It’s getting tough to keep track of all the shortages these days, from lumber to new cars to furniture. The good news is that when it comes to furniture, there are ways to avoid a long wait.

Melissa Taylor was featured earlier this year about her new couch nightmare at her Anderson Township home. She was waiting over six months for what was supposed to be a six-week wait.

“They haven’t started production on my couch, so here I am just waiting,” Taylor said. Luckily, she finally got her delivery. But if you don’t want to spend months with an empty living room, your best friend right now might be a local furniture store as opposed to a big web retailer.

“Folks are coming in, saying why can’t I get a sofa for 28 weeks or 30 weeks or six months?” Design Director Pam Machenheimer said. “Well, there’s no stock. Things have ceased to come in from other countries.”

Even if you buy American made she says, “They are suffering shortages of foam, and even some fabrics.” But she says locally owned stores will go the extra mile to make sure the kitchen set or couch you want is available, such as showing you fabrics that are available right now.

Her store will even sell floor models, unlike many chains, and she’ll give you a loaner couch while you are waiting. “We have a loaner so they are not in their apartment with nothing to sit on,” Machenheimer said.

So before you click online to save a few bucks, check some local furniture retailers. Like going to the farmer for fresh milk, they’ll do their best to take care of you.

One last tip, if you are thinking of getting some new custom furniture for Christmas, order it now. Don’t wait till fall, so you don’t waste your money.