4 ms·

In 2001 (or 02?) I remember visiting a clearance warehouse like this in Ottawa during the post-dot-com-boom crash and it was where all the west-end startups and

by sbarre 2y ago

In 2001 (or 02?) I remember visiting a clearance warehouse like this in Ottawa during the post-dot-com-boom crash and it was where all the west-end startups and network tech companies had dumped their furniture after either going completely out of business or emergency-downsizing. It was wild, I have a picture somewhere of a high-school-gym-sized room just filled corner-to-corner with plastic-wrapped Aeron chairs...

BigGreenJorts 2y ago
That's incredible. I wonder if that business still exists. Quite a few tech companies starting and busting in Ottawa still.
- sbarre 2y ago
  Sadly I don't remember the name of the business, but I'm sure something like it exists.. A quick web search doesn't show anything obvious of that scale or type though.. I think what was so interesting about that place was the homogeneous nature of the available furniture, since "fancy office furniture for tech companies" wasn't quite a thing yet, so everything was either Herman Miller, Steelcase and maybe a few others.. Hence the room full of hundreds of exactly the same chair.. I feel like today you'd have more of a mix of stuff since so many other companies got in on the action (and uniqueness/variety is more highly valued socially).
  - KerrAvon 2y ago
    Are there more companies with high quality chairs, or just more at effectively the bottom end?
    - sbarre 2y ago
      That's a very good question
nsxwolf 2y ago
I am currently sitting in a dot-com crash Aeron chair that I got for a very good price 25 years ago, behind the IKEA Jerker desk I bought at the same time. They are the best purchases I have ever made.
- alsetmusic 2y ago
  My Aeron chair is over 15yo and still as sturdy as the day I got it. It was the first step toward correcting an ergo nightmare that contributed to terrible back pain. Adjustable displays and an adjustable standing desk were the other two. I had a standing desk at work and spent half my day standing. I later realized that my crappy office chair at work was why I needed to stand. With the Aeron and the desk adjusted to exactly the right height, I no longer experience chronic pain and feel no need to stand.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    My Aeron lasted almost 20 years. After a warranty repair I gave up. But replaced it with a new identical one (with updated back support) during COVID with company discount because couldn't really check out showroom options and it's great.
- TuringNYC 2y ago
  I came here to say the same thing! I purchased an Aeron 16yrs ago, from a post-bankruptcy liquidation warehouse. The chair is as nice now as it was in 2008!
bluedino 2y ago
I threw out all my SGI and Sun hardware, and couldn't wait to ditch my 21" monitors I picked up back then, but I still have my Aeron

by sbarre 2y ago

BigGreenJorts 2y ago

That's incredible. I wonder if that business still exists. Quite a few tech companies starting and busting in Ottawa still.

sbarre 2y ago
Sadly I don't remember the name of the business, but I'm sure something like it exists.. A quick web search doesn't show anything obvious of that scale or type though.. I think what was so interesting about that place was the homogeneous nature of the available furniture, since "fancy office furniture for tech companies" wasn't quite a thing yet, so everything was either Herman Miller, Steelcase and maybe a few others.. Hence the room full of hundreds of exactly the same chair.. I feel like today you'd have more of a mix of stuff since so many other companies got in on the action (and uniqueness/variety is more highly valued socially).
- KerrAvon 2y ago
  Are there more companies with high quality chairs, or just more at effectively the bottom end?
  - sbarre 2y ago
    That's a very good question

nsxwolf 2y ago

I am currently sitting in a dot-com crash Aeron chair that I got for a very good price 25 years ago, behind the IKEA Jerker desk I bought at the same time. They are the best purchases I have ever made.

alsetmusic 2y ago
My Aeron chair is over 15yo and still as sturdy as the day I got it. It was the first step toward correcting an ergo nightmare that contributed to terrible back pain. Adjustable displays and an adjustable standing desk were the other two. I had a standing desk at work and spent half my day standing. I later realized that my crappy office chair at work was why I needed to stand. With the Aeron and the desk adjusted to exactly the right height, I no longer experience chronic pain and feel no need to stand.
- ghaff 2y ago
  My Aeron lasted almost 20 years. After a warranty repair I gave up. But replaced it with a new identical one (with updated back support) during COVID with company discount because couldn't really check out showroom options and it's great.
TuringNYC 2y ago
I came here to say the same thing! I purchased an Aeron 16yrs ago, from a post-bankruptcy liquidation warehouse. The chair is as nice now as it was in 2008!

bluedino 2y ago

I threw out all my SGI and Sun hardware, and couldn't wait to ditch my 21" monitors I picked up back then, but I still have my Aeron