Why we won't be offering a Black Friday sale

With Christmas fast approaching and big brands gearing up for Black Friday sales, it's easy to be drawn into the frenzy of big discounts and mass consumption. At Shimu we prefer to step back from this recent retail 'tradition' through our ongoing commitment to sustainability, quality, and craftsmanship. We believe that value for our customers doesn't come from a hefty discount once a year, but from investing in unique antiques with a history and individual character all their own, or in well-made, solid wood furniture.

Timeless Pieces, Traditionally Made

Shopping with Shimu means investing in timeless pieces, produced using traditional methods and built to last. Instead of buying cheap, ‘disposable’ flat-pack furniture, we believe that it’s better both for our environment and for all of us to choose furniture and homewares created by skilled craftsmen, who take pride in producing items that will be cherished, used and enjoyed for many years to come.

We hold only limited stock of our newly-made furniture, with pieces being crafted by hand in small batches by carpenters and shipped direct to us from the workshop. We don't sell low quality items that are manufactured in bulk and which rely on larger sales volumes to measure success. The vast majority of our reproduction furniture is produced exclusively for Shimu, with the handcrafted, handfinished nature making each piece in some way individual. In our view this is the opposite of bulk, fast fashion. In addition, when offering pieces that have been made with care and skill, using reclaimed materials, we think it's important the quality is not undervalued by heavily discounted prices. Instead, while we occasionally offer small seasonal discounts to make way for new shipments, we try to price our items fairly all year round to reflect the quality and craftsmanship of each piece and to ensure consistent good value.

Embracing Antique and Vintage Furniture

As well as our popular reproduction furniture, we offer a constantly evolving collection of Chinese antique furniture. We have worked with dealers and restorers around China for over twenty years, choosing beautiful pieces based on aesthetics and functionality for the modern home. Each piece is carefully, sympathetically restored to retain its original character or to breathe new life into a piece to be enjoyed by new generations. By choosing pre-loved items, our customers are bringing the character and sense of history of these wonderful antiques into their homes, while avoiding the use of new resources or the wastage associated with modern, flat pack furniture.

At Shimu we work with carefully selected workshops in China - experts at updating and restoring antiques and vintage furniture using traditional techniques, prolonging the life of these wonderful piecs and preserving the unique patina and character formed over decades.

Considered Purchasing

We believe that the hysteria whipped up around 'Black Friday' simply puts pressure on consumers, encouraging them to rush into buying items they wouldn't necessarily have chosen normally or that they don't even need. In an age of online shopping where the attitidue of 'I can always send it back' increasingly persists, we aim to promote mindful consumption, ensuring that each purchase is considered and intentional, with our customers being delighted with any item they buy from us. We think that shopping with consideration is the best way to ensure that any item you choose will give you pleasure long into the future. As the designer and founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris, himself said: “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”

Our Commitment to Excellent Service and Fair Prices 

At Shimu we are committed to providing exceptional customer service combined with fair prices for our products. We do offer smaller discounts on selected items throughout the year when possible, for example if we need to make space for new containers of antiques and furniture, but we don't discount for the sake of it. We believe that our customer testimonials speak for themselves: “excellent customer service, gorgeous furniture,” “the items are beautiful and the customer service is top-notch” and “great looking furniture, great service.”