Need some leads for inexpensive furniture (Knoxville, Maryville: fit in, apartment, houses)

[DubbleT]

My son has ditched his roommates after three years and decided to live on his own. He's found an apartment but needs a few pieces of furniture to make it livable. He's a typical broke college kid so it needs to be pretty inexpensive.
He goes to school and works full time so he's asked me to come to Knoxville next week and help him out. I'll be looking for some dining chairs and a couch to get him started.
I plan on looking at Big Lots and some of the stores like Target or Walmart, but are there any local places I should look at? A nice secondhand store (for the chairs), or someplace going out of business? I read something about a a place called Knoxville Wholesale Furniture moving locations, would they be worth checking out? Other suggestions?
I'll have to google directions to any stores before I leave for Knoxville, since his internet won't yet be set up when I get there, and I'm not familiar with all the areas in and around Knoxville.
Thanks for any help.

[J&Em]

I haven't done any furniture shopping in a while so don't have experience with what you need. There didn't seem to be too much that comes up in searches.

One that didn't come up might be an alternative, check into one of the Habitat for Humanity stores (Habitat Restore):
Find Our Stores | Knoxville Habitat for Humanity (there is a second one that recently opened in Maryville as a second choice)

I'm not sure if this was the one you already found: Furniture Clearance Center in Knoxville - Knoxville Wholesale Furniture Clearance Center - - 6700 Papermill Rd. Knoxville, TN 37919

[DaveC20853]

Craigslist. Haven't shopped Goodwill here, but you could find decent furniture up in the DC area. I think KARM (Knoxville Area Rescue Ministries) also has a thrift store.

[DubbleT]

I didn't know Habitat for Humanity had thrift stores. That's the kind of info I'm looking for. Thank You!

[hiknapster]

Best used furniture, best prices, hands down. And a fabulous organization. Several locations.

KARM THRIFT STORE | Knoxville's Thrift Store with a Mission.

By the way, the Habitat Re-Store is mostly reclaimed stuff for homes but the Merchant's Drive location is in the same plaza as a KARM store.

Knoxville Wholesale Furniture is probably more than you want to spend.

[awh2010]

The salesman at Ashley Furniture told us they are affiliated with Knoxville Wholesale Furniture. We found a sleeper sofa very reasonably at Value City Furniture at Kingston Overlook on Kingston Pike. Big Lots had some nice ones, but we needed a good hide-a-bed for our bonus room. Big Lots and VCF are probably less than 10 minutes apart if traffic is not bad. VCF also has a clearance section where we found a solid wood night stand for $75... I think Brown Squirrel has a clearance section, too, but I am not sure about their regular prices.

We found a dining table on Craigslist for 1/3 its original cost. It has very minimal wear and tear... I second the recommendation to check there.

[DubbleT]

Great tips!
I will try to look at craigslist before I leave, but having no internet for the three or four days I'll be in Knoxville makes it less likely I'll have a lot of luck with that, so I'm trying to find as many other possible sources as I can also.

[Barking Spider]

All good suggestions.
I will add a comment about Big Lots. When my Mom went into assisted living, she needed "smaller" furniture to fit in her room. We found lots of stuff at Big Lots that fit her needs and was an excellent value for the $$.

[hiknapster]

Yes. Knoxville Wholesale Furniture bought Ashley Furniture when they tanked. KWF is slightly discounted. Maybe. It's not going to be the prices you are going to get at thrift stores like KARM or Big Lots.

There are also some very reasonably priced furniture stores on Broadway. Crappy furniture for crappy prices.

[Jkgourmet]

I'm not familiar with Knoxville, but your best value will always be craigslist. Especially these days when, sadly, so many people are losing their houses. Bring the laptop and find a wifi cafe, bookstore, or library.

And the suggestion of Big Lots is accurate - though the quality leaves a lot to be desired. Call ahead as only some stores carry furniture - or better yet, go to their corporate website.