New Brunswick — With prices of imported goods skyrocketing, experts we bumped into on the street agreed that if you need a new couch, your best bet is still to head up to Graham Avenue in Fredericton and grab one from the side of the road.
“Graham Avenue is where students traditionally chuck their old couches that are too puke- and beer-stained to bother moving to their next dingy apartment,” said Ryan Peters of Nashwaaksis. “I actually used to live there and disposed of a few pieces of furniture by just sort of…placing them outside at night. It’s always gone the next day. And if you’re in the market for a couch, you can easily stumble home from the bars at 2:30 a.m. and find one there, no problem. You just wake up your seven roommates and make them carry it upstairs.”
Imported upholstered furniture is being hit with heavy tariffs, and retailers have no choice but to raise the prices accordingly, making a couch a hot commodity in Canada. Fortunately for New Brunswickers, one place always has a couch or two available.
“I’ve never lived there myself, but I have gone to Graham Avenue both to get rid of old furniture and to find some that’s new to me,” said Annie Olsen of Devon. “It’s weird, because even though it’s right by the universities and is a notorious party street, the cops never bother you if you’re just dumping a load of broken-down coffee tables or a busted beanbag chair. Maybe the cops also get their furniture there?”
Leon’s floor manager Arthur Morrison said Graham Avenue has always been stiff competition for the established furniture store.
“Who’s going to spend three grand on a new sectional when you can get one for free on the side of the road?” he asked. “My employee discount isn’t even enough to justify the cost. I’d still have to put it on layaway for a year. I’m actually going to go to Graham right after this shift to see what they’ve got on offer at the moment.
“Those damn kids throw out the nicest furniture!” he lamented. “Sure, it might have a cigarette burn or unidentified urine stains, but the price cannot be beat!”
Experts advise anyone seeking a new couch to wait until at least midnight before shopping on Graham, as that’s when the best pieces are released.