chametla on both sides of the highway going towards
the aeropuereto. They find a sofa they like and then have it reupholstered and it ends up about half the price of new. I'm just not one for stomping
through dusty old second hand stores and I don't have an eye to spot potential but some are very good at it so its an option. There was a great place
in Todos Santos I think called Casa de Diablo or something like that. It was owned by a lady named Barbara. Sweetest lady in the world. She carried
some basic pine furniture similar to Antares but she also has some of the old wormwood furniture that was really cool. She was character. I found a
couple pieces I really liked but told her I didn't have enough money on me at the time. She said "no problem, you can pay me later". I said, "No, I'm
leaving in 2 days and won't be back for 6 mos". Her reply. "I'm in no hurry". She had it delivered to La Paz and the truck showed up 30 minutes after
I got back to the house. I went back in January and paid her.
Unfortunately she has since sold the place and moved to the mainland.
Just try to be patient and it will come together. We decided on sort of a Mexican/tropical style combing rattan and rustico. Not an easy quest in
Baja but between La Paz, San Jose del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas and Todos Santos we found enough to pull it together. Some of the rattan pieces even came
from the Sears store by City Club (2 more places to check) as they were carrying Pier One merchandise for a while. Buenos Suerte mi amigo!
[Edited on 12-31-2019 by Alan]BajaParrothead - 12-31-2019 at 06:29 PM
Alan, thank you for the very thorough response. I will look into all of your recommendations when I go back down later next month. I am also trying
to do the rattan and rustic thing as well.
My time frame for fully furnished is a bit cramped due to some scheduled rentals later this winter and spring.
Thanks again for taking the time to provide all of the details!!
Greg 4x4abc - 12-31-2019 at 07:03 PM
Colibri is out of business - they had some cool stuffBajaParrothead - 12-31-2019 at 07:13 PM
Thanks Harald, I'll scratch it off the list.
El Toro y Luna
windgrrl - 1-1-2020 at 11:05 AM
Locations in Los Barriles and La Ribera.
Mexican, big furniture pieces, lighting, tile, glassware, textiles, souvenirs, sofas, chairs, dining tables, garden decor, etc., etc. Located on the
highway about 1/2 block north of the barrel fountain. Similar to Atesanos (across from Cabo COSTCO).
There is sometimes a wicker furniture seller across from the barrel fountain.
Quite a few furniture and applicants stores in SJD...have to drive around a bit and some are more modern.
Try advertising for what you are looking for on BPE, or checking their business directory. There is Likely least one local wood worker doing one-off
custom furniture and cabinet work. There is a lumberyard on the highway north that might have suggestions.
BajaBlanca - 1-1-2020 at 07:07 PM
I second El Toto y La Luna! Tere is amazing and I bet she could work with you to get you EXACTLY what you want. She goes to the mainland, might
save you a trip? BajaParrothead - 1-1-2020 at 10:49 PM
I'm familiar with El Toro, that is where I got my bathroom sinks and sconces. At the time, I didn't see the furniture that I was looking for.
Patti over at the Los Pescadores hotel just advised me that she has numerous friends that hired a "guide" in Guadalajara that drove them around to the
various suppliers and makers and the guide sets up all the shipping. She hasn't heard of a single negative experience, so if I don't find anything
locally from La Paz south, I'll fly over and do it that way.
Thanks to all for all of your helpful advice.
Gregimlost - 1-3-2020 at 12:25 PM
There is a furniture store in San Jose del Cabo (in Zacatal) that has rustico. As you're headed south, past the airport, past City Club/Soriana, past
an OXXO, it's on the right side as you're going up a hill. I think it's in a white building.BajaParrothead - 1-3-2020 at 03:31 PM
Thanks, the more choices the better!!BajaBlanca - 1-4-2020 at 04:21 PM
I know it is way far from los barrriles but Rosarito used to have some amazing furniture stores. The pieces were oversized and so beautiful, most
were carved. JZ - 1-4-2020 at 04:37 PM
Thanks for the info JZ.
Do you recall which shops you liked?
Guadalajara is super well know for this. In the summer time they have a giant furniture expo. Shops from the US fly down to purchase for their
stores. We got in no problem with just our work business cards. So you get wholesale prices. We bought some things from the expo (mattresses and
things for the kids bedrooms), but the real good stuff is in the burbs of Tlaquepaque and Tonalá, where there are dozens of shops.
In addition to the biggest, best furniture pieces (beds, dressers, huge cabinets) there is all kinds of unique craft metal works (accent pieces).
Super cool stuff.
Plus you will find things like giant candles, and I mean giant. Super interesting. You can get bar stools made custom of rot iron and leather. If
you have high ceilings, there are amazing chandeliers - for like $900 that would cost you $5,000 in the US.
