On the Hunt for Lounge Chairs - in February

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Everyone knows one of the best ways to save money is to buy in the off season. Like buying a parka in July or, in my case, lawn chairs in February.

When I first started looking I had no idea what I wanted. I’m pretty particular about what I like in general and I knew I’d know once I saw what I wanted.

Here was my wishlist (and let’s keep in mind people aren’t rushing to list lawn chairs in the winter - whatever they’re storing has probably already made the cut for next year).

1) Yellow - I love me some bright colors! Particularly yellow.

2) Sturdy - Let’s be real - it needs to hold whatever or whomever is thrown at it. I’m not light neither is my Newfie. We will probably both be in the chair at some point together.

3) Kinda big - I’m tall (like 5’11”ish), my boyfriend is 6’6”. Unfortunately no matter what his feet are dangling but he’s used to it, as long as he could be comfortable I didn’t care what it might look like.

4) A pair - I wanted at least two. I figure I can add on more later but two would be the best starting place.

How great is this Lloyd Flanders lounge chair?

This all started when my mother found this Lloyd Flanders lounge chair on Facebook Marketplace.

I love Lloyd Loom chairs. They’re wicker - which I generally don’t like- but like a vinyl wicker. And they usually bounce - which I love. My grandmother always had a red one when I was growing up and my mom got me a green one as a present a few years back. They’re awesome. And my mom knew I would like the yellow.

I loved the chair. Unfortunately there was only one. There is a similar one listed on Facebook but the gentleman wouldn’t respond to me. Seriously people, if you sell something mark it sold or if you change your mind just take it down! Secondhand sales etiquette here! Formal class to follow. Just kidding, but seriously take it down if it's not for sale.

The chair was only $60 and, as I’ve mentioned in the past, my mother resells vintage items on Etsy. She and I drove four hours to pick up the chair. When we got there the man mentioned his wife repainted it - and repainted over the sticker! Pro tip: if you have old patio furniture with tags still on it - DO. NOT. PAINT.

In the end it didn’t matter my mother bought the chair for her and she is very happy. Don’t get me wrong, she’s definitely still upset the tag was painted over but she loves the chair. But she wouldn’t have sold it even if the chair was in perfect vintage condition. The chair is just dang cool. And super bouncy.

I was glad she was happy but I was still on the hunt for a pair. So my mother and I looked at pictures of available lounge chairs within a hundred mile radius on Offer Up and Facebook Marketplace for days. Our text convo is just strings of chair pictures. We were on a mission.

Here were some of the original favorites:


They’re a pretty unexciting brown but I liked the pattern of these guys on Offer Up. And I liked that there were additional chairs and little tables. The total price was $120 and they were only about an hour and a half away. Definitely would have been a total score! Unfortunately when I contacted the guy, he had sold them and forgot to take the listing down. Yeah, definitely seeing a pattern here with the sales etiquette. Maybe I do need to teach that class!

Now we’re talking with the color! I love the lime green! How fun and summery! These babies were practically brand new Telescope chairs. They were a little expensive at $150; the lady did say she would come down to $130 though. The major hiccup was they were over three hours away. I liked them but I didn’t love them.
I don’t know what it is about these chairs! They're none of the things I would have thought I wanted but I like them. I’m not sure what they’re made of. Maybe plastic? And I have no idea what the brand might be. But the shape is awesome. After looking at lawn chairs for days on end, they kind of all look the same. But not these chairs. Nope, these were different.  Better yet, they were priced at $30! Unfortunately, they were in Texas. Since I’m in New York, not realistic. Offer Up lets sellers ship but somehow I didn’t think $12 shipping was realistic either. I’ll just admire them from afar.

Then I stumbled across these chairs over on Chairish and knew what I was looking for. They’re from a company called Brown Jordan. My search immediately narrowed down to Brown Jordan. I was just hoping I would stumble across some nearby.

By nearby, I mean within a four hour drive. I figured I could convince my mother to travel with me up to four hours but any longer was total overkill. Four hours was probably totally overkill too but doable for the perfect chairs. If Mike had to take his truck, my radius was shrinking. For some reason Mike doesn't understand why I "love junk so much." As he puts it. Often. But he'd give me at least a two hour drive without too much grumbling.

Besides distance, one of my biggest stumbling blocks? Broken straps. Initially I thought my father - who is pretty handy and does most of my mother’s lawn chair repair work for Etsy (the man can weave those straps like a pro!)- would be able to fix a few broken straps.

Here's some of my dad's handiwork - the red straps are original the green and white he replaced

After multiple YouTube videos we learned the straps on Brown Jordan chairs is actually just one continuous strap and tension is VERY important. My father’s advice? Perfect straps are a necessity. I was a little upset. Almost all of the ones I found had a broken strap or two. Don’t get me wrong, Brown Jordan chairs can definitely be refinished to look brand new (like the ones I originally fell in love with!) but I wasn’t sure about the cost and I didn’t want to spend hundreds refinishing them. At least not yet. In the future, after a couple of good years of use, I’m willing to look into it seriously. Maybe then I can get my yellow on (Brown Jordan did (and still does!) make yellow chairs. Unfortunately they’re dang near impossible to find). But right now, inexpensive and ready to be used come summer time were my two main sticking points.

Then it happened - I found the perfect chairs! My second color choice was definitely white. These were white and came with a rocker, four dining chairs and two little side tables for $200. Unfortunately, when I contacted the seller I learned she already sold the lounge chairs. The others were still available for $100. Good to know if I found white lounge chairs somewhere else but not what I was looking for. Next!

After a few more days of scouring the internet like a maniac I had three options. Three available options. Finally!

The first was a pair of hunter green chairs. My mom loved the green. But I was still hoping to maybe find a yellow one eventually and although some people love the green and yellow thing, I’m not one of them. One of the chairs also had a broken strap. They were a great deal at $80 but they were also three hours away.

The second option were two white lounges without arms! I loved them. They were a little less than two hours away and only $75. Unfortunately, multiple straps under the bottom area on each chair were broken. I did go see them and I even sat in them. I was very impressed how sturdy they still were with broken straps but ultimately, broken straps really just take away from the look. I knew my OCD would drive me crazy with no way to fix them in the near future.

The third option were two brown chairs and a small little table. Even better they were only fifteen minutes away from the white pair, so we checked them out on the same day. The set was $100 but the chairs didn’t actually match. The adjustable chaise was a little older and, as you can see, a little squarer. The other was not adjustable but did lean back. I call it the original zero gravity chair. It was pretty darn cool and the only one I found near me like that. The best part? All the straps were perfect!

My new (vintage) Brown Jordan lounge chairs!

My mother originally hated the brown color. When I sent her the picture she tried to steer me towards the white or the green. But once we were at the lady’s house, my mother sat in both chairs, stood up and told me to give the lady her money. My mother definitely made the decision easy. I was ok with the mismatch because I liked the one that tilted so much. Like I said, it's a really cool chair!

I’m the proud owner of two vintage Brown Jordan chairs and a cute little table and because I looked up and down I was able to keep myself well within my $200 budget. I couldn’t be happier! Now I just need the snow to melt so I can put them outside and enjoy them!

I know sometimes buying things online can be daunting but don’t give up! If you’re willing to scour websites for what you want you can find it! You might have to make some sacrifices and you might have to take a little bit of a road trip but that thing you love is out there!

What’s the best thing you’ve found online? Have you ever been crazy enough to hunt for patio furniture in the dead of winter? Or skis in the middle of summer? How'd you make out? Tell me about it!