Don't go anywhere else if you are serious about real furniture shopping. Find a freight forwarder there. They will collect all pieces for you until
it's finished.
Trust me on this one. We furnished a 5 br, 3,300 sq foot house in 3 days. It was really fun!
[Edited on 1-4-2020 by JZ]paranewbi - 1-4-2020 at 04:58 PM
Yep...stay in Tlaquepague and cab it to Tonala. Hit it on the weekend for the crazy 'swap meet' and head over a block or two for the furniture makers.
Flights out of TJ on Volaris are direct and a hundred and a half right now RT. Just about a hundred if you can live out of a carry on.
About the same out of La Paz. BajaParrothead - 1-4-2020 at 05:07 PM
Thanks guys. To fly Volaris out of SJD in the end of January is less than 80 bucks round trip! Looking forward to it!!JZ - 1-4-2020 at 05:29 PM
Yep...stay in Tlaquepague and cab it to Tonala. Hit it on the weekend for the crazy 'swap meet' and head over a block or two for the furniture makers.
Flights out of TJ on Volaris are direct and a hundred and a half right now RT. Just about a hundred if you can live out of a carry on.
About the same out of La Paz.
Agreed, but Uber instead of cab. danaeb - 1-4-2020 at 07:06 PM
If you decide to stay in Tlaquepaque (which I highly recommend) I also recommend Quinta Don Jose hotel. I've stayed there many times. They are very
popular so if you're interested, I would book quickly. A second choice is Casa Armonia hotel.BajaParrothead - 1-5-2020 at 06:09 PM
Thanks Dan, I just booked the Quinta Don Jose for Jan 10th-13th.JZ - 1-5-2020 at 06:24 PM
Very jealous of this trip. You have to post pics from the trip and of the furniture.
Btw, the world's largest bar is in Guadalajara. There is also an excellent "lady's bar" there.
This past weekend I went down to Guadalajara to purchase the furniture. I rented a car at the airport so that I could have the freedom to travel when
and where I wanted without having to wait for a taxi or rideshare.
At the recommendation from Nomad danaeb, I booked a room at the Quinta Don Jose Boutique Hotel in Tlaquepaque, 1(866) 629-3753. The hotel is
conveniently located a short two blocks from the central plaza area where most of the restaurants, bars and market places are located. NOTE: Do not
book rooms #1 or #2 since they sit right above the street and can be noisy. Patio and pool rooms are very nice and quiet.
The staff at the hotel are beyond nice and very accommodating. The restaurant serves amazing meals and the prices for the food and bar are very
cheap.
I had originally tried to arrange for a highly recommended guide (Jose Orozco, guideworksorozco.com) to assist with my shopping. Unfortunately due to
an injury and subsequent medical appointment, Jose was not able to assist me. The very kind and helpful staff at the hotel called a guide and had him
meet me at the hotel.
Saturday morning Raul Negrete (33 3119 7473, raulnegrete_7@hotmail.com) was prompt to pick me up in his minivan and he is very fluent in English. I
told Raul what I was looking for and he drove down to the main drag in Tonala. After approximately seven hours and several stops, I managed to order
nearly 30 pieces of furniture, all custom sized and styled for my needs.
The prices were significantly lower than anything north of the border and the quality of the heavy mesquite was very high. He even took me to a shop
that specialized in the parota wood, so one of the head boards is a full living edge slab and all of the accompanying pieces will be made to match.
The parota was a fraction of the price of the same stuff I've seen in the East Cape.
They estimate that the furniture construction will be completed in approximately 6 weeks. The estimated shipping for 1/2 of a shipping container will
be approximately $1000 usd. Raul's fee was $250 pesos per hour, or approximately $13.30/hr.
Keep in mind that most of these shops that do the manufacturing and have a small store front do not take credit cards, and to carry $10,000-$25,000
USD in cash is not practical, so plan on wiring the money to their account.
All in all, this was a very positive experience and we can't wait to head back down and take the city tours as well as tour the Tequila region. Raul
will assist with both.
I hope this information will assist others with the same questions and possible trepidation.JZ - 1-15-2020 at 01:28 PM
Very nice. Excellent that it worked out for you.
When we went down we carried $23K cash. Split it up between 3 of us when crossing the border.
BajaParrothead - 1-15-2020 at 03:09 PM
I was alone and I would've been that guy that got robbed!BajaBlanca - 1-15-2020 at 04:16 PM
I sure hope you plan to post photos of the furniture. Congrats of a thread that stuck to the topic and led to success. Bravo!BajaParrothead - 1-15-2020 at 04:39 PM
Unfortunately she has since sold the place and moved to the mainland.